The Local Economy

NEW UPDATE - MAY 12, 2020

Governor Ivey has announced an amended "Safer-At-Home" order during Friday's COVID19 press conference. The statewide health order will allow restaurants to reopen dining areas with limited table seating and follow all social distancing and sanitation guidelines. Close-contact service providers such as commercial gyms, fitness centers, barbershops, hair/nail salons are permitted to reopen subject to social distancing and sanitation rules. Other notable changes include removing the social gathering limit of 10 or less. You are still required to maintain 6 feet of distance between persons not from same household. The amended order will go into effect on Monday, May 11, 2020 and expire Friday, May 22, 2020 at 5:00PM. 

Aside from beautiful beaches, the Gulf Coast offers a great selection of annual events and festivals throughout the year. There's something for all ages including beachside concerts, fishing rodeos, boat shows, wine tastings, and plenty of festivals! The following is an up-to-date list of 2020 events taking place along the Gulf Coast from Gulf Shores, Alabama to Panama City Beach, FL. Mark your calendars and let's have fun in the sun, sand, and surf!

*Some events have been canceled or postponed due to COVID-19.

2020 Events in Coastal Alabama & Pensacola, FL

Orange Beach Seafood Festival & Car Show
When: February 29, 2020
Where: The Wharf, Orange Beach, AL 

1st Annual Fort Morgan Oyster Festival
When: February 29, 2020
Where: Sassy Bass

Things are finally looking up for Bama Bayou, the site of a proposed entertainment center and dolphin exhibit that went bankrupt in 2009. After meeting with the Orange Beach City Council, Texas-based developer, Presidium, has announced a master plan to completely transform the deserted development into a bustling resort and mixed-use entertainment complex. This is great news for the city as the 147-acre property covered in unfinished dilapidated buildings has remained an eyesore for almost a decade. Bama Bayou sits at the "entrance to Orange Beach" right beside the Beach Express toll bridge along the Intracoastal Canal. The City has settled on an agreement giving the greenlight for the $300 million project along with major tax incentives to the

A new luxury hotel and mixed development is planned for the public beachfront in Gulf Shores, AL.  The $85 million project was revealed on June 19, 2018 by Mayor Robert Craft and DD Partners, LLC, a development team led by Ron Durham and Ron Day.  Once permitting is approved, Embassy Suites by Hilton will break ground at the 1.93 acre parcel on the corner of West Beach Blvd and West 1st St. Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2019 with a build time of 22 months.  The first-class resort will span 398,000 square feet and offer 229 rooms, a fine dining restaurant, conference room/meeting spaces, ball room, full-service spa, fitness center, and indoor pool.  A vast 23,000SF roof top terrace will feature an outdoor pool, bar and lounge with great

 
Moving right along schedule, the city of Gulf Shores is implementing the second phase of the Gulf Place Revitalization Project.  This massive effort will transform the city's most popular beach hangout, known as Gulf Place, into a pedestrian- and bike-friendly environment with aesthetic and facility enhancements along with improved traffic flow from West Beach to East Beach.  Originally called the 'T' by locals, Gulf Place is set in the heart of Gulf Shores at the Hwy 59 & Beach Blvd intersection and features a number of restaurants, retail shops, and the city's largest public beach.  The area serves as a lively entertainment venue and hosts several large events such as the National Shrimp Festival, NCAA Volleyball Tournament, and Hangout Music

New feature!  Find every restaurant menu for the Alabama Gulf Coast.  Also, check out CondoInvestment.com on Facebook page for great area info.

Winter's over and spring is well underway in beautiful Coastal Alabama. If you're in the Orange Beach area, or planning to visit this year, you may be wondering what there is to do around town besides lounge by the pool in your Orange Beach condo or dig your toes into the fluffy sands by the Gulf of Mexico. Orange Beach offers a variety of family-friendly activities to do all over town. From hiking and dolphin watching to parasailing and concerts, there's always something to do in Orange Beach.

Just west of Orange Beach is Gulf State Park, which offers a number of things for visitors of all ages to do.

In a short time, the brand new Vista Del Mar condominium in East Perdido Key will be completed. With many units already sold and construction nearly complete, now's the time to make a move if you are looking for the ideal Gulf Coast property in an upscale development in one of the most beautiful areas of Perdido Key. Vista Del Mar sits right next to Johnson Beach, an undeveloped area that's part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore and one of the most beautiful white-sand beaches you've ever seen! Owners of Vista Del Mar units enjoy breathtaking 300-degree views of the Gulf of Mexico to the south and the Intracoastal waterway to the north.

The amenities at Vista Del Mar and designed to give owners and their guests an unforgettably luxurious

Visitors and residents in the Foley area will have already noticed that the construction on the new OWA amusement park has been making some impressive progress since the start of the year. The first phase of construction on the expansive family-friendly amusement park is nearly complete and some of the most exciting attractions planned for the area are nearly complete.

When completed, OWA (owa means "big water") will take up 520 acres of prime real estate right off the Foley Beach Express. Part of the first phase of construction includes an amusement park with over 20 rides and exciting attractions for visitors of all ages. Right next to the amusement park is a shopping and dining area that was inspired by traditional Southern towns, with a distinct

Terry Cove is a small area of Orange Beach that offers some of the best features in town. The waterways pour into the Gulf of Mexico here, making it a popular area for taking the boat out for the day to go fishing or just enjoy the sights. Ono Island is just east by Perdido Pass and the end of Highway 61. Perdido Pass is the most popular place on the Alabama Gulf Coast to beach your boat or hop around to one of the numerous watering holes in Orange Beach. This area is close to the Florida state line, which sits approximately two miles east (left in the image) from Perdido Key, FL. In the other direction, Gulf Shores is a short drive away at just six miles or so from this area. The central location and spectacular views make Terry Cove one of the most

 Just down the road from The Track Family Recreation Center, about a quarter of a mile north of the beach, Waterville USA offers some of the best water attractions on the Gulf Coast! Waterville USA is both a waterpark and an amusement park spread out over 20 acres near the Gulf State Park. The park originally opened in 1986 and, since then, it has become one of the most popular destinations in all of Baldwin County, Alabama.

The waterpark portion of Waterville USA features over seventeen water attractions, including pools, a lazy river, waterslides, and a wave pool, just to name a few. The Dune Racer, one of the most popular waterslides, features several different tubes so the whole family can race down these 55-foot tall slides. Little kids