Your Gulf Shores CME conference.

Gulf Shores after your study day

Study days finish at 2:00 PM Gulf Shores time. The tourism board counts 32 miles of sand with 15 public access points for swimming, shelling and sunset viewing, so a beach walk is the simplest afternoon. Gulf State Park’s fishing pier and The Wharf in Orange Beach are two other easy choices, and the board also counts 22 kayak launches, six golf courses and more than 100 fishing charters along the coast. Before you swim, look up the BEach SAFE flag warning system the tourism board links to, since Gulf conditions change.

Travel, lodging and attraction entry are arranged separately. The coast is simply the setting for a study day you run yourself, so choose one outing each afternoon.

Gulf State Park

Gulf State Park has about 32 miles of trails for biking, hiking and birdwatching, according to the tourism board. Its habitats include freshwater marshes, where alligators can be seen, and coastal hardwood swamps. Lake Shelby is a 900-acre freshwater lake used for swimming, fishing, boating and paddling, and the Backcountry Trail is the park’s main biking route.

The park’s fishing pier has more than 2,000 feet of rail space. The Nature Center describes itself as a living museum of plants and animals native to the Gulf Coast, with animal ambassadors that include owls, turtles, alligators and snakes. It is closed on Sundays, so check its days against your 2:00 PM finish.

Lodging inside the park includes a lodge, 20 cabins, Eagle Cottages, a campground with 496 improved sites and an RV resort with 104 full-hookup sites.

Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge

The refuge covers about 7,000 acres, from shifting dunes to pine-oak woodland, and protects some of Alabama’s last undisturbed coastal barrier habitat. It is a stopover for neotropical migratory songbirds in spring and fall, and it was established to protect neotropical migratory songbirds and threatened and endangered species. The refuge page names green, loggerhead and Kemp’s ridley sea turtles and the Alabama beach mouse.

The tourism board describes the refuge as having walking trails and a kayak launch. The refuge’s own page notes a move to a new Visitor Contact Station with limited parking during the transition, so check current status before you go.

Fort Morgan and the west end

Fort Morgan sits at the western end of Alabama’s beaches. The tourism board describes quiet beaches with shelling and long walks. Historic Fort Morgan, at 110 Hwy 180 W., is a 19th-century masonry fort named for the Revolutionary War figure Daniel Morgan. It played a role in the Battle of Mobile Bay in August 1864 and was used intermittently through the Spanish-American War and both World Wars. Visitors can explore its tunnels, artillery batteries and coastal views.

The Mobile Bay Ferry runs about 40 minutes to Dauphin Island, takes vehicles and foot passengers and runs year-round. Confirm its schedule before planning around it. The Fort Morgan Fishing Pier is a spot for redfish, speckled trout and flounder, and the Fort Morgan Marina offers charter trips on the bay and the Gulf; independent anglers need an Alabama fishing license. Leashed dogs are allowed on the bayside beach between the Quarantine Wharf and the Fort Morgan Fishing Pier.

The Wharf and rainy-day options

The Wharf is an entertainment district in Orange Beach with walkable streets of shops, restaurants, a Ferris wheel, an arcade, a movie theater and a 10,000-seat amphitheater. The Wharf Marina is on the waterfront, and dolphin and sailing cruises operate from the area.

For a rainy afternoon, the tourism board lists arcades, escape rooms, a trampoline park, art centers and movie theaters, along with the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo and a waterpark called Waterville USA. The Gulf Shores Museum covers local history and includes a Hurricane Hunters display, and the Orange Beach History Museum is in a building first built in 1910 as a schoolhouse.

When to visit Gulf Shores

The tourism board lists typical highs and lows by season. Spring runs about 74 and 62 degrees Fahrenheit, summer about 89 and 76, fall about 77 and 64, and winter about 61 and 48. It describes spring as mild with peaceful shores, summer as warm water and beach days, fall as a quieter getaway, and winter as sunny with festive events. Check the forecast before planning outdoor time.

Getting to Gulf Shores and your study setting

Gulf Shores International Airport (GUF) has its passenger terminal at 1155 Commerce Drive, which the tourism board describes as three miles from the beach. It lists nonstop flights and rideshare, taxis, shuttles and rental cars at the airport. The shoreline covers Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Fort Morgan, so choose where to stay with your afternoon plans in mind.

The map shows straight-line distances from Shift’s designated center. These are orientation distances, not driving distances or travel-time estimates. Check your exact address against the conference’s check-in area before booking.