Alabama's Glistening Gulf Coast Boasts A Secret Coastal Community With Beaches, Bayside Beauty, And Parks

Alabama is perhaps more widely known for its Southern food, country music, and the Civil Rights Movement, but Alabama's Gulf Shores is one of the top 10 vacation destinations in the U.S., featuring white sand beaches and plenty of places to go for food and fun. There's a stretch of coast along the state border between Florida and Alabama that surprises outsiders with its quiet beaches, calm intracoastal waterway, and abundant nature. In fact, the state line slices down the middle of the intracoastal Perdido Bay — and one tiny Gulf town called Lillian, on the Alabama side, is a hidden gem with its own beaches and a secret community that attracts year-round residents and snowbirds alike. 

Lillian, Alabama is a quiet contrast from its Gulf Coast neighbor towns, including Orange Beach with its raucous honky-tonk bars. This may explain why Realtor.com named Lillian its number two on the list of top 10 towns to retire to in the U.S., but Lillian also boasts a unique feature for local property owners who aren't necessarily retired: a semi-secret community organization. Spanish Cove is a local community organization in Lillian that calls itself "one of the best-kept secrets in Alabama." The organization provides an all-encompassing lifestyle for those who want to join, including amenities from Bingo to Bible studies. They also facilitate their own utilities like electricity and water. Spanish Cove attracts mostly seniors and retirees, and is a vibrant coastal community that stays slightly hidden away within the quiet and peaceful town.

Even if you're not a homeowner who wants to join Spanish Cove, Alabama offers a number of hidden-gem beach towns full of wildlife, and Lillian is certainly one of them. Located in Baldwin County, the easiest way to get to Lillian is by flying into Pensacola Airport, located just 17 miles away on the other side of the bay in Florida. Alternatively, you can fly into Mobile, Alabama, about an hour's drive northwest of Lillian. 

In Lillian, there's a variety of beach and bayside fun for short-term visitors, and quaint shopping to be found without having to cross the bridge to Pensacola. Black Eyed Susie's antique gallery has a diverse assortment of custom and vintage, local art and novelty items. Visitors love the uniqueness and recommend stopping in to treat yourself. Another great stop is the Perdido Beach Trading Co., which is a secondhand store with an assortment of antique items, from boats to vintage signs. Blue Sky Trading Company also has a large collection of antiques including vintage furniture, home decor, and other eclectic offerings on which visitors can negotiate prices.

For food, make sure to check out R'Reileigh's Daybreak Cafe' — a rustic spot with down-home, Southern cooking and a rotating daily specials menu that can range from fried catfish to chicken and dumplings. Johnny B's Front Porch is a bar and grill with a sprawling outdoor area and regular live music calendar. It's a favorite with locals and travelers alike.

With only a few restaurants and a handful of vintage stores, Lillian is a spot for people who want to take it easy and enjoy great coastal nature. If you are an angler, you'll definitely want to bring your own vacation fishing gear because you'll find plenty of opportunities to cast a line. Lillian Recreational Park is a public-access park with an azalea garden, baseball fields, a mile-long walking trail, and an area for dogs. For boaters, the free Lillian public boat launch is a great spot to trailer in for a day at the sandbar. 

For more fun in the sun, Lillian Public Beach is just at the end of Kee Avenue in Downtown Lillian. Also referred to as Kee Avenue Beach, it's a 200-foot white-sand stretch of Gulf Coast glory. Open to the public and dog-friendly, Kee Avenue Beach's waters are safe for swimming. As one traveler noted on Google, "It's clean and quiet, and I rarely see many people there. Bring a chair and a book and enjoy!" Barclay Beach, just at the end of Barclay Avenue, is a park area that ends in sandy shores right along Perdido Bay. Visitors say you can launch your boat there, although there's no dock nor amenities.

Just north of the public beach, the Swamp Complex in Lillian is an amazing nature preserve with birding, biking, canoeing, hiking, and more. Lillian's KOA campsite is situated right on Perdido Bay and offers both tent and RV camping sites along with cabins, rental homes, and even a few covered wagons. The KOA's location next to the quiet bay is hard to beat, and is ideal for travelers looking to have some distance from the louder parts of Gulf Shores.