I took on the task for the Smith's of finding a house for a summer getaway, and VRBO (Vacation Rental By Owner) made it easy breezy. Have ya'll used this site before? If not, I highly recommend it. We got so lucky with a house to hold us all comfortably, in a gated community, and just 2 miles outside of Orange Beach. We thought tourism was down as we had a private beach and the restaurants right down the road weren't packed during prime summer, and we found out on the second or third day that we were on the outskirt of the craziness. This ended up being a huge blessing since we didn't have to deal with the crowds.
Speaking of crowds and after driving into Orange Beach .... I learned quickly that LA, also known as Lower Alabama, for the southerners is a hot spot for family vacations. And, I must say Orange Beach was a hit with ours as well. Gabe spent many years vacationing at Gulf Shores, and Orange Beach was the next city over which I didn't even know when planning the trip. Thanks to Facebook and people who recently vacationed there for the recommendation :)
My sister in law and me jetting off to the beach after arriving!
Dinner at Sea - N - Suds
The Smith-Gill Family
The Shelton's-Smith's
Dallas Smith's and Seattle Smith's :)
WimbleSmith Matchup with not a cloud in the sky and layers of SPF
We heard all about Lulu's in Gulf Shores (Jimmy Buffet's sisters restaurant) and there was a 2hr wait for dinner, so we came back the following day for a wee-bit shorter wait of 1hr.
Jam sessions as they are a musically talented group!
My mother in law, Robin -- Live music @ Tacky Jacks
Jason and Gabe
Overall, the Smith Family is already looking forward to a summer trip again next summer. Except this time next year, we will have a 7 mth old nephew with us as my brother and sister in law are preggers - Yay Yay!
33 comments:
We went with my husband's family to Orange Beach in May. It was such a great beach! We had a great time. Glad y'all enjoyed it too!
Looks beautiful down there...glad you had a great time :)
It looks like absolute perfection! So glad you had a great time!
I've heard about Orange Beach because we live about 4 hours from there. From your pictures it definitely looks as if we need to go before the big move to Ft. Lewis! I have also used that site you're talking about and it's simply the BEST. We booked a vacation to Orlando, Fl and got a STEAL on our accomodations. $100 a night for a GORGEOUS 3 bedroom condo... It was insane yet so awesome:)
What a fun trip! And good find on VRBO! That's fabulous! That looks like the perfect family vacay, girl!
I love LuLu's! That's where Fred and I got engaged.
OK so I was wondering about Orange Beach--I've never been, but looks fantastic fun for family get togethers!!
P.S. I LOVE ME SOME VRBO!
Great pictures girl!!! Looks wonderful, I'll have to put it down to check Orange Beach out!!
Your vacation looks so much more way exciting than mine's gonna be!!!
Your blue maxi is so pretty - mind me asking where it's from?!
You would think you were the FL Smiths with those gator's color's you two were sporting. lol, looks and sounds like a fun trip.
What a fun family vacation!! I also love your blue maxi...so summery & perfect for the beach.
Looks so fun and relaxing :)
Love your blue maxi dress!!!
We are totally going to gulf shores next week! Never been there before and so I'm glad to see the beaches are just as beautiful as Florida. Any other recommendations on places to eat? Things to do??
Looks fun!
We use VRBO and love it!!
what a FUN time!! love your dress...you look adorable! :)
Love it! Looks like fun!
I love that royal blue maxi dress! It looks great on you!
Aw, ya'll were right down the 1oad from me! Glad you had some good family time. :)
Love that blue maxi dress! It looks great on you! Glad you had fun on vacation!
Sounds like you picked the perfect spot! Glad it was a great time :)
So jealous of the beach vacay.. I love the Gulf.
Looks like a terrific time, and such a gorgeous place!!! :)
Oh I love!!! We've been to Orange Beach a couple of times to visit fam and I loved it - great place! Looks like a fabulous time and I love your dress!
You made a visit to my home state!! I was at Orange Beach in June and also ate at Sea N Suds and Lulu's...both of those are a must!!! Glad you enjoyed it! Alabama beaches are very popular!
I love tacky jacks for cocktail hour or brunch! Great pics
Those are great pictures! Look so pretty there!
What a great trip! Love your blue dress :)
Congrats on the new nephew!
Looks like a great time and I LOVE your blue maxi dress! where is it from? the colour is just phenom on you!
Looks like such a fun time and I am loving that blue dress on you!!!
Liesl :)
That looks like it was such a wonderful place to spend vacation!!
I didn't realize y'all were going to be in Orange Beach / Gulf Shores! I'm so out of the loop with blogging. But that's only about 3 or 4 hours from where I am and I've had MANY good times there. That's actually where my bachelorette weekend was! Anyhoo, I'm glad y'all had such a great time!
Your hair looks super cute! Love that blue maxi dress too!
Looks like y'all had a nice time!
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