What Makes Gulf State Park The Ultimate Destination In Alabama

Welcome back, first-timers

We're spending the weekend at one of the largest and most inclusive RV state parks that we've

ever been to. We're staying at Gulf State Park in Alabama. We're going to be camping in spot number 70

It's in the first loop. It's a pretty long spot. It does have full hookups, water, sewer, and electric

That's 20, 30, and 50 amp service. There's also a picnic table and a grill

There is no fire ring, but they do allow fire rings if you bring your own

Our spot doesn't have any trees or any coverage, so we're kind of just out here in the elements

but there's a lot of other spots that do have a lot of good tree coverage. Right now, we're at the Hospitality Center, and behind me is Middle Lake, and there's a

boathouse right here. We're also going to check out the camp store, the beach pavilion, nature center, and they

even have a pool. So if you're traveling or if you're staying here for a while and your clothes gets dirty, they have the perfect solution

They have a huge laundry room with washers and dryers. At the camp store, you can rent a bike, pick up some firewood or buy some ice

There's also ice vending machines that are 24 hours all around the park. But let's go inside and see what else they have to offer

that camp store had absolutely everything there's food there's sundries rv supplies

they have clothes games toys ice cream i don't know what they didn't have they even had souvenirs

They do rent bikes out, which is pretty cool. You can rent it by the day, by the week, or by the month

They have individual bikes, tandem bikes, and they even have these little buggies you can pull kids behind

Between the Beach Pavilion and the Nature Center, there's a really cool amphitheater. Looks like you could have a pretty nice wedding out here

Inside the Nature Center, there's all kinds of animals

There's turtles, baby alligators, all kinds of stuffed things, snakes, creepy crawlies

Behind me is the Education Center where they offer their classes. It's right next to the Nature Center

Different times throughout the day, check their schedule, but you can interact with some of the animals like the snakes

They also do guided walking tours on the trails and showcase some of the animals right in their natural habitat

Right now it's about 82 degrees with 100% humidity, so it feels well over 90

So we're going to check out the best place to be right now, and that's the pool and the splash pad

this pool is massive and they've got a ton of chairs that you can sit on but for those of you

like me who can't swim you can check out the splash pad the pool is relatively shallow it

goes from two to four feet which is perfect for me and my non self they also got a swing set and beach volleyball and if that not enough entertainment for you they also have pickleball tennis and basketball courts So we brought our bikes to cruise around this campsite

and give you guys a tour. It's absolutely massive. We've been driving for miles

and we're just still hitting RV campsite after RV campsite, primitive spot

Seems like it never ends. I mean, there's almost 500 spots. If you're trying to get around

you should definitely have a bike, golf cart, something like that because it's absolutely massive

If you're going to be walking around in this 90 degree heat, you're going to get worn out pretty quick. Keep that in mind when you're staying out here

The campground has 11 bathhouses. We're at bathhouse number two, which is right across from our spot, Spot 70

It's also got a pretty neat mural on the wall. Right now, we're going to check out the ice vending machine

We just saw this in action, and I'm absolutely excited about it

You swipe your card, you open the door, you take how many bags you want

One, two, a million, whatever. And then it automatically charges you that amount

I don't know how it does it. It seems like magic. I know how it works. It's like a giant mini bar

It has the weight in there and as the weight comes out, it knows how many you took

Anyway, we're gonna swipe the card. Door. Close the door. Processing. Thank you

$6.60 for one bag eyes. We made it back to the campsite and we barely even scratched the surface of what the state park has to offer

The park staff said you need at least two to three days to explore everything

And I completely agree with that. We're going to put this video on hold for right now. We've got a concert to get to, but we're going to pick back up tomorrow morning and start checking out the rest of the place

See you then. Good morning, first timers. We're back. Today it is storming, it's raining, it's windy

We had thunder and lightning all night long. But we're braving the elements because we're going to be catching the tram

It's a state park tram that's free. There are six different stops around the state park and we're going to jump on and take you around and show you what this tram connects to

Hey, I'm Rick. I'm your tram driver today and I'll take you all the way through the state park and show you all the different things

