Becky Beall

If it has been a while since you last visited Alabama beaches, then you might find it helpful to know what’s new in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. Although the amazing Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo is not new, they have moved to a new facility on Oak Road East that offers room to roam, lots of beautiful spaces, a huge playground and fun extras like the butterfly house. No matter what new activities, restaurants or adventures may come to Alabama beaches, you can always count on one thing: the white, sandy shores juxtaposing turquoise waters are the main draw. If you need some help planning your trip, order a FREE Vacation Guide and check out Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Specials from lodging and eating to activities.

Poised to accept vacationers as they become ready to travel again, Alabama’s beach communities of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach have many social distancing things to do. It makes sense to wonder what things will look like on a Gulf Shores and Orange Beach trip this season. While sun seekers will still be able to soak up rays (six feet apart) on their favorite beach, there are many things to do that offer perfect social distancing experiences. No matter if you want to order takeout and have a picnic at Gulf State Park’s Lake Shelby or try something new like a motorized tiki bar (accommodating six guests) from Cruisin’ Tikis, you’ll have an ideal vacation with a little planning that puts your family right in its sweet spot.

Dubbed as the official State Veterans Day Parade of North Carolina, it’s definitely worthy of a visit if your travels take you close in November. From vineyards and tasting rooms to tours and pairings, you’ll find so many ways to enjoy award-winning North Carolina vinos in Duplin County. You can sample wine for $5 or do the Deluxe Wine Tasting for $10—a great value considering you can taste up to 10 wines from the tasting sheet plus nibble on some gourmet crackers and dip. Duplin Winery offers Down Home Country Christmas as the winery’s annual holiday dinner theater performance.

The Hyundai Palisade sports a strong profile with sweeping lines and wrap around glass, a bold cascading grille, crocodile eye design (note the deeply recessed LED headlights into the front fascia), rear lighting that harmonizes beautifully with the front, wide rear stance signaling stability and oversized 20-inch alloy wheels (available). Favorite features of the Palisade as noted by consumers include USB outlets on every row, One-Touch for the second-row seat allowing for easy access to the third-row, third-row power-folding/unfolding and reclining seats as well as a conversation mirror giving the driver a clear view of rear-seated passengers. The Palisade also has available Heads-Up Display (HUD), a nod to aircraft technology, which projects a virtual image onto the windshield assisting drivers with information such as speed and speed limits, cruise control status, navigation and safety features (Blind-Spot Collision Avoidance Assist, Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, Lane Following Assist) and audio data. Fuel economy for the Palisade varies between drive trains slightly offering 19 mpg in the city and 26 on the road (combined 22) for the front-wheel drive and 19 in the city and 24 on the road (combined 21) for the all-wheel drive.