Fourth of July on the Alabama Gulf Coast

Hi Friends! Summer is in full swing around here with perfect beach days and beautiful weather. Now is the perfect time to bring the littles down and enjoy everything this beach town has to offer!

 If you like the sand between your toes and the sound of waves crashing as you watch the fireworks, then you have the right spot. The City of Gulf Shores will be setting off their firework show at 9 pm from the Gulf State Park Fishing Pier. Let the kids see a show they won’t ever forget! They begin setting up at 7 am and the fireworks will be shot from the middle of the pier this year. This means either The Gulf State Park or the eastern area of the Gulf Shores Public Beach will be the best viewing areas!

Ready to Run on vacation? The Wharf is hosting their 8th annual SHARK 5k Run/ Competitive Walk and 1 Mile Fun Run on July 4 beginning at 7 am. Register before June 18 and get a early bird discount. The first 350 people to register will receive a custom shark run shirt!

Have kids you need to keep entertained during the day? The Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo will be having a hands on habitat hosted at Tacky Jacks Gulf Shores! While the event itself is free they are asking that everyone has reservations to attend. It begins at 11 am and they are asking you arrive 15 minutes early. Follow the link here to RSVP!

Need a place to stay? Sunset Properties has you covered! We have a 4 bedroom 3 bath house called Julia’s by the Sea at Martinique. This property is located in a gated community and comes with a golf cart to use! Our new property Believe is available. Believe is a 5 bedroom 4 bathroom house located in Fort Morgan. This property is perfect if you have family you want to bring with you. Andrews Cottage is located in Gulf Shores and is 2 bedroom 2 bathroom. This house has access to its own private pier on the lagoon! Give us a call at 251-543-1370 or visit us online at www.sunsetproperties.com.

Summer Concert Series at the Wharf Amphitheater

Hey Friends! Happy Summer from your Sunset Properties team. We are so excited for summer to be rolling in and the weather to be warming up. Which also means we are ready for summer concerts to make their comeback. The Wharf is the perfect place to see big names close to home. The amphitheater seats 10,000 and is an open-air venue that truly does not have a bad seat in the house. This year they already have an amazing line up of big music names. For an updated list of shows, click here!

May 26th  and 27thKenny Chesney with Kelsey Ballerini

June 2ndKoe Wetzel

June 15thJames Taylor

July 21stSam Hunt

July 26thDave Matthews Band

July 30thJelly Roll

August 16th– 3 Doors Down

August 17-19thEric Church

August 26th Jason Aldean

October 8thOutlaw Music Festival featuring Willie Nelson, The Avett Brothers, Gov’t Mule, Elizabeth Cook, + Particle Kid

October 14thHARDY with special guest Lainey Wilson and Dylan Marlowe

If you are not too big on the concert scene, The Flora Bama is hosting their 10th Annual Fishing Rodeo June 9-11th. They have a children’s division and they have teams for the King Mackerel tournament! Even if you don’t enjoy fishing come out and enjoy the music, activities, and as always great food. Plus, check out what everyone will be bringing in! You can register online here.  

Sunset Properties has you covered for places to stay! Close to the wharf we have 2 Caribe Penthouses that both have gorgeous views. They are both 3 bedroom 3 bathroom and sleep 6! To check out the rest of the properties we have available, click here! Let us do the hard work for you give us a call or send us a text to 251-543-1370 and we will find you the perfect place. Or you can check us out online at www.sunsetproperties.com

Hangout Festival 2023 Tips and Tricks!

Hey Friends! With Hangout Fest coming up in a few weeks we thought it would be a good idea to compile a list of Sunset’s Hangout Essentials to help you make it through the weekend. They have a lot of great artists this year and you do NOT want to miss someone you’ve waited months to see!   

  1. Sunscreen!!  

You do not want to be the lobster red friend running to hide from the sun at any given chance. Make sure that you put on your SPF before you leave the condo so that you’re prepared! Liquid sunscreen in non-aerosol containers of 3 oz or less is allowed into the festival.   

  1. Drink Plenty of Water  

Make sure you keep hydrated. Being in the sun all day can be exhausting, so making sure you are properly hydrated is essential to having a good time! You are allowed to bring in a single pocket camelback hydration pack or 1 non-glass water container up to 2 liters in size into the festival to refill at their water stations. It must be empty when going through security!  

  1. Bring a portable phone charger  

You’re going to want to take all the instagram pictures, Snapchat stories, and live videos so that everyone knows how much fun you are having. That takes a lot of battery and phone storage to do! Make sure that you have a portable charger, that you made sure to charge beforehand (haha), so that you don’t have a lapse in content! 

  1. Don’t forget tickets/ comfortable outfits 

Number 1 essential that normally can’t be rebought when you get here is your wristband! Make sure you pack it in a safe spot or go ahead and put it on before you leave the house. Also, make sure you are dressing to be comfortable during the day! You will be out and about for the whole day so you do not want to regret your outfit or shoe choices!  

