Orange Beach, Gulf Shores both earn USA Today “Top 10” slots

Orange Beach, Gulf Shores both earn USA Today “Top 10” slots

SA Today 10-Best recently named the City of Gulf Shores number five for Best Small Coastal Towns and the City of Orange Beach number three for Best Small-Town Food Scenes.
“These awards came just a few days before Governor Ivey announced that Baldwin County welcomed 6.4 million visitors that left behind $4.4 billion and employed more than 50,000 locals in 2017,” said Herb Malone, President and CEO of Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism. “It is a great honor for our cities to be recognized on a national level by those families and friends who visit our beaches, support our local businesses and continue to return year-after-year.”
About Gulf Shores, the newspaper noted: Visitors to Gulf Shores, at the heart of the Alabama Gulf Coast, will be met with sugary-white sand beaches, Southern-style fresh seafood, championship golf courses and nearly any water sport you can imagine, thanks to the many nearby back bays and rivers. Preserves and state parks protect much of the region make Gulf Shores an ideal base for a natural coastal escape.’’
About Orange Beach, the newspaper noted: The sugar white sand beaches aren’t the only draw in coastal Orange Beach, Alabama. A lineup of creative chefs have taken inspiration from the Gulf of Mexico bounty, including three-time James Beard nominee Chef Bill Briand with his upscale Fisher’s Upstairs. Anchor bar serves up seafood-centric bar fare (think fried oysters and seared sea scallops) while The Gulf pairs stellar views with a mean grouper sandwich.
Collingswood, NJ topped the Food Scene Top Ten, while Gerogetown ,South Carolina was named the top small coastal town.