Little Lagoon | Best Place to Stay in Gulf Shores

Little Lagoon sunset

Want to see the best Gulf Shores sunsets and eat like a local? Here's a bit of local advice for you. Instead of paying a premium to stay on the beach, find a house on the south side of Little Lagoon. You'll save some money, avoid the inevitable noise, elevator waits, and congestion that comes with staying in a high rise condo, and you'll enjoy the best sunsets the northern Gulf coast has to offer while still being close to all the restaurants, bars, and entertainment.

Gulf Shores' beaches run east and west, meaning the sun does not set over the Gulf of Mexico. In the summer, the sun actually sets behind the high rise condos, ruining the view from the beach. By staying on the south side of Little Lagoon, across the street from the beach, you will not only enjoy incredible sunset water views, but also plenty of fun fishing, crabbing, kayaking, and paddle boarding opportunities.

Little Lagoon is connected to the Gulf via Little Lagoon Pass, so it is a body of water that rises and falls with the tide, keeping it beautiful and clean. Chock full of fish and crustaceans like speckled trout, red fish, founder, and blue crab, Little Lagoon is the locals' favorite place to relax and have fun away from the tremendous crowds on the beach. But when you want to hit the beach, it is just a short walk or bike ride away, giving you the best of both worlds.

Now, about eating like a local: When staying on Little Lagoon, one of the best things you can do on your first day in Gulf Shores is go to Walmart to get yourself a saltwater fishing license and buy yourself a crab trap, a length of rope, some cheap chicken (thighs or drumsticks) and a box of Zatarain's Crab Boil in Bag seasoning. Tie the length of rope to the crab trap, load a couple of pieces of raw chicken into it, drop the trap off your dock into the lagoon, and secure the rope to the dock. Leave it for 24 hours and then go check it. You're likely to have a few nice blue crabs in there, just waiting for you to boil yourself up a fantastic dinner. You can keep re-baiting and setting your trap each day until you have enough crabs to make your dinner (put the live crabs you collect into an ice chest with ice and they will go dormant). 

Then, when you have roughly one or two crabs per person, the best thing to do is go to Gulf Shores Seafood (a local fresh seafood market near the beach) and buy enough "Low Country Shrimp Boil" meals for your dinner party. It will come cooked and ready to eat with tons of fresh shrimp, smoked sausage, potatoes, and corn on the cob. All you need to do then is boil your crabs.

While someone is out picking up your prepared low country shrimp boil, start boiling a pot of water on your stove and follow the directions on your Zatarain's box to prepare your seasoned water. 

When your already-prepared low country shrimp boil meal arrives at the house, toss your fresh crabs into the prepared and seasoned water. They'll be done in just a few minutes (when they turn bright red). 

Now, just toss your finished crabs on top of your already-prepared low country shrimp boil meal and you'll have a feast fit for a King - made with your self-caught fresh crabs!

Here's a YouTube video detailing the crab boiling process, to help you understand how it works. And another video that teaches you how to eat your crabs.

You can find vacation rentals on the south side of Little Lagoon by visiting the websites of local vacation rental agencies you find on Google, or better yet you can visit the VRBO website (Vacation Rentals by Owner). 

Here are the streets you want to be on, so you can look these up when you start searching those sites:

Windmill Ridge Road, Gulf Shores

West 8th Avenue, Gulf Shores

West 8th Street, Gulf Shores

West Lagoon Avenue, Gulf Shores

West Beach Boulevard (WEST OF LITTLE LAGOON PASS), Gulf Shores

Seahorse Circle, Gulf Shores

Staying on the north side of Little Lagoon is great, too. But you won't be facing the sunsets. If you stick to rentals on the streets listed above, you can't go wrong. Just check all the photos to be sure the view isn't obstructed by anything before booking.

VISIT OUR WHERE TO STAY and WHAT TO DO PAGES for more local tips and advice