Anyone Been to Alabama/Florida Panhandle Beaches?

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Thank you all for your thoughts. Sounds like everyone loves it. I’m going to keep looking at rentals in the areas. As of right now the place I like the most (well for the price) is in Perdido Key, but I still am searching around. Lookin first week of June.

Another thing can you take your own beach chairs most places? I see a lot of the condos have rental chains out on the beach, can you bring your own if they have them or do you have to pay to use theirs?

I've never seen any that you cannot bring your own chairs or your own umbrella. Those are usually only there during high season though. Keep in mind though on windy days, it's best just to rent their umbrellas. They're spiked in well.

Most of all those beaches from Gulf Shores around to the end of the Panhandle have mini golf, restaurants, go karts and the like nearby. There are also a couple of water parks in there as well.

Panama City Beach has a bit more of that stuff nearby. You'll also find more condos on the water than in Destin also. Destin has more upscale shopping and the like. Orange Beach was the quietest followed by Gulf shores. For shopping other than the T shirt shack or the nick nack shop in Gulf Shores or Orange Beach, you'll have to go to nearby Foley. They also have the Throwed Roll place. Lambert's.

 

[sonnyjane]

I've never seen any that you cannot bring your own chairs or your own umbrella. Those are usually only there during high season though. Keep in mind though on windy days, it's best just to rent their umbrellas. They're spiked in well.

Good advice! I was a beach lifeguard in Destin for a couple of summers when in college and the worst injury I ever had to treat was the result of a runaway beach umbrella!

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

We visited the PCB/Destin area recently. We found a condo along 30/A near (not on) the beach. The beach was about a 5 minute walk away for us, not bad at all. The beaches and water there are lovely. I believe the name of the place was Deer Lake State Park, that was my favorite beachy (if that's a word lol) place for views and scenery. It was absolutely gorgeous. It is a loooong walk down the boardwalk thing too the beach from the parking area (believe me, I walked it like twice in a row. We walked all the way down there, got set up on the beach and I realized that I forgot my phone so I walked all the way back to get it, and then back) It was well worth it, and I needed the exercise.I absolutely loved the 30/A stretch and would love to go back again, and would gladly stay in the same condo.

PCB was OK. We ate at a restaurant there that had a beach view, and there was some shopping. I did not care for Destin, it seemed like a zoo. It was way too crowded and the traffic was awful.

 

[Wishing on a star]

No need to rent an umbrella if you want to own.

Just have a sand-anchor.
As I had recommended in my earlier post...
Nobody should ever put up a beach umbrella without a good sand-grabber.
Most people know this, but there are always a few out there!

Those that think they can just stick one of those individual non-commercial umbrellas in the sand are risking problems and injuries!!!
The commercial vendors use much sturdier umbrellas, and use an auger-drill to drill a deep and strong hole.
The sand-grabber/anchor replaces the need for the drill, as you can twist it deep into the sand by hand.

 

[4kids4karen]

These rental people think they own the beach... But, obviously, they do not.

You might have to restrict putting up your own chairs and umbrella in a public access zone.

New beach-access restrictions go into effect July 1

http://www.fox13news.com/news/local-news/new-beach-access-restrictions-go-into-effect-july-1

 

[luvsJack]

Gulf Shores already has some restrictions. The other beaches may too, but we ran in to it on the public beach in Gulf Shores. The areas where you could put up your own umbrella and chairs or a tent was restricted. They had to be able to move the emergency vehicles up and down the beach line so that was part of it and I think they had to be in certain areas to keep the line of sight clear for life guards. Not sure but you had to be so far away from a life guard tower. So it made the public beach a bit crammed together even though it wasn't that crowded. The rental guys come out early in the morning to set up and most of their chairs stay in place over night, so they have all the better, less crammed area.