The nature center that you saw yesterday is stop number two. Stop number one is actually the lodge, so we'll get that at the back end

Stop number three is the interpretive center, which is right across the main road on the water

The Interpretive Center is also the beach access. So if you're staying here at the RV park, you can jump on the tram

Go right over there and get to the water today is not a beach day Probably just gonna peruse from a distance and see I drop people off from the campground

Instead of them trying to come over here and park because in the summertime there's really nowhere to park

So right behind me is the Interpretive Center There's also a huge parking lot that you have access to the water and then a huge beach pavilion

There's a lot of paved walkways walkways. There's also paths. Really, really easily accessible. Then you even have bike racks

but right now it's storming. We're going to get back on the tram. So right here we have the cabins

and they're right on the water. They have multiple bedrooms, bathroom, they have screened in porches

They even have docks that you can dock your boat up to. You can rent them right through the state

park website. They're brand spanking new and they look immaculate, but what's even nicer than these

are the Eagle Cottages. These cottages are massive. We can't go in because we're not staying here

but maybe one day we will. They have their own fire pit. They're huge, but you also have access

to free bike rental and breakfast in the morning. And they range between $450 to $600 a night

but you can fit a lot of people in there compared to what you can get out in the economy. It's an

amazing deal. So I was just corrected. Our good man here, Rick, let me know that the bikes are

already at the cottages they're just right underneath so you don't have to go anywhere

once you check in you got bikes you can cruise all over this area there's deer everywhere now

the deers are so much fun because what they'll do is they'll run with you like on the side

they will actually sit there and stare at you and then they'll start running beside you down the road

they have some foxes here they also have coyotes there are plenty of eagles down here there are a a lot of alligators down here but right now when it cool they don come out But when the sun comes out you see them laying up on the bank

They won't mess with people. As long as you don't feed them, that's the worst thing you can do

They're naturally scared. You start feeding them. They're not. But down here, they'll tell you don't feed the alligators

Like you can swim out there. They don't mess with... There hasn't been an alligator attack in this park that I know of

We're going to get out here and get some breakfast at the Woodside restaurant, but then we'll see Ricky back here in just a little bit to see the other stops

See you in just a little bit. We're at the Woodside restaurant. They have live music, food

We're going to go grab some breakfast, maybe some lunch, depending on what they're serving. Just behind the restaurant, they have a huge outdoor seating area with tables, chairs

They have a covered patio that it looks like they use for a stage. There's picnic tables

They're supposed to have some of the best live music in this area right here at this restaurant

And then there's also fire pits and then some other games like ping pong and some other ball games

This place looks awesome. I think you could have a lot of fun here. Right now it's raining, so it's a little bit more mellow

Right now we're here for breakfast and we're going to check out what they have to offer. Right outside the restaurant, they have a station with free bikes

You don't even have to rent them. They're just there for your use. Just like everything so far with the state park is, it's over the top

We're discovering more and more things every single second that we're here

The breakfasts are the same. Huge pancakes, giant omelet, huge heaping bowl of biscuits and gravy, and all for super affordable prices

I was actually shocked at the prices. All these meals are totally Instagrammable, which we do have an Instagram, so you guys

should make sure you follow our Instagram. We have so much more to see and we've got

to get back on that tram so we're gonna make this snappy. And I'm going straight for the biscuits and gravy because it's my favorite vegetable. Cheers. I got my

sausage omelet. That gravy is the perfect amount of salt, pepper, creaminess. It's

rich. They're making it back there. Super flaky biscuit, packed with flavor. Can't beat this one

No, it's really good. Tons of sausage, tons of vegetables and cheese. Mine also comes with fruit

and some hash browns. These look like McDonald's but thicker. They smell better. They look better

It's a winning hash brown. So good. Now it's pancake time

I don't eat breakfast much. You sure about that? You sure about that

You sure about that? But if I do, they gotta have pancakes. Dense and fluffy

It's a hearty pancake. It's great. Buttery. Crispy on the edges, just like you want

Now we're waiting for Ricky to pick us up for our next couple stops. Gotta say, that was one of the best breakfasts we've had in a long time

