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!