Perdido Key & Orange Beach, the way it actually is.
One stretch of sand split by a state line. Conditions, eats, fishing, and banter — written by people who live here, for everyone who wishes they did.
Latest
How to do the Key in peak season without losing your mind
Memorial Day's behind us, which means the Key is full and stays full until the kids go back. Here's the locals' operating manual for summer — when to cross the Pass, when to hit the sand, and how to never wait an hour for a table you didn't have to.
The Friday Report: snapper summer's here, the trout are early, and the surf's been clean
Our weekly read on what's biting from the bay to the bottom — inshore trout and reds, Spanish off the pier, snapper season in full swing offshore. Plus the only regs reminder that matters before a holiday weekend.
Mailbag: jellyfish, why the water changes color, and the roped-off patch of sand
Early-summer questions: a reader gets stung and wants to know what hit them, another asks why the Gulf goes from emerald to murky, and a third wants to know what the stakes and tape on the beach are protecting.
Areas
Perdido Key Drive
FLThe strip. Gulf-front high-rises, the Sandshaker, and the smell of fryer oil drifting south.
Johnson Beach / Gulf Islands
FLThe undeveloped end. National park rules apply. Bring shade — there isn't any.
Innerarity Point
FLBay side. Where locals drink. Hub Stacey's, Pirate's Cove, and a sunset that beats the Gulf for half the year.
Sorrento / Bauer Road
FLThe inland part. Where the Publix is. Where everyone who actually lives here goes for cat litter.
The Flora-Bama Line
FLTwo states, one parking lot. The Mullet Toss, the Songwriters, the line. Where the Key is, in spirit.
Ono Island
ALGated, quiet, and across a bridge. Locals live here. Tourists do not, on purpose.
Sunday mornings, the short version.
What's open, what's biting, what's on this week. Once a week. We don't sell your email and we don't email you again on Wednesday.