Book a Golf Vacation and Attend a Hot Air Balloon Festival

I know of a good reason to plan a Gulf Shores & Orange Beach golf vacation in mid-June: the 8th Annual Gulf Coast Hot Air Balloon Festival, scheduled for June 15th to 17th in Foley. It’s an excellent event to attend if you have a family—or if you simply enjoy Gulf Coast festivals.

Here’s a good festival/golf plan: The balloons are in the air at 6 a.m., so show up nice and early to catch a glimpse of the 50 brightly colored balloons floating in the morning sky. Then head off to a morning round of golf—Glenlakes Golf Club is close (also in Foley) but all of the area’s nine signature golf courses are easy enough to get to.

The great thing about the Hot Air Balloon Festival is it’s an all-day event, so when that round of golf is done you can head back for the live music, food, arts and crafts village, and the Disc-Connected K9’s World Famous Frisbee Dogs—these dogs alone are worth the trip back to the festival. And if you’re there with the family, take the kids to the kid’s village and check out Babin’s House of Party, Alligator Alley exhibits, and other fun activities. Stay for sunset and watch the hot air balloons make their return.

You have to see it for yourself to really appreciate it, so go ahead and book that Gulf Shores vacation package.

New Greens for a New Season

Who’s played on the new greens at Glenlakes Golf Club? Not I—but I plan to this fall. The club reopened on August 16th after resurfacing its greens. My next golf vacation is coming up this fall, and Glenlakes will definitely be on my list of courses to play.

I’m envisioning a refreshing experience when I get down there: cooler weather, fresh, smooth greens, and hiking along some of the Gulf nature trails (a little off-topic, but still an excellent Gulf Shores & Orange Beach fall activity). Playing on new greens can feel like playing on a new course, and I’m looking forward to undertaking this in a whole new season.

Other things going on this fall: the Gulf Coast Golf Expo Tee Off Tournament is taking place on Friday, October 21st at the Gulf Shores Golf Club. The $99 tournament fee includes a cart, lunch, a surprise grab bag, and a two-day VIP ticket to the Gulf Coast Golf Expo.

Fall golf isn’t too far off. Time to start planning the getaway!