Also, OP, even if your room is right there on the beach and your resort/condo has a private beach, you cannot leave your stuff on the beach after dark. They will pick it up and throw it away. We haven't experienced it but saw some of our fellow condo renters have their whole set up picked up one night--I know this is true in Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and PCB, not sure about Destin. The lugging an umbrella and chairs in every evening just didn't appeal to us, so if we are there more than a day or two, we rent. Honestly in PCB its not that much to rent. You can google chair rentals on whichever beach you end up going to and you can rent in advance or at least check the prices. Once you pick your room or condo, they may even have a link to the rental site on their website. I would at least look at it to see if the pain of taking it in and out every day is worth the savings to you.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Yes, there are things like Right of Way restrictions... and strict policies of not leaving anything on beaches overnight. And, of course, there are good and valid reasons for these!!! But, yes, you can bring your own...
ENJOY!!!!!

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

Thank you all for your thoughts. Sounds like everyone loves it. I’m going to keep looking at rentals in the areas. As of right now the place I like the most (well for the price) is in Perdido Key, but I still am searching around. Lookin first week of June.

Another thing can you take your own beach chairs most places? I see a lot of the condos have rental chains out on the beach, can you bring your own if they have them or do you have to pay to use theirs?

You can bring your own, I highly recommend a beach cart to haul all your stuff in. Get one with big wheel that can go on sand easily.

 

[4kids4karen]

You can bring your own, I highly recommend a beach cart to haul all your stuff in. Get one with big wheel that can go on sand easily.

This is why I just rent. The good beach carts easily run over $100. Good beach chairs are can get pricey and after a couple years started to rust in my garage. I am not about hauling anything (and I live in Florida). We just bring our beach bag, speaker, and small cooler for drinks (which has wheels).

 

[jaiminee krikit]

My grandma stayed in Destin once and we stayed with her for one night on our way to Clearwater Beach. I have never seen a beach as beautiful as there, soft white sand, crystal clear water, it was gorgeous. She hated it - there were no shells.

 

[J'aime Paris]

Gulf Shores already has some restrictions. The other beaches may too, but we ran in to it on the public beach in Gulf Shores. The areas where you could put up your own umbrella and chairs or a tent was restricted. They had to be able to move the emergency vehicles up and down the beach line so that was part of it and I think they had to be in certain areas to keep the line of sight clear for life guards. Not sure but you had to be so far away from a life guard tower. So it made the public beach a bit crammed together even though it wasn't that crowded. The rental guys come out early in the morning to set up and most of their chairs stay in place over night, so they have all the better, less crammed area.

Also, OP, even if your room is right there on the beach and your resort/condo has a private beach, you cannot leave your stuff on the beach after dark. They will pick it up and throw it away. We haven't experienced it but saw some of our fellow condo renters have their whole set up picked up one night--I know this is true in Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and PCB, not sure about Destin. The lugging an umbrella and chairs in every evening just didn't appeal to us, so if we are there more than a day or two, we rent. Honestly in PCB its not that much to rent. You can google chair rentals on whichever beach you end up going to and you can rent in advance or at least check the prices. Once you pick your room or condo, they may even have a link to the rental site on their website. I would at least look at it to see if the pain of taking it in and out every day is worth the savings to you.

Yes about the stuff on the beach!!!

Orange Beach (And Gulf Shores) started an initiative called "Leave Only Footprints".
Items left overnight on the beach will be disposed of.

For years and years, guests would set up tents and stake out a spot on the beach for their entire stay. That is no longer a possibility.

 

[J'aime Paris]

This is why I just rent. The good beach carts easily run over $100. Good beach chairs are can get pricey and after a couple years started to rust in my garage. I am not about hauling anything (and I live in Florida). We just bring our beach bag, speaker, and small cooler for drinks (which has wheels).

Can I like this 1000 times?

The only carts that pull decent through the sand have the oversized inflatable wheels, and they are pricey.
Most families bring down a cooler, kids beach toys, music of some sort, large beach bag with essentials, etc. like you mentioned.
Adding several chairs and umbrellas to that sometimes requires multiple trips!

