Storm & Safety
Beach Flags in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach: What They Mean
Yellow, red, purple and double red each tell swimmers something different, and on double red days entering the Gulf is against city law.
Smart Coast: Living Well on the Alabama Gulf Coast
Mobile Bay Jubilee: What It Is, When and Where It Happens
Low-oxygen water, an east wind and a rising tide can push flounder, crabs and shrimp onto the Eastern Shore before dawn.
Safety on the Coast
Before you swim, before the storm, before you sign the insurance papers.
Storm & Safety
Rip Current: What to Do if You Get Caught on the Gulf
Rip currents are the deadliest weather hazard on the northern Gulf Coast, and surviving one comes down to floating instead of…
Storm & Safety
FORTIFIED Roof in Alabama: Grants and Insurance Discounts
A sealed deck, ring-shank nails and wind-rated shingles can earn Alabama homeowners a lower wind premium and, in eligible…
Storm & Safety
Do I Need Flood Insurance on the Alabama Gulf Coast?
Homeowners and renters policies leave out flood damage, and on the Alabama coast water reaches homes well outside the high-risk…
Walk & Bike
Heat Index Safety for Walking and Biking on the Gulf Coast
Humidity turns a warm Gulf Coast morning into a dangerous one; how to read the heat index, spot heat illness early and dodge…
Walk & Bike
Bayfront paths, park trails and streets built for everyone
Read the desk
Coast & Nature
Jubilees, sea turtles, migrating birds and the Delta
Read the desk
Towns & Living
Fairhope, Mobile, Baldwin County and the way towns grow
Read the deskThe Wild Coast
The bay, the delta and the barrier islands, season by season.
Getting Around on Foot
Explainer
Fort Morgan Ferry to Dauphin Island: Fares, Schedule, Tips
A 40-minute ride across the mouth of Mobile Bay links two Civil War forts and turns a long drive around the bay into a…
Explainer
Smart Growth Principles Explained for Growing Coastal Towns
Mixed uses, housing and transportation choices and protected open space form a planning toolkit that matters most where…
From the archive.For a decade this domain was the website of a Fairhope nonprofit that got children walking to school and brought the first Complete Streets policies to Alabama. Its pages live on in the Smart Coast archive.