They were so friendly. The staff there were great. They even gave us a magnet

So shout out to the staff at Woodside. You guys were amazing and we'll definitely be back. Right, Terry

That's right. My man. All right. How you doing, man? Good. Right back on schedule

We're back on the tram and we're going to go hit the next two spots. So the next stop is the park at Lake Shelby

There's an area for dog parks. There's a boat launch. There's a park for the kids

It's a huge and expansive area surrounded by water, but it's easily accessible

It has a big parking lot and it looks like a great time for families

And it's good fishing too. You can fish on both sides. Here's the dog park right there

They do Segway tours where you rent the Segway and you stand on it, you know, and they do

tours around the park. The lodge up here was built eco-friendly. The parking lot is not paved It has rigid things down there where the water can flow through The pool is supplied by the boiler system with the condensate that runs off of it It filtered and put into

the pool. There are a lot of things that help this whole situation. All the natural plants you see up

there are all from the area. They don't bring in plants that are from somewhere else. It's all

whatever's naturally in this area is what what they grow and put in the flower beds we're at our last

stop we're at the lodge but don't worry we'll get more ricky but make sure in the comments go ahead

comment below let's go ricky because ricky has been the man okay let's go y'all y'all head on out

we'll see ricky back in just a little bit the lodge is broken up into three separate buildings

building one is for meeting space and ballrooms building two is where the lobby is and they have

a coffee shop and the restaurant, The Perch, which is kind of the higher end fancier restaurant

And then building three has the guest rooms, the pool and the fitness centers. The two main

restaurants here at the lodge are Foodcraft and The Perch. The Perch isn't open till 5 PM

but seating goes until 1045. And it's more of an elevated dining experience where you can sit

overlook the water, have a great drink. Downstairs is Foodcraft. That's going to have breakfast

lunch and dinner but it is a little bit more of a casual setting we're not going to eat at either

of them right now because we just had breakfast but there's a good chance we'll be back and if we

do we'll definitely take you along when you're out here if you're not facing gale force winds

there's some really sweet rocking chairs there's tables there's chairs there's fire pits there's a

pool there's a bar there's all kinds of stuff today's not that day so we're just going to scope

it out and try to get blown into the gulf it's a pretty nice pool they got a lot of seating the

The bar is right here, there's a restaurant over here. Sign me up

The Dragonfly restaurant is behind me. They've got a little shop over here and also a bar out by the pool

but closed today because of the weather. Right next to the pool, you have access to the beach

But mind the flag so you know the water conditions. Today, it's been so stormy they didn't even put up a flag

They even have their own little bar right on the beach so you don't have to walk back to the hotel

And they have snow cones. This is building three where they have the ballroom and meeting rooms

They have all kinds of meeting spaces. Small, medium, and large. And then ballrooms all over this building

If you're looking for a conference, wedding, or just want to get your friends together, This might be a really cool place for that

So we're going to check out the pier, but I think it's still closed. It was damaged in 2020 by Hurricane Sally

And online it says it's not going to open until later this summer of 2024

I really want to stay here. So let us know in the comments if you'd like to see a room tour

Hi, how y'all doing? Everything go okay? Oh, it's great. This is our last stop of the day

We're going to head back over to the campsite, get some rest, because we got more concert action for tonight

If you haven't seen that video, we'll link that one right here, where we did the entire three-day hangout festival

We're back at the beginning, stop number two, the Nature Center. We've had an absolute blast hanging out with Ricky

He's been our private tour guide, but when you come out here, ask for Ricky

He'll take care of you. This has been absolutely our favorite state park of all time

We stayed here for a long weekend, and I don't even feel like we scratched the surface

Yes, we did have a lot of bad weather. Even with that, we had a blast. There's so much to do

So much to see Everybody was really friendly I guarantee that we'll be back

But let us know if there's a better state park That could beat this one And we'll try and stay there

If you like this video Check out this video right here Where we stayed at another

Really awesome state park So thanks again for following along in this episode And joining us next time

When we try something else new For the first time Don't forget to like, comment, subscribe First timers

High five We love y'all Y'all come back anytime you want Y'all come back, you hear