Located just blocks from the beach, the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo is home to more than 290 animals and provides 17 acres of animal habitats for visitors to explore. Animals at the zoo include bears, lions, monkeys and tigers as well as inhabitants of the zoo's reptile house and petting zoo. The museum is open for visitors daily, excluding Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. During the summer months, the zoo presents daily animal shows, which are included in admission to the zoo.
Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo
1204 Gulf Shores Parkway
Gulf Shores, AL 36542
251-968-5732
alabamagulfcoastzoo.com
Home to more than 200 alligators, Alligator Alley offers visitors to Alabama's Gulf Coast the chance to see alligator feedings and observe the animals in their native habitat, co-mingling with other wildlife including bull frogs, ospreys and turtles. All of the park's alligators have been rescued, either from unsafe situations or after losing their fear of humans. Visitors are not able to interact with the gators, but they are able to view them from elevated boardwalks and platforms. Alligator Alley is open seven days a week, though according to its website visitors should call ahead for daily hours.
Alligator Alley
19950 County Road 71
Summerdale, AL 36580
251-946-2483
gatoralleyfarm.com
Cetacean Cruises offers several tours of the area's waterways aboard a glass-bottom boat. The one-and-a-half-hour dolphin cruise takes guests into the local bay to see dolphins. According to the Cetacean Cruise website, a pod of 19 to 30 dolphins stays in the area. The boat's crew provides information about the dolphins and answer any questions that guests might have. The two-hour dolphin and nature cruise visits the local dolphin pod and takes guests into a local swamp to view native wildlife, including alligators, boars, egrets, herons, raccoons and snakes. Both tours are given on the Alabama Cruizin', a 40-foot pontoon boat that holds up to 30 passengers
Cetacean Cruses
5991 West Perdido Ave.
Orange Beach, AL 36561
251-550-8000
cetaceancruises.com
Offering free admission, the Gulf Shores Museum provides visitors a chance to view both permanent and rotating exhibits providing insight into Gulf Shores and Alabama's Gulf Coast. Permanent exhibits at the museum include "Portrait of a Fishing Village," telling the story of area residents in the 19th century, "Drawing a Line in the Sand," celebrating Gulf Shore's 50th anniversary, and "Hurricanes: What You Need to Know," offering facts and information about hurricanes. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday and is closed on all major holidays.
Gulf Shores Museum
244 West 19th Ave.
Gulf Shores, AL 36542
251-968-1473
gulfshoresal.gov
