Melinda Purcell, Realtor, EXIT Realty Landmark, Alabama Gulf Coast

09/29/2026

09/29/2026

09/29/2026

Congratulations to my buyers and a huge thanks to James Ward for all you do!

09/27/2026

Gulf Shores, Alabama

09/27/2026

The Baldwin County Heritage Museum in Elberta tells a story that doesn’t fit neatly into one famous date or one famous name. Its focus is the everyday life of the county’s early farm communities.

The collection includes tractors, wagons, appliances, clothing, and other objects people used at home and at work. There are also historic buildings and structures on the grounds.

Together, they offer a way to picture the routines behind the county’s growth: tending land, keeping a household running, traveling between communities, and making use of what was available.

That makes this a particularly interesting stop for anyone whose family has spent generations in Baldwin County. An old appliance or piece of farm equipment can bring back a story that a photograph alone might not.

For someone newer to the area, the collection offers a look at the communities that were here before today’s busy roads and expanding towns.

The museum is located at 25521 U.S. Highway 98 in Elberta, and the museum says admission is free. It preserves a side of coastal Alabama history that is easy to pass by when most of the attention goes to the beach.

09/26/2026

Sometimes the simplest local events are the best ones.
Foley's Midday Melodies returns to Heritage Park this October, bringing live music to downtown in the middle of the day.
And it's completely free.
The concerts are scheduled every Wednesday in October from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., weather permitting.
Instead of a traditional concert venue, musicians perform outside near the fountain at Heritage Park.
People can bring lawn chairs or picnic blankets, grab lunch from a downtown Foley restaurant or bring something from home. The Masonic Lodge is also scheduled to have concessions available in the park.
The 2026 lineup is already set.
Wiley Pete Duo performs October 7.
Dan Lee follows October 14.
This Side of 49 performs October 21.

Tennessee Tim and Doug Drake close out the month on October 28.
Heritage Park is especially suited for something like this because it's right in downtown Foley but still provides plenty of open green space.

Free parking is available around the perimeter of the park, and additional parking is available across Highway 59 with access by the pedestrian bridge.
There's something wonderfully old-fashioned about the whole idea.

No giant stage.
No expensive admission.
No complicated festival schedule.

Just live music in the park during lunchtime on an October Wednesday.
For people who remember when community entertainment was often this simple, Midday Melodies might feel pleasantly familiar.

And with four Wednesdays scheduled this October, there are four chances to catch it.

Visit Foley

09/26/2026

Here's one for people who think they've already explored every corner of Orange Beach.
Have you ever tried exploring it by kayak?
The City of Orange Beach maintains an official Canoe Trail with 10 designated landing sites scattered around the city's protected waterways.
And this isn't limited to one little creek.
The trail system reaches waters including Wolf Bay, Bay La Launch, Arnica Bay, Bayou St. John and Cotton Bayou.
That means paddlers can experience an entirely different Orange Beach from the one seen along Beach Boulevard and Canal Road.
Instead of traffic and high-rises, you're down at water level moving through bays, bayous and quieter shoreline environments.
The city established the landing sites specifically for canoeists and kayakers.
Orange Beach also maintains information identifying the individual launches so paddlers can plan where they want to enter and leave the water rather than simply looking for a random place to put in.
Of course, conditions matter.

Wind, boat traffic, tides and weather can change quickly around coastal waterways, so paddlers should check conditions and choose a route appropriate for their experience level before launching.

But the existence of the trail itself is something I suspect plenty of people don't realize.
Orange Beach has invested heavily in outdoor recreation away from the Gulf-facing beach. Between the Backcountry Trail, public parks, boat launches and this paddling network, there's another side of the city hiding beyond the usual vacation spots.

Ten designated canoe and kayak landings.
Five named bays and bayous.
And a completely different view of Orange Beach.

Research verification: City of Orange Beach Parks & Trails. The city currently lists 10 designated landing sites on the Orange Beach Canoe Trail. Orange Beach