Fort Morgan Vacation
Our family has been vacationing in Fort Morgan, Alabama, just outside of Gulf Shores for many years. Over the years, we’ve stayed in a variety of places, sampled almost every restaurant around and found family fun. With Spring Break just around the corner, a Fort Morgan vacation is a great get-away as a family. Here are our recommendations!
Where to Stay
Most of Fort Morgan is houses, not high rise condos, which we love. Less crowds! We’ve rented houses through Reed Real Estate for over fifteen years. They have 100+ properties including Gulf Front, Gulf View, and Bayside. After renting from them for a while, we bought an investment property and Reed is now our property manager.
Check out our Step Away for a perfect family getaway. With three bedrooms, gulf views and beach access right out the front door, it is ideal for a family with kids.
If the condo with amenities is more your thing, The Beach Club is on Fort Morgan. We love to visit the spa located on the property and it has restaurant options open to the public.
Where to Eat
Sassy Bass
For a casual, local feel, Sassy Bass has several locations on Fort Morgan. We like the Amazin’ Grill (the closest to the fort, the best). Get some Navy Cove oysters and the loaded fries! The Amazin’ Grill also has a market next door to grab grocery items as well as beer, wine and liquor. They also have pizza delivery. We love the Cheezy Stix and the White Bass and Home Grown pizzas.
Jesse’s On the Bay
Jesse’s on the Bay is fabulous! Upstairs has a wonderful atmosphere and great food. We have not had a bad meal there. It is a great place to go for a special occasion.
Downstairs, called the Cold Hole is great for families with kids because the kids can play outside and run around. Downstairs has a more condensed, casual menu and is a place where many people enjoy the outdoor bar for a drink or two.
Gulf Shores / OBA
If you want to go farther in for a meal (into Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, or even all the way to the Alabama/Florida state line which is between 20 minutes to an hour away depending on where you are staying on Fort Morgan) we suggest:
- Big Fish – For great sushi. The fire cracker shrimp fried rice entree is wonderful!
- The Gulf – Made entirely out of old cargo boxes, The Gulf is all outdoors right on the pass. Watch boats coming in and out and enjoy the unique atmosphere. It’s also a great place for kids to run around and play in the sand and play games. The lobster roll is a MUST! We also love their fresh cut fries.
- Flora-Bama Ole River Grill – If you’re itching to buy a lotto ticket in neighboring Florida, a meal here is a good excuse to go. They have the best fried crab claws ever! I also love the summer salad. For adult only fun, the famous Flora-Bama Lounge across the street is an experience everyone needs to try at least once.
What to Do
A Fort Morgan vacation has something for everyone in the family. As mentioned, the Spa at the Beach Club is a great place to relax. The service is exceptional. Call early during peak season to get an appointment.
In Gulf Shores/Orange Beach, The Wharf is a fun venue boasting a great concert lineup, a movie theatre, a ferris wheel, restaurants, and lots of cute shops.
The Track is a place our kids love. They have an indoor arcade, more than one go-cart tracks, and bumper boats.
The Tanger Outlets in Foley are a great place to find good deals. We especially like TJ Maxx, J.Crew and Polo Ralph Lauren at this location.
Riding the Mobile Bay Ferry over to Dauphin Island is a fun day trip. They do several round trips daily between Fort Morgan and the island.
For Putt Putt (mini golf), we prefer Pirate’s Island across Hwy 59 from the Track. There are two pirate themed courses. Fun fact: my family has been playing putt putt at this location for 30+ years.
Check out these throwbacks of me as a kid:
Fishing
In Fort Morgan, you can fish in the surf up and down the beach. It isn’t too crowded to do so, even in peak summer, and this is a major appeal to us. We frequently catch Pompeno and Red Fish. In late summer/early fall the blue crab are usually all over the place in the surf and make for a great meal if you are patient enough to prepare them!
There are multiple charter companies for deep sea fishing with a variety of options. Our fishing loving friend recommends these companies:
- Chipper’s Clipper
- Cold Mil Fishing
- Captain Kurt’s Charters (out of Dauphin Island)
- MSC Fishing Charters
Looking for more inside scoop on Fort Morgan and surrounding areas? Follow our experiences on Instagram:
