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Man, that was a long drive. The drive home is always longer than the drive there, but well worth the experience. Gulf Shores Alabama was amazing and welcomed all the crazy parrotheads with open arms.  Jimmy Buffett was…well, Jimmy Buffett. He worked his ass off to give the 35,000+ people a great show and an experience to remember. Mission accomplished Mr. Buffett. Thank you.

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The drive took about 9 hours I believe. What better way to reward yourself for almost reaching the finish line than to stop off in Pensacola, FL to re-energize with a boat drink or two at the new Margaritaville Hotel. My buddy and I were pretty excited to kick the party off in that one particular harbor. Alas, it was not meant to be.

We got within site of it’s gleaming white exterior but were turned away by Navy F-18 fighters. That’s right, the only thing that could keep us away were fighter jets!

blue AnglesJust so happens the Blue Angles were doing a show over Pensacola beach and traffic was at a stand still.  Trust me we tried.  We turned around reluctantly, but after driving for 8 hours the last thing you want to do is sit in traffic.

Welcome to Alabama!

We checked into the Key West Inn in Foley, AL. It’s a small town about 8 miles North of Gulf Shores. There wasn’t a whole lot about this place that reminded me of Key West. I looked for Irish Kevin but couldn’t find him. This called for the start of alcohol consumption. Cheers!

Kalik

Beer One!

We then shared a cab down to Gulf Shores with a couple from the elegant Key West Inn. My buddy proceedes to name the guy Steve Irwin, due to the fact that he is wearing the Crocodile Hunter’s exact wardrobe. “Stay away from string-rays dude, it doesn’t go well for you”, he said to him. The Steve Irwin character remained quiet and aloof. He then shorted me on the cab fare. Maybe he wasn’t so aloof after all. Jackass.

The remainder of the night moves pretty quickly for fairly obvious reasons. We start out by hitting the mecca known as The Hangout. It’s a huge place with a cool stage, outdoor courtyard, sand pit for the kids, bubble machines for kids (and drunk adults) and an enormous dining room. Here is the first video I took. I sound a little excited or tipsy.  Most likely a combo of the two.

How can you hate a place where you can dance on the tables? I refrained from this behavior, but was definitely tempted.

We then bounce over to the Pink Pony Pub for a beer. Then down to Hooters for another.

Next we grabbed a cab and picked up Castaway Kris and her friend Chris. Kris was nice enough to give this salty pirate two tickets for the Buffett show. Thanks a million Kris!

The four of us then venture of to LuLu’s Homeport for some boat drinks and live music. LuLu is Jimmy’s sister and she owns a huge restaurant and marina on the inter-coastal waterway. We indulge in the atmosphere and let the good times roll.

On the way out of LuLu’s we manage to catch a ride with four random yet very fun girls to a place called Flora-Bama. This sounds like a flower shop to me so I was very confused by the new destination. So the eight of us packed into this minivan and drove about 25 minutes to the east along the beach.

They keep reassuring me that we were not going to a flower shop, but I really don’t trust them. Apparently, Flora-Bama is a huge, multi-level beach bar on the Florida/Alabama boarder…hence Flora-Bama. I still think they need a new name.

We stay here for who knows how long. We drink who knows how many drinks. We leave with the nice minivan girls minus Kris and Chris. I was told this was okay because table dancing and debauchery started when we left. I thought the party always ends when I leave? Go figure.

We were deposited at the 5-star Key West Inn and passed out. Dreams of sand, sun and Margaritaville filled my unconscience mind. Tomorrow can’t come soon enough.

Day Two…

Cheers,

RumShopRyan

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About the Author: RumShopRyan

Just a salty pirate looking to explore and document the wonders of the Caribbean. Professional blogger, rum judge, consultant, marketer, and consumer of blue water beauty. To learn more, visit our About Us Page.