  1.  An Awesome place to stay!  

You want to be able to check in to your unit and enjoy yourself. Let us take the hard work out of it for you! Get your insta worthy pics and then head on over to the festival without a care in the world. Sunset Properties has you covered! Gorgeous beach front units like Crystal Shores West 901. This condo is a 3 bed/3 bath that sleeps 9 and is only 1 mile from The Hangout! Wanting to be in a house instead of a condo? We have Beach Time available that is also a 3 bed/2 bath sleeping 8. This house is 2 miles from the festival!  Give us a call at 251-543-1370 or check us out online at www.sunsetproperties.com and see what we have available!  

Make sure to say hello if you see any of us at the festival and get your hands on a Sunset Properties bracelet! Have a fun and safe time and, “ We’ll See Ya at Hangout!”  

2023 Hot Air Balloon Festival

Hey Friends! We have a super cool event coming back to Foley this year. Hot air balloons will be taking over the grassy area beside OWA on May 4th-6th! The festival kicks off at 5 pm on Thursday with live music and lawn games for the kids and ending the night with Balloon Glow. May 5th begins at 11 am with a meet and greet from the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo and a balloon artist on OWA island. From 2:00-4:00 pm they will be having an interactive hot air balloon display! If you enjoy live music, make sure you stick around for sounds from Grits and Greens, Ryan Dyer Band, and D Play. As long as the weather allows, they will be having tethered Hot Air Balloon rides and Balloon Glow night. How fun would it be to go up in a hot air balloon ride? Saturday is going to be filled with so many fun events for kids and adults alike! The Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo will be out again on Saturday as well as a kids Balloon Building contest and balloon races on OWA island. Starting at 2:30 pm they will be hosting a Hot Air Balloon Pilots Meet and Greet! Following that there will be live music from Bangarang Peter, Ben Loftin & The Family, and The Red Clay Strays. Admission for the festival is free, but you can purchase tickets to ride in the Hot Air Balloons online here.  

Needing a place to stay? Sunset Properties has you covered! Maybe you want somewhere you can fish from every evening. Stars Align is a 3 bedroom that sleeps 10 with a private pier. Does your family prefer the Phoenix condos? Phoenix West 701 is a 4 bedroom that sleeps 10 and overlooks the Gulf with breathtaking views. Need something a little smaller? Check out Boardwalk 584. This is a one bedroom unit that sleeps 4 located right near Sea n’ Suds! Check us out online at www.sunsetproperties.com or give us a call at 251-543-1370 to plan your perfect vacation!  

The Best time to come to the beach!

Hey Friends! Did you know that right about now is the BEST time to visit the Alabama Gulf Coast? After the kids get done with Spring Break and in between Memorial Day you are going to not only find the best prices. You also find beautiful weather and shorter lines/not as many crowds! The average temperature for April in Gulf Shores is 74º with a low of 63º. Perfect for spending the day on the beach and then going to dinner that night. We have a few fun events going on in the next few months as well.

The Waterway Village Zydeco & Crawfish Festival takes place on April 21-22! They are kicking off the event with a ticketed concert for Rebirth Brass Band from New Orleans. They take the stage from 7 to 9 pm and have an opening act starting at 6 pm! While they will not have crawfish on this day, they will have food trucks for those wanting to purchase food and beverages. To purchase tickets click here. Before the festival opens on Saturday there will be a 5K/ Walk that begins at 8 am and will begin in front of Acme Oyster House. Saturday it is free to enter the festival and they will be having live music and art vendors along with crawfish galore!

Bama Coast Cruisin’ is coming back to The Wharf in Orange Beach April 28-29th. Have a car worth showing off? Fill out the registration form and bring it out! Just like to admire nice cars? Bring the family out and make a day out of it! There is something for everyone at The Wharf! They will have a DJ all weekend with music and announcing door prize winners.

Gulf Coast Hot Air Balloon Festival is coming to town May 4th-6th! This was named the event of the year in 2021 by the Alabama Tourism Department. More than 50 hot air balloons from all over the country will cover the lawn at OWA. On Thursday, they are having a Balloon Glow Kick Off Event with food, arts and crafts, and retail vendors. For the kids, they will have lawn games, balloon artist and a face painter on OWA Island.

