Halloween Events Along the Beach

The Wharf2Ghouls and girls, get your costumes ready! Halloween is just around the corner and we know you will have a spooktacular time at these fun events along the beach.

If you own a home in Orange Beach The Wharf is your best bet Halloween family fun. This favorite Alabama shopping destination will host Trunk or Treat at The Wharf on Halloween evening from 6-8pm. Wander down Main Street as the kids choose candy from the decorated trunks of a long line of cars. Also available during the event is face painting, inflatables, free Ferris wheel rides and a variety of other family activities.

If you’re looking for more adult fun near your Perdido Key real estate, don your best costume for the annual Flora-Bama content. Over $2,000 in cash and prizes will be available. The contest kicks off at 9pm. For a truly scary experience, those who live in Fairhope, Alabama will want to tour the Nightmare Chambers near downtown. The haunt is open every Thursday, Friday and Saturday through Halloween night.

No matter how you celebrate, we hope you have a ghoulishly good time this Halloween! Trick or treating near your Gulf Coast home? Check out these Halloween safety tips from our friends at Southern Residential Leasing!

The National Shrimp Festival in Gulf Shores

EventPhotoFull_shrimp fest logoWhy is October a great time to own real estate on the Gulf Coast? We have no doubt our local residents of Northwest Florida and Coastal Alabama have been enjoying the great fall weather, but have you ventured out to any of the local events? If not, this is your weekend!

It’s almost time for the National Shrimp Festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama. If you own real estate in Orange Beach or other nearby communities, be sure to come out. This event will kick off Thursday, October 8 and will run through Sunday, October 11, 2015. The festival is free for everyone and takes place at the public beach access where Highway 59 ends and intersects with Highway 182.

The National Shrimp Festival features four fun-filled days of live music, great food and kid-friendly activities. In addition to the delicious eats and awesome live music, you will also enjoy walking through the vendor booths as you take in the art pieces from local, regional and national artists. The Children’s Activity Village offers exciting arts and crafts and other activities that the kids are sure to enjoy. If you weren’t already planning on stopping by, we highly recommend you spend a day…or four…at this premier festival. Who doesn’t love music, delicious food and an incredible view?

The Perdido Key Pirate Festival

pkc_piratefest_aside_2015Saturday, September 19th is International Talk Like a Pirate Day, and it’s no coincidence that the 3rd annual Perdido Key Pirate Festival falls on that day. If you are the current owner or Perdido Key real estate or are looking into buying a home in that area, this is a family-friendly event that you won’t want to miss.  The event begins at 11:00 AM at Big Lagoon State Park and ends that night at 5:00.

All attendees are encouraged to wear their best pirate gear, and everyone will enjoy the tasty food, pirate costumes and incredible prizes. Pirate Captain Davy will teach all the young pirates some sea-shanties, magic tricks and so much more! In the park’s Amphitheater, there will be a reptile display by Reno’s Reptiles. Pensacola’s pirate ship, “Good Fortune,” will be out on the water, as well.

The kids will not only love these performances and displays, they will also adore the variety of arts and crafts station that local vendors will have set up throughout the Perdido Key Pirate Festival. All of the kids are encouraged to hunt for pirate coins, redeemable for thousands of dollars in prizes, and the child who finds the “Lost Key” will take home a grand-prize treasure chest! Don’t miss this fun-filled, family-friendly event along the beaches of Northwest Florida.

Taste of the Beach in Pensacola!

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Even if you already own real estate near Pensacola Beach, call us today and book yourself a little stay-cation in a Gulf Coast condo or home rental for Taste of the Beach weekend. This is an incredible event and you will want to be near all the action!

Taste of the Beach is an annual event that welcomes chefs, many you know from television, to our shores for demonstrations, seminars, and of course, plenty of food tastings! It doesn’t matter what type of cuisine you prefer, this event offers a little something for everyone.

Seafood, steak and good southern eats will all be available in abundance, as well as much more. And, during the Pensacola Beach Taste of the Beach event, you get the opportunity to taste the best of what this delicious community has to offer, fresh from our local chefs.

This annual event will take place September 18-19 at Casino Beach and feature our best local chef’s and restaurants. Enjoy cooking demonstrations from celebrity chef, John Besh. Plan your vacation in Pensacola Beach now and we will see you at Taste of the Beach!

The Wharf Uncorked in Orange Beach

uncorkedlogoTake a break from shopping for real estate in Orange Beach and visit The Wharf for the second annual The Wharf Uncorked Wine and Culinary Event. This is a three-day event that helps raise money for Make-A-Wish Alabama.

The Make-A-Wish foundation grants wishes to children in Alabama suffering from life-threatening health conditions. The event begins with The Wharf Uncorked Kick Off Party at The Palms on Thursday, September 24, 2015 at 6:30 PM. The night will be filled with live music and food and wine tasting. The event lasts two hours and offers cooking demos by famous local chefs, Peter D’Andrea and Chris Sherrill. On Friday, September 25, The Art of Food with Robert St. John and Wyatt Waters will be held at The Palms Demo Kitchen from 3:00-5:00 PM. This event is for lovers of food, featuring cooking demos and painting demonstrations by Wyatt Waters. There will, of course, be tastings of high-end wine, as well as a cook book signing, followed by premier wine dinners that evening.

On Saturday, there will be a food grand tasting throughout The Wharf Entertainment District from 4:00-8:00 PM. During this time frame, there will be numerous silent and live auctions taking place, followed by an awards ceremony in the Culinary Experience Tent. Whether you are staying in a Gulf Coast vacation rental or are a resident of the area, this is surely an event you will not want to miss!