 

[pens4821]

The hauling stuff to the beach won't be a big deal for us. We aren't all day at the beach kind of people. We just take a couple chairs, and a couple drinks. Thats why we like staying as close as possible. Easy to head back to the room/house to get more to drink/eat, hit the restroom, or just go back to the pool for a little bit.

I'm so glad they get rid of the stuff on the beach. Like I said, we've never brought more than a chair/cooler/couple beach toys to the beach, but there are some people that just leave their stuff up all week. Glad they don't put up with that.

I really appreciate everyone taking the time to let me know about their experiences. I'm getting more and more excited about trying a new beach spot.

 

[Lynn CC]

We are going to that area for 4 days in December. How's the weather there then?
They are building a new 55 plus community, the first in that area, so we are going with my brother and his wife to check out the area to see if it's a place we want to move to.
It does look beautiful in the pictures. We are also checking out Tampa, Clearwater, Daytona Beach, and St. Augustine. They all have 55 plus communities there that we want to see. But First our Disney Trip this month!

 

[luvsJack]

We are going to that area for 4 days in December. How's the weather there then?
They are building a new 55 plus community, the first in that area, so we are going with my brother and his wife to check out the area to see if it's a place we want to move to.
It does look beautiful in the pictures. We are also checking out Tampa, Clearwater, Daytona Beach, and St. Augustine. They all have 55 plus communities there that we want to see. But First our Disney Trip this month!

Somebody that lives there probably could answer better about the weather in December but I know a couple that goes to the panhandle ( they stay in a different beach town each year) for a month every November. She says the weather is much like it is here (Mississippi), may be warm may be cold. Some days it rains all day. They spend a lot of time walking on the beach but they don’t get in the water as it’s cold. They love it that time of year.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

This is why I just rent. The good beach carts easily run over $100. Good beach chairs are can get pricey and after a couple years started to rust in my garage. I am not about hauling anything (and I live in Florida). We just bring our beach bag, speaker, and small cooler for drinks (which has wheels).

Beach Cart $100
Chairs $50 each
Umbrella (a good one with a good anchor) $250
A bigger car to haul it all in. $20,000
Saving $30. Priceless.

 

[MomofKatie]

We aren't really "beach people", but we have been to gorgeous Grayton Beach in Walton County, FL several times in the past 20 years. It is lovely- the Grayton Beach State Park is there, so development is kept to a minimum. White sugar sand beach, fun little beachfront street with a few shops and restaurants, and Destin less than an hour away. Lots of great little beach towns all along Highway 30A in Walton County.

 

[morgan98]

We aren't really "beach people", but we have been to gorgeous Grayton Beach in Walton County, FL several times in the past 20 years. It is lovely- the Grayton Beach State Park is there, so development is kept to a minimum. White sugar sand beach, fun little beachfront street with a few shops and restaurants, and Destin less than an hour away. Lots of great little beach towns all along Highway 30A in Walton County.

Yes, about Walton County and Highway 30A. I was thinking about Rosemary Beach and Seaside. That is a very beautiful area and the beaches are truly spectacular!

 

[Wishing on a star]

C'mon people.... Let somebody make their own decision about owning or renting!!!!
We sometimes go to beaches where rentals are not readily available.
For us...
I found two very nice beach chairs (not cheap one's) on a fire-sale clearance sight for less than 1/2 the regular price.
Sand-grabber online... maybe 10-20 dollars...
And, no an umbrella does not cost hundreds of dollars... $40.00 got us a very nice, but not huge, one.
No way a 'Dolly' would have to cost $100.00, either. That might be something we get for our next trip to the beach!

 

[Wishing on a star]

December will be too chilly for real beach weather, for sure...
I believe the weather starts to change around November....

Lynne, Would you mind telling what this community is???
Might be interesting!