Looking for a place to stay? Sunset Properties has you covered whether it’s a house for the whole family or just a condo for two! Check out our Phoenix 7 1217 condo that sleeps 10 with a gorgeous view of the Gulf of Mexico. This unit has been newly renovated! Caribe C Penthouse 14 is a 3-bedroom condo that sleeps 6. The Caribe is a wonderful family friendly spot to take the kids! With water slides, a lazy river, and an indoor pool there is tons to choose from. Plus, you are just a few feet from Cobalt when you need dinner! Looking for an efficiency unit for a quiet weekend? Sugar Beach 138 would be perfect and gives you a side view of the Gulf from your balcony! This unit puts you within 10 minutes of The Hangout and so many other great restaurants. Give us a call at 251-543-1370 or visit out website www.sunsetproperties.com to check out our properties. Hopefully, we’ll see ya at Sunset!  

Easter on the Beach

Hey Friends! We have a few fun events coming up in the next few weeks. Easter, the Mullet Toss, and Bama Coast Cruisin’ are just the tip of the iceberg of fun coming to Gulf Shores in the next few months. Summer is just around the corner.

This year The Wharf is hosting an Easter Egg Hunt put on by The Island Church with more than 5,000 eggs on April 2nd! There will be bounce houses,  balloon artist, and so much more for the kids to do. Activities will start at 11 a.m and the Egg Hunt starts promptly at 11:30 a.m. What a fun way to take the kids to celebrate while also finding something for the adults to do as well.

Lulu’s also puts on one of the best Easter celebrations! The Easter egg hunt begins at 2 pm and they will have a photo op for the kids from 1 to 3 p.m at all Lulu’s locations. Eat some great food and let the kids play while you enjoy yourself!

Mark your calendars because one of the biggest beach parties hosted on the Alabama Gulf Coast, The Mullet Toss comes to town April 28th– 30th! The mullet toss is a weekend full of fun for all ages, so come visit the Flora- Bama and toss a mullet over the Alabama- Florida state line.

Mullet are tossed from a 10’ circle down a 200 foot long course. It cost $20.00 to throw a mullet and that includes a T-shirt to remember the weekend! All of the proceeds will go to helping local communities with drug and alcohol addiction. The festival runs from Friday to Sunday with kids activities starting at 10 am and ending with Adult Awards at 4:30 pm. Once the festival is over the mullet are donated to Alligator Alley or the Gulf Coast Zoo for the alligators to feast on!

Looking for a place to stay? Call/Text us at 251-543-1370 or visit our website www.sunsetproperties.com to book! Here is a link to units we have in Orange Beach. Just a few we have available are  Caribe C Penthouse 14, Sugar Beach 138, and Phoenix 7 1217! Check us out before these units book up!

BEach SAFE in Gulf Shores

Hey Friends! Spring Break is just around the corner meaning that warmer weather is coming! Now is a good time to refresh your memory on beach safety and what to do if you encounter rip currents. You should always remember to swim with a friend and to always play it safe. Always make sure that you check conditions before getting in the water. You can even get text alerts now, test ALERTBALDWIN to 888777 to enroll.

Rip Currents are one of the easiest ways to get sucked out in the Gulf. They are powerful narrow channels of water moving quickly away from the shore. You will find that they are most common where waves are crashing perpendicular to the beach. My family’s rule was that if it looked like a “washing machine” there was most likely a rip current there. You can also look for discolored water near the shore. When rip currents form, they are dragging sand from the bottom of the ocean or gulf. Now that you are familiar with Rip Currents. How do you escape one? The first thing you must do is remain calm. If you try to fight the current, you will get tired very quickly. To get out of a current you need to swim parallel to the shore. Once you feel that you are out you can swim to safety. If the current is too strong to escape, you should float or tread water until you feel it weaken. Then you can swim back to shore. If you see someone caught in a current, you should call 9-1-1 and look for a lifeguard. If a lifeguard is not around, you should throw them something to float on and yell instructions. DO NOT put yourself in danger trying to rescue someone else!

Sun Safety is another big need to know around here! You should apply sunscreen at least 30 minutes before sun exposure and reapply at least every 2 hours or after getting wet. You should also wear clothing that has SPF in it and hats to keep the sun off. Especially for children! Make sure that you are drinking plenty of water throughout the day. Heat Stroke is very common down here. You should watch for hot, red, dry skin; changes in consciousness; rapid, weak pulse; and rapid, shallow breathing. If you see someone having these symptoms, call 9-1-1 and keep the victim lying down with ice packs on them.

Need a place to stay? Sunset Properties has you covered! Check us out online or give us a call at 251-543-1370 and let us find the perfect spot for you. Kids like lazy rivers? Caribe B Penthouse 4 may be the spot for you! Like to be away from the hustle and bustle? Dunes 501 would be perfect. Do you really want that beautiful Gulf view? Make sure you check out Crystal Tower 706!

Summer Concerts at the Wharf!

Hey friends! We have had SO many concert announcements lately. The Wharf Amphitheater seats 10,000 people and there really is not a bad seat in the house. It is an open-air venue so most shows are rain or shine ( except for lightning!). To see a updated list of shows coming to The Wharf click here. For tickets to shows visit Ticketmaster.com or click here! Here are the shows coming currently!

