The Drift
What we're paying attention to this week — openings, the fishing, what's happening at the Bama, what showed up in the mailbag.
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.
The flag is not a suggestion
Every summer, strong swimmers drown on double-red days on this stretch of coast. Not because the Gulf is mean — because the flag got treated as a vibe instead of a rule. Here's what the colors actually mean and why the red one wins every argument.
The Bushwacker, explained (and the bar fight over who invented it)
It looks like a chocolate milkshake and hits like four drinks, because it is four drinks. Here's what's in the Gulf Coast's unofficial cocktail, why it's stronger than it tastes, and the origin-story argument nobody will ever win.
The Drift, vol. 1 — the inaugural Sunday
First newsletter. The week's conditions, what's on, what's biting, who opened, what we wrote. Set up your Sundays — these land before the coffee gets cold.
When to actually come: a month-by-month read on the Key's seasons
Spring break, summer, the locals' shoulder season, snowbird winter — each one is a different trip. Here's the honest version of what every stretch of the year is really like, crowds and weather and prices and all.
Got a great Gulf Coast photo? We want to see it.
The site is building its visual side with real photographers, real venues, and real readers. Here's how the photo program works, what we're looking for, and what we'll never accept.
What we don't list and why
We get asked a lot about what's on the site and what isn't. Mostly people assume the omissions are oversights. Sometimes they are. Sometimes they're choices. Here's the choices part.
What this is and what it isn't
A long-overdue guide to Perdido Key and Orange Beach, written by people who actually live here. No sugar white sand. No hidden gems. Just the place, the way it is.
There's more than one Hub Stacey's — a quick disambiguation
Reader emailed asking why our Hub Stacey's page didn't match the Hub Stacey's they ate at. Short answer: there are several. Here's how to tell them apart.
How to book a charter without getting hosed
First-time charter customers leave a lot of money on the dock by not knowing what to ask. Here's the short version of how to pick a boat, what a fair price looks like, and what trip length actually means.
Sandbar Sundays, explained for the uninitiated
If you've been on the boat at the wrong time on a Sunday and noticed a low-tide island of beach chairs, swim noodles, and beer coolers that wasn't there last week — that's the Sandbar.
Red snapper season is back — what to know if you're booking a charter
Alabama's recreational red snapper season opens next week. Here's the short version of what's open, what's not, and what to ask the captain before you put a deposit down.
A Look Inside: the new oyster bar at the end of the Drive
There's a new raw bar at the west end of Perdido Key Drive that's been open about three weeks. We stopped in for the soft opening, sat at the bar, and figured we'd show you the room.
Mailbag: traffic on the Pass, the goat question, and 'is it true the Bama is haunted'
First mailbag of the season. A reader asks about the bridge, another wants to know about the goats at Pirate's Cove, and a third had a strange night at the Flora-Bama.
The Mullet Toss, explained for the people who don't believe us
Yes. People throw a fish. Across a state line. For distance. It's been happening since 1985 and tens of thousands of people show up. Here's why.
Frank Brown Songwriters' Festival — the November secret
Ten days, sixty-plus venues, songwriters in residence across the FL-AL Gulf Coast. The locals' favorite week of the year. If you've never been, this is the year.