Alligators and sugar-white sands in Alabama

America’s 22nd state is associated with its rural backwaters, says James March in The Mail on Sunday. In fact, it is sometimes described as the most “redneck” of the southern states. But first-time visitors may be pleasantly surprised by Alabama. It is dotted with attractions, including, as you might expect, some significant landmarks of the Civil Rights Movement; but I for one didn’t even know that it has a coastline – a “lovely” one, with “sugar-white sands and crystalline waters”.

The corner known as Gulf Shores makes for superlative beach-hopping. As I arrived, pelicans flew overhead in “neat V formations” towards “empty golden beaches” that stretched far into the distance. There are so many quiet bays in the area that you could find you have your beach “all to yourself”.

The Lodge At Gulf State Park makes for a good base; although it’s a Hilton, it has a “laid-back atmosphere” that makes it feel like an unusually “opulent beach shack”. Directly behind the hotel lies Gulf State Park, “a world of meandering trails” and lakes that is superb for birdwatching. On my (guided) stroll, I spotted flame-red cardinals and high-hanging turkey vultures. A waterpark nearby is good for families seeking to beat the heat; and for food, head to Orange Beach for its excellent seafood. Coastal restaurant is “the place to go”: just about every evening, its patio is “bathed in the milky orange glow of a Gulf sunset”, and its “creamy grouper-fish sandwich is deliriously succulent”.

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About an hour’s drive north, you can do a kayak tour of the Five Rivers Delta, an evocative tangle of “lazy river bayous” sometimes called “America’s Amazon”. As you paddle downstream, you may notice the “dead eyes and green snout” of an alligator. For an “alluring diversion”, you could cross state borders and drive three hours to New Orleans; but you might find that Alabama’s “empty beaches, seductive southern rock, otherworldly nature and an endless sun” are all you need.

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