2 Best Sights in Gulf Shores, Alabama

The French name Bon Secour means "safe harbor," which these 7,000 acres provide for migratory birds, nesting sea turtles, the endangered Alabama beach mouse, and people seeking tranquil hours. Wild dunes still exist along what is one of the Alabama coast’s largest undeveloped areas. Hiking trails, ranging from 1 to more than 4 miles, wind through dunes, swales, wetlands, maritime forests, and scrub habitats where you might see foxes, coyotes, armadillos, and hummingbirds.

Come face-to-face with an alligator or a red snapper at aquarium exhibits that help this marine laboratory share its research with the public. The barrier island location is surrounded by Mobile Bay, Mississippi Sound, and Gulf waters. Tanks display watery homes for oyster reefs, eels, octopus, sea horses, sharks, and more.