Looking for a Skate Park on the Gulf Coast?

Amid the baseball fields, softball fields, and basketball courts that make up Johnnie Sims Park in Gulf Shores sits another facility that many visitors might find interesting: a 6500-square-foot skate park.

Maybe you’re vacationing in the area, or maybe a family member or friend is competing at one of the park’s fields, and you’re looking for a place to exhibit your skating skills. Either way, with ten concrete skate ramps designed for skaters ranging in ability from beginner to advanced, the skate park is an ideal place for skaters of all levels. (And perhaps it’s time to bring some skating events to the Gulf Coast!)

Now that you’ve got the location, you need the look—head on over to the Tanger Outlets, Bronze sponsor of the Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Sports Commission, in Foley, where you’ll find great deals on your favorite fashions. And speaking of sponsors, it’s time to recognize to other Bronze sponsors: Tacky Jacks and the Shrimp Basket, two excellent places to eat when the skating fun is over. (The Shrimp Basket is also a good location for starting a race—like the First Annual Shrimp Basket Giving Run coming up on June 8^th!)

Thanks for the support!

Come to the Gulf for a Weekend of Fishing

This post is for the ladies—or more specifically, the lady anglers. Beginning tomorrow (May 10^th) is the 2013 Fishin Chix Pink Rubber Boots Ladies Fishing Rodeo at Holiday Harbor Marina. It’s a worthwhile event for a couple reasons. First of all, it benefits the Krewe du YaYas Keeping Abreast Foundation, which in turn benefits breast cancer—a very worthy cause right there.

Second, it’s all about having fun, whether you have fishing experience or not. Fishing out on the Gulf for two days followed by an awards ceremony and a party, open to the public…sounds fun, right? Whether you’re participating or simply want to watch, it’s sure to be a fun fishing weekend!

Of course you’ll need a place to stay and maybe a place to eat, and this time we’d like to recommend Microtel Inn & Suites and the Original Oyster House, both with locations in Gulf Shores—and both Bronze sponsors of the Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Sports Commission. We would also like to recognize South Baldwin RMC, another Bronze sponsor. Thanks to all three for their support!

Gulf Coast Sports Abound in May!

April is almost over, but the sports excitement in Gulf Shores & Orange Beach is not. May is a particularly active month down here on the Gulf, and two particularly exciting events are scheduled.

First up: the 2013 AVCA Collegiate Sand Volleyball Championship. If you love college sports and beach volleyball, this is the event for you. The best collegiate beach volleyball teams will compete for the title of Champion at Gulf Shores Public Beach at The Hangout, May 2^nd to 5^th—four days of beach volleyball fun!

Then on May 3^rd and 4^th is the AHSAA State Track Championship at the Gulf Shores Sportsplex. This event is all about Alabama high school track and field athletes—more than 1500 of them! Shot put, discus, pole vault, hurdles…you’ll see it all at this sporting event.

And this is just the first few days of May. The rest of the month is full of events like softball championships, fishing tournaments, and even a taekwondo event.

Thinking you’d like to come down and join in the fun? We’ll take this opportunity to highlight bronze sponsor Meyer Vacation Rentals—they can help set you up with a beach-front condo or beach house. Hungry after all the sports activity? Lester’s in Orange Beach and Lulu’s at Homeport Marina—also bronze sponsors—are excellent places to find delicious post-game food. Thanks to all three sponsors for their support!

Turn That Tennis Tournament into a Vacation Experience

In just a little more than a week (April 18 – 21), the 2013 Alabama Tennis Invitational, delivered by Spectrum Resorts, will descend upon Gulf Shores & Orange Beach. Whether you are playing or watching, this USTA tennis event is sure to be an exciting event.

It’s easy to see why Gulf Shores & Orange Beach is an ideal location for such a tennis event. There’s the George C. Meyer Tennis Center in Gulf Shores, with 12 hard-surface courts and 6 clay courts, and the Tennis Center in Orange Beach, which has 8 hard courts. And then there are the tennis courts at places like The Beach Club, Peninsula Golf & Racquet Club, and the Gulf Coast Tennis Center—which is where this latest tennis tournament will be played.

