Sweet side of Alabama: Quiet bays, kayaking on ‘America’s Amazon’ and seductive music – the US state’s Gulf coast provides a spectacular alternative to Florida

• James March says that Alabama’s coast feels ‘remote and tranquil’ 
• He bases himself at the ‘laid-back’ Lodge At Gulf State Park, a Hilton hotel  
• READ MORE: Travel expert reveals how to have a great time in London for £10

‘Where the skies are so blue,’ the late Ronnie Van Zant sang in the country music classic Sweet Home Alabama, in a southern drawl full of conviction. Looking out from my seafront balcony, he certainly seems to have got that right.

As the beaming sun settles high in the sky above sugar-white sands and crystalline waters, it quickly becomes clear that the catchy tune is spot on about this much-maligned state – so often talked down because of its rural backwaters populated by tough, poor and sometimes rough-around-the-edges communities. Google ‘Alabama’ and ‘redneck’ and you’ll get a lot of hits.

But despite Zant bringing the sunny skies of Alabama to the world’s attention 50 years ago, most first-time visitors to this corner of the States, known as Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, are likely to come away pleasantly surprised.

I, for one, didn’t even know that the 22nd state had a coastline.

And it’s a lovely one. As I arrive, Alabama’s pristine shores are sparkling, pelicans glide overhead in neat V formations and the empty golden beaches stretch into the distance. It feels remote and tranquil – yet to the east lie Florida’s crowded sands, while 600 miles south across the Gulf of Mexico, Cancun throbs with all-night parties.

Serene: During his tour of Alabama’s coast, James March explores the beaches of the resort city Orange Beach 

James says that most first-time visitors to Alabama’s coastal hotspots – such as Orange Beach (above) – ‘are likely to come away pleasantly surprised’ 

‘I, for one, didn’t even know that the 22nd state had a coastline,’ writes James  

Here, it could not be more different. The narrow coast juts out beneath Mobile Bay, a shallow inlet from the sea, and stretches from the Civil War bulwark Fort Morgan in the west to the serene Orange Beach in the east, with so many quiet bays you’ll often find you have the beach all to yourself.

My billet is The Lodge At Gulf State Park, a Hilton hotel. Despite its 350 rooms, the neutral colour palette, laid-back atmosphere and host of wooden screens and panelling make it seem more like an opulent beach shack.

Directly behind lies Gulf State Park, a world of meandering trails, quiet lakes and a key part of one of the most biodiverse regions in the United States: 450 of America’s 1,000 bird species either live or pass through Alabama.

The narrow Alabama coast juts out beneath Mobile Bay (above), a shallow inlet from the sea, and stretches from the Civil War bulwark Fort Morgan in the west to the serene Orange Beach in the east

Going native: Kayakers in the Orange Beach area. James says Alabama’s coast ‘feels remote and tranquil’

This I learn from my guide, Kelly, during a morning park stroll. She excitedly points out flame-red cardinals and high-hanging turkey vultures. The distant staccato yelps, she says, are those of a cooper’s hawk.

A small crowd gathers around us when Kelly picks up a passing ribbon snake with bulbous eyes. ‘Venomous snakes have thin black eyes, while non-venomous snakes have more rounded pupils,’ she explains. ‘So don’t worry!’

If avoiding serpents appeals then both traditional and e-bikes are available to hire at the park, while the nearby Waterville USA waterpark is ideal for families when the mid-afternoon heat picks up.

Back on the shore at Gulf State Park Pier, the hazy coastal views are magnificent and fishing is a fine way to pass languid mornings. Rods are available to hire for £16 for four hours.

My awkward attempts at casting are almost as risible as the fish’s luck in gobbling on to the shrimp at the end of the hook. I return empty-handed.

For a more successful taste of the deep, some of the Gulf’s finest seafood is found further east, at Orange Beach.

At Gulf State Park Pier, the hazy coastal views are magnificent and fishing is a fine way to pass languid mornings, says James 

James reveals that it’s common to spot pelicans ‘gliding overhead in neat V formations’

Above is a dish at Coastal restaurant, which James says is the place to go for seafood

Coastal restaurant is the place to go: its dreamy patio is bathed in the milky orange glow of a Gulf sunset just about every evening and its creamy grouper fish sandwich is deliriously succulent. Don’t miss the magnificently delicate Murder Point oysters, too.

This being America, though, I also spot a trend for grilled oysters doused in melted cheese and fiery hot sauce, something I feel is akin to pouring Irn-Bru into a glass of single malt whisky.

Ready for a change of scene, I drive an hour north towards Five Rivers Delta for a Wild Native kayak tour. Here, the landscape evolves into an evocative scenery of lazy river bayous, often referred to as ‘America’s Amazon’.

As I paddle slowly downstream in my kayak, I notice the dead eyes and dark green snout of an alligator poking through the water near some reeds. It lies there, motionless, like a scaly submerged statue.

‘There’s been only one recorded alligator attack in 48 years in Alabama,’ my chirpy guide, Chris, announces. ‘In Florida they’ve had over 300.’

This fact keeps everyone at ease, alongside his relentless stream of chatter, wildlife facts and jokes.

James goes to Five Rivers Delta (above) for a kayak tour. ‘Here, the landscape evolves into an evocative scenery of lazy river bayous, often referred to as “America’s Amazon”,’ he says

Speaking of Florida, back at Orange Beach there’s a bar straddling the Florida/Alabama state line, imaginatively titled Flora-Bama. Heading for a drink there, I come to a ramshackle maze of wooden corridors with five stages and live music every night.

On the two-storey main stage, the Justin Johnson Trio belts out Tom Petty covers as a huge stars-and-stripes flag unfurls from the ceiling.

The swinging jazz rhythms of New Orleans are just a three-hour drive away and make for an alluring diversion, but I’m content here with empty beaches, seductive southern rock, otherworldly nature and an endless sun.

Alabama’s a sweet home, indeed.

TRAVEL FACTS 

Seven nights at The Lodge at Gulf State Park costs from £1,739pp, including car hire and return flights (discovernorthamerica.co.uk).

British Airways fly to New Orleans from £780 return (ba.com). It also offers hire cars for the three-hour drive south to Alabama’s beaches. Rooms at The Lodge At Gulf State Park from £93 (lodgeatgulfstatepark.com). For more information visit alabama.travel and gulfshores.com.

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