PERDIDO KEY
Travel Insider
Our beautiful, white-sand beaches bring visitors back year after year. But take a closer look and you’ll find even more to enjoy: culinary delights, year-round festivals, parks and nature, golf, shopping, extreme watersports and countless ways to relax. So enjoy the beach, but don’t miss out on the other fun that Perdido Key has to offer:
Sunday Worship
Worship on the Water, an outreach of the Central Christian Church, draws casually dressed people of all ages for music and a short sermon Sunday mornings at the beachfront FloraBama. Arrive early on special days like Easter, when more than 2,400 people attend. Service at 11am.
Seafood and Bluegrass
Along with local fresh seafood, you can enjoy Bubba and Them, a lively bluegrass band, at The Original Point Restaurant (point-restaurant.com) every weekend. As one Yelp reviewer put it, “… this place is as fun as it gets. Amazing bluegrass band and fantastic royal red shrimp.”
The Past Comes Alive
At Native Paths Cultural Heritage Museum (perdidobaytribe.org), you’ll find Native American artifacts, historic weapons and hand-crafted treasures. Meet members of the Perdido Bay Tribe of Poarch Creek Indians, and watch as rescued and recovered animals are released into the wild. Tue-Sat, 9am-5pm. Free admission.
Unique Mess Hall
The Cubi Bar Café inside the National Naval Aviation Museum (navalaviationmuseum.org/explore/ cubi-bar-cafe) holds a treasury of memories for military personnel who transited through the Philippines from the Vietnam conflict until 1992, when the original Cubi closed. Gourmet sandwiches, salads and soups daily from 10:30am-3:30pm.
10 PERDIDO KEY VISITORS GUIDE www.visitperdido.com
MORE ONE-OF-A-KIND ACTIVITIES NEARBY Flying High
Hummingbird Ziplines (gulfadventurecenter.com/ hummingbird-ziplines.html) has seven towers, six zip lines and nearly a mile’s worth of airborne travel at Gulf State Park between Orange Beach and Gulf Shores. Soar up to 90 feet above the ground while you enjoy views of the nature park and nearby Gulf.
Magical Gardens
Millions of flowers bloom year-round at Bellingrath Gardens and Home (bellingrath.org), a 65-acre estate in nearby Theodore, Ala. The house, built in 1935, covers 10,500 sq. ft., and the original furnishings are on display. Hop aboard the Southern Belle for a river cruise while you’re there.
Food, Culture and Blues
Historic Belmont-DeVilliers (belmontdevilliers.com) mixes art galleries, live music, restaurants and shops, where Five Sisters Blues Café serves authentic southern cuisine and regular live jazz music, the frills-free Blue Dot dishes out award-winning burgers and rib sandwiches, and Gumbo Gallery showcases local artists and “lost communities.”
A Fish Story
Joe Patti’s Seafood (joepattis.com) is a long-time fixture on Pensacola’s waterfront and one of the biggest tourist attractions in Pensacola. Wander through the bustling market that’s filled with oysters, fish, shrimp, crab and other fresh seafood right off the boat. There’s also a delicatessen, a sushi bar and a wine store.
A Lot of Hot Air
Hot air balloonists from around the country descend on Foley, Ala., every June for the Gulf Coast Hot Air Balloon Festival (southbaldwinchamber.com). Weather permitting, there are day and nighttime flights. There’s also a Frisbee dog show, live music, free children’s village, arts and crafts, and more.