That’s just half the reason for holding a tennis—or any other sport—tournament here. Other reasons include the white-sand beaches, the variety of Gulf Coast activities, and just the fact that it’s a great vacation location—sports or no sports!

And with that in mind, we’d like to recognize a few of our Bronze sponsors who contribute to the vacation-friendliness of the area: Courtyard by Marriott in Gulf Shores and Island House Hotel, which are both excellent places to stay while visiting the area, and Honours Golf, which helps provide excellent golf experiences at places like Peninsula Golf & Racquet Club (perhaps a round of golf after the tennis tournament?).

Thanks to all three sponsors for their support!

Make it a Baseball Vacation on the Gulf This Spring

Go ahead and make plans now to be here in June: the USSSA Global World Series 1 will take place in Gulf Shores & Orange Beach beginning June 18^th. Over 150 youth elite baseball teams will compete in this tournament.

But first they must qualify in the USSSA Sandlot Lead Off Super NIT Baseball Tournament, which is scheduled for April 6^th and 7^th at the Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, and Foley Sportsplexes. Whether you’re an athlete in this event, know an athlete in this event, or simply want to watch the action, it’s a good reason to schedule an April trip to the Gulf.

And if you do decide to make a vacation out of it, you might consider staying at Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Sports Commission bronze sponsor Caribe the Resort—lodge in a luxury condo, then dine at Cobalt, the resort’s five-star restaurant (and another bronze sponsor). Not too far away is another dining option—and another bronze sponsor: Cosmo’sRestaurant and Bar, where you can enjoy a meal that is “far from ordinary.”

A big thanks to all three sponsors!

Come to the Gulf Coast for Soccer!

Like soccer? Then you might like to be on the Gulf this month. First, the 2013 Orange Beach Soccer Shootout takes place this weekend, March 16^th and 17^th. Then on March 29^th and 30^th is the 2013 Gulf Coast Classic Soccer Tournament. Both are good times to plan a trip to the Gulf Coast for some soccer action.

And Gulf Shores & Orange Beach is an ideal place for soccer. Several local facilities offer access to soccer fields, including a soccer field at the Gulf Shores and two soccer fields at the Orange Beach Sportsplex. The Foley and Perdido Key Sportsplexes can also accommodate soccer events, and Gulf Shores Middle School offers one practice soccer field.

Come down for the soccer (and other sports events) and make it a true vacation. Companies like Orange Beach Villas and Young’s Suncoast Realty and Vacation Rentals are excellent resources for finding accommodations—and are much-appreciated Silver-level sponsors of the Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Sports Commission. Thanks for your support! And while we’re recognizing Silver sponsors, let’s give a big thanks to BP as well!

Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Is the Place to Be for Softball Next Month

If there’s one thing March is bringing to Gulf Shores & Orange Beach, it’s sports—softball in particular. (Of course, March will bring much more than that, including warmer spring-like weather!)

Kicking off the softball frenzy—and bringing attention to a worthy cause—is the 2013 Dolphin Classic Softball Tournament – Breast Cancer Awareness, which takes place this Friday and Saturday, March 1^st and 2^nd, at the Gulf Shores Sportsplex. With 20 high school softball teams competing in this tournament, it’s sure to be an exciting event.

Other upcoming March softball events include the NAIA and the University of Mobile Gulf Coast Invitational (March 8^th – 10^th), the Gulf Coast Classic I (March 11^th – 13^th), the Gulf Coast Classic II (March 18^th – 20^th), and the Gulf Coast Classic III (March 25^th – 27^th) softball tournaments.

Thinking of coming down to catch all the action? You’ll want a place to stay—preferably someplace comfortable, close to the beach, and with excellent amenities. Our Silver sponsors, Coast 360 and Fairfield Inn & Suites Orange Beach, can both help. For that, a special thanks is in order for these sponsors—and for providing support to the Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Sports Commission!