Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Orange Beach, AL

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:

Sweet Simplicity said...

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!

LWLH said...

Looks beautiful down there...glad you had a great time :)

Meghan said...

It looks like absolute perfection! So glad you had a great time!

Unknown said...

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:)

Jax said...

What a fun trip! And good find on VRBO! That's fabulous! That looks like the perfect family vacay, girl!

Caroline said...

I love LuLu's! That's where Fred and I got engaged.

Natasha said...

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!

Meredith said...

Great pictures girl!!! Looks wonderful, I'll have to put it down to check Orange Beach out!!

C Mae said...

Your vacation looks so much more way exciting than mine's gonna be!!!

Lindsey said...

Your blue maxi is so pretty - mind me asking where it's from?!

Laura said...

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.

Katie said...

What a fun family vacation!! I also love your blue maxi...so summery & perfect for the beach.

Lindsay @ la vita dolce said...

Looks so fun and relaxing :)
Love your blue maxi dress!!!

Bonniebeewester said...

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??

Annie said...

Looks fun!

We use VRBO and love it!!

sarah @ life {sweet} life said...

what a FUN time!! love your dress...you look adorable! :)

Mateya said...

Love it! Looks like fun!

Katie said...

I love that royal blue maxi dress! It looks great on you!

Ashley said...

Aw, ya'll were right down the 1oad from me! Glad you had some good family time. :)

Anonymous said...

Love that blue maxi dress! It looks great on you! Glad you had fun on vacation!

Elle said...

Sounds like you picked the perfect spot! Glad it was a great time :)

Natalie said...

So jealous of the beach vacay.. I love the Gulf.

Selma @ Crazy Little World Of Mine said...

Looks like a terrific time, and such a gorgeous place!!! :)

Carol {Everyday Delights} said...

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!

Sarah said...

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!

lg2006 said...

I love tacky jacks for cocktail hour or brunch! Great pics

Bobbi said...

Those are great pictures! Look so pretty there!

Jen said...

What a great trip! Love your blue dress :)

Congrats on the new nephew!

Tanya said...

Looks like a great time and I LOVE your blue maxi dress! where is it from? the colour is just phenom on you!

Liesl said...

Looks like such a fun time and I am loving that blue dress on you!!!

Liesl :)

Crazy Shenanigans-JMO said...

That looks like it was such a wonderful place to spend vacation!!

Amber said...

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!

Nicole-Lynn said...

Your hair looks super cute! Love that blue maxi dress too!

Looks like y'all had a nice time!

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