Perdido Key & Orange Beach, the way it actually is.
One beach, split by a state line. Today's flag, what's biting, where to eat, and which bar has the goats — from people who live here, for everyone who wishes they did.
The Key Today · Monday, August 3
One stretch of sand, two state flags — check the access sign before you wade in.
Sunset from the Perdido Pass bridge — get there 30 minutes early.
It actually looks like this. Right now.
Not a stock photo. Not a rental listing. Not "sugar-white sand." Just the live Gulf at Orange Beach — glassy, churned-up, or flat-out closed.
Live Orange Beach webcam, courtesy of Spectrum Resorts at Turquoise Place. Not loading, or dark? open it on YouTube ↗ — it may just be night on the coast. More views on the cams page.
5-Day Forecast
Forecast via the National Weather Service.
Latest
Sand in the Coffee, Vol. 59: the rainy-afternoon playbook
Vol. 59 of Sand in the Coffee is for the day the radar turns purple at 2 p.m. — how the summer storm actually works down here, and exactly where to point the car until it blows through.
The Salt Line, Vol. 50: By the Numbers — a Water Park Measured in Acres, a Flight Suit Contract Older Than the Jets, and a Return-to-School Date the Kids Can Already Smell
Volume 50, and this week the news came pre-loaded with digits — five acres, forty-three years, twenty-six thousand dark houses — so we counted them out loud instead of writing sentences about them.
Sand in the Coffee, Vol. 58: the saturday changeover
Vol. 58 of Sand in the Coffee is about the one day the whole island swaps hands at once — how to survive the Saturday rental turnover, whether you're leaving, arriving, or just trying to buy milk.
Sea oats holding the dune line, same as always.
Photo: Pexels
Got a better shot? Prove it.
Sunrises, dog-on-the-beach portraits, that fish you swear was bigger — send us your best from the Key or Orange Beach and we'll run our favorites right here, credited to you.
Areas
Perdido Key Drive
The strip. Gulf-front high-rises, the Sandshaker, and the smell of fryer oil drifting south.
Johnson Beach / Gulf Islands
The undeveloped end. National park rules apply. Bring shade — there isn't any.
Innerarity Point
Bay side. Where locals drink. Hub Stacey's, Pirate's Cove, and a sunset that beats the Gulf for half the year.
Sorrento / Bauer Road
The inland part. Where the Publix is. Where everyone who actually lives here goes for cat litter.
The Flora-Bama Line
Two states, one parking lot. The Mullet Toss, the Songwriters, the line. Where the Key is, in spirit.
Ono Island
Gated, quiet, and across a bridge. Locals live here. Tourists do not, on purpose.
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- This week's fishing report, distilled
- What's on — both sides of the line
- New spots, closings, and what locals actually do
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