May 5th, Whiskey Meyers will be taking the stage at 7:30 pm

May 13th, Hank Williams Jr with special guest Old Crow Medicine Show start at 7:00 pm

May 27th, Kenny Chesney with special guest Kelsea Ballerini start at 7:30 pm

June 2nd, Koe Wetzel will be starting at 6:00 pm

June 24th, Walker Hayes with special guest Ingrid Andress+ Ray Fulcher start at 6:30

July 15th, Parker McCollum with special guest Morgan Wade take the stage at 7:30 pm

August 17th-19th, Eric Church with special guest Lainey Wilson + Jackson Dean start at 7:00 pm

That is a pretty awesome line up this early in the year! As always, if you are needing a place to stay we have lots to choose from. Close to the wharf we have 2 Caribe Penthouses that both have gorgeous views. They are both 3 bedroom 3 bathroom and sleep 6! To check out the rest of the properties we have available, click here! Let us do the hard work for you give us a call or send us a text to 251-543-1370 and we will find you the perfect place. Or you can check us out online at www.sunsetproperties.com!  

Hangout 2023

Hey Friends! Jack Frost is here for a little winter vacation, but it won’t last long. Summer is just around the corner and that means Hangout Fest 2023 is on its way May 19-21, 2023! The festival is located on East Beach in Gulf Shores, AL and is a three day festival filled with artists big and small. They have a great lineup this year with headliners Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sza, Calvin Harris, Paramore, and so many more. Hangout Fest is a great way to kick off the summer. With friends, great music, and the beach, what more could you want? This is a great way to come and listen to your favorite artists and find some more favorites on the way. If the music isn’t your thing there are so many other fun activities. In previous years, theres been puppy booths, temporary tattoos, beach bars, a Ferris Wheel, and even roller skating! Find the love of your life? Well, they have a wedding chapel where you can get married for real or just for fun! It is just a great time to spend with your friends and experience new things. Tickets are on sale now (and a little cheaper) and normally sell out so you better hurry!

In need of a place to stay? Sunset Properties has you covered whether you want to be in the hustle and bustle or further down the beach! Properties like Ocean House I and II, Phoenix West, Boardwalk, and luxury properties in Fort Morgan.  We have a little bit of everything, so make sure you give us a call/text at 251-543-1370 or visit our website at www.sunsetproperties.com. Make sure to look out for the Sunset Properties crew and say hi!  

Make Valentines Day “Just Beachy”

Hey Friends! Everyone deserves to be spoiled on Valentines Day, but what if you hit it out of the park this year? What if you really went the extra mile? Bring her down to Gulf Shores or Orange Beach and spend the weekend doing what she loves. If you are looking to branch out heres a few suggestions from us!

Do Something Different

Southern Charm Picnic Company

Surprise your partner with a picnic that you can enjoy too! This mother-daughter duo will do all the hard work for you, all while creating a magical memory for you. Picnics come with a catered charcuterie board as well as sparkling and flat water! You can book online or you can give them a call if your date is not available online. Make sure you call them quick because this seems like a romantic idea!

Take her to a nice restaurant

Gulf Shores and Orange Beach have so many wonderful restaurants to choose from. If you are in the mood for dinner with a beautiful view Cobalt is the place for you. They will be featuring a special menu alongside of their normal menu for the night! Make sure to give them a call and make your reservations early! It is sure to fill up!

Sunset Cork Room is a Wine Bar and Casual Fine Dining Restaurant located in the heart of Gulf Shores! Here you will find items like pork chops, lamb lollypops, and lobster tail on the menu. Along with being able to pair it with the perfect wine. This is a romantic spot that is sure to impress you and your date. They do take reservations so check out their website or give them a call!

Find the perfect dessert

Check out Chocolate Corner For the perfect dessert to finish off the night. Their menu features tons of homemade items that taste as good as they look! Everything from fudge cups to chocolate dipped strawberries. If you just need to run in and grab something check out their gift boxes.

Hope’s Cheesecakes Is a gourmet cheesecake bakery that features some of the most interesting cheesecake flavors you will find in Gulf Shores. You can stop by and see what they have to offer Tuesday- Saturday from 9:00-6:00!

Visit the Spa

Austin Massage Is located on Hwy 59 and offers an array of massages to choose from. You can go to the office OR they can come to you! They can come to your condo or house and do your massage on the balcony of your unit.

If you are looking for a facial CC’s Salon is the place for you! Give your partner the gift of great skin with a gift certificate so they can pick the perfect facial. If you know what they like already you can book online!

Take her to the Beach

Sunset Properties has reduced the rate by 20% for Romantic Getaways in February! Make sure you check us out online at www.sunsetproperties.com or give us a call at 251-543-1370 to get your vacation booked today.