For more information about the event visit The Wharf Uncorked website.

Downtown Pensacola Events in August!

Seville Square in PensacolaIf the hunt for Gulf Coast real estate has planted you in downtown Pensacola, congratulations! We know you will love your new home, not to mention all the awesome upcoming events you now have access to, including many this August.

You will always find great weekly events taking place near your real estate in Pensacola, including the Palafox Market, but late summer and early fall really kick off some great ones. The first is Summer Restaurant Week, hosted by the Great Southern Restaurants. These local dining hot spots are ones you will get to know well while living in your new home and this is a great chance to explore them.

Summer Restaurant Week takes place August 4-8, 2015 and features awesome three course menus from three different restaurants, Jackson’s Steakhouse, Atlas Oyster House and The Fish House. Cost is just $33 per person, per restaurant and offers a delicious tour of what each local chef has to offer. Some of the options include lobster with mascarpone Alfredo sauce, panhandle paella and slow roasted ribeye, along with choice appetizers and desserts.

Don’t miss out on this delicious way to explore your new city! We hope to see you out for Summer Restaurant Week in downtown Pensacola this August.

Upcoming Events at The Wharf

The-Wharf7-300x200Owning Orange Beach or Gulf Shores real estate provides you ample opportunities for fun. This comes in the form of the beach family festivals, and of course, events at favorite area event venues such as the Wharf!

The Wharf in Orange Beach, Alabama is a great destination for shopping, dining and festivals, as well as concerts at the amphitheater. This late summer and very early fall there are several awesome events taking place, with one or two sure to make your ‘must-attend’ list.

The first is the Top of the Hops Beer Festival on August 15, 2015. This event will take place on the Marina Lawn and will feature over 150 craft brews located in various beer gardens. In addition to the tasting event, you will find educational seminars such as Cooking with Beer, Food Pairings and How to Brew Beer. There will also be live music and exciting games. Tickets are on sale now for $35.

Upcoming events at The Wharf Amphitheater include concerts from Alabama Shakes, with special guests  the Drive by Truckers on August 22, 2015. Tickets are still on sale for this show, as well as for the September 6 show from the legendary Alabama! If you own property in Orange Beach or Gulf Shores, don’t let these nearby events pass you by. Get your tickets today!

The Flora-Bama Fishing Rodeo

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Calling all anglers! If you are lucky enough to own real estate in Perdido Key near the famous Flora-Bama, don’t miss the second annual Flora-Bama Fishing Rodeo.

Touted as the ‘funnest’ fishing tournament on the Gulf Coast, this is a great tournament to enter if you love fishing the waters of Florida and Alabama. The event kicks off on June 27 and runs for two great days.

This fishing tournament on the Gulf Coast is perfect for those looking for a little family fun in the sun. There are both kid and adult levels of entry. Kids can participate in a 10 category event for just $20, while adults are $40 per entry and can fish across 256 categories.

Prizes for the event include a $7,000 cash prize for the biggest Speckled Trout and King Mackerel, as well as additional prizes for offshore fish such  as Tuna, Swordfish and Wahoo. The kids will also be treated to a bevy of prizes.

In addition to being a good time, with plenty of food, drinks and fun available during the weigh-ins at the Flora-Bama, as well as awards, this tournament also benefits a great cause, the Wounded Warrior Project. Grab your gear and come out for this terrific Gulf Coast event in Perdido Key!

Independence Day Fireworks & Events!

Veterans Day 2014

The Fourth of July is right around the corner. We have a feeling we won’t see you out shopping for real estate on the Gulf Coast that day, but we would love to see you out at all the great local events along the beach!

So, what will be happening that day on the beaches of Northwest Florida and Coastal Alabama? Food, fun and fireworks, of course.

If you prefer to hang out near your home in Gulf Shores, be sure to stake out a spot at the Gulf Shore Public Beach for the annual fireworks show. In Orange Beach, enjoy a full day of festivities, including music, as well as shopping and dining before fireworks light up the sky over The Wharf. Both shows will begin at approximately 9pm.

If you want to hit the Florida Gulf Coast, enjoy a festive day of adult events at the Flora-Bama in Perdido Key. Or, if hanging with the family, make your way to Casino Beach in Pensacola Beach for a day on the sand. Grab some dinner along the boardwalk before the fireworks kick off over the pier at 8:30pm.

No matter where you celebrate, we hope you enjoy a happy and safe Fourth of July!

Shindig on the Sand 2015!

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Kick off June and the summer season, not by shopping for Northwest Florida real estate or a for a home on Alabama’s Gulf Coast, but with a great concert series on the beach. It’s time for Shindig on the Sand, a fun annual event in Perdido Key.

Hit the beach behind the famous Flora-Bama in Perdido KeyJune 5-7, 2015 to enjoy live music from great bands on five different stages. In fact, when you attend this free event, you will get to listen to 200 musicians and 70 musical acts throughout the weekend.

Those performing throughout Shindig on the Sand in Perdido Key include favorite local bands such as Heritage, Hotel Oscar, Brian Hill Band and more. You can even sway to the sounds of Grammy Award winner Wayne Troups!

The festivities kick off each day at noon and no cover is charged unless you arrive after 5pm. Come on our to the Flora-Bama to enjoy great live music, delicious food and drinks and a terrific time on the beautiful beaches of Florida and Alabama. See ya there!