Four free days of Gulf shrimp, live music, art booths, and about 300,000 of your closest friends — right where Highway 59 meets the sand.

Hey locals and beach dreamers! Mark the calendar: the 53rd Annual National Shrimp Festival runs Thursday, October 8 through Sunday, October 11, 2026 at Gulf Place in Gulf Shores — 101 Gulf Shores Parkway, where Hwy. 59 meets East Beach Blvd.

Admission is free. Hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Official details live at myshrimpfest.com.

This is Alabama’s original beach party and still one of the biggest weekends on our calendar!

What You’ll Find at Shrimp Fest 2026

  • Food: Shrimp every way you can think of — boiled, fried, steamed — plus crab cakes,…

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9/25/26 - Interest Rates  & Market Update

Staying informed about mortgage trends is an important part of making confident real estate decisions.

Below is the latest rate update from a trusted mortgage professional I have worked with for more than 20 years, Joey Parker.

Below is the most recent snapshot of purchase rates and some special programs. Mortgages today are not just conventional, FHA and VA; there are many different types, and we will help find the best one for you.

Purchase Rates

Weekend Purchase Rates — September 25, 2026

…
Conventional Government
30 Year Fixed 7.125% FHA 30 Year Fixed 6.625%
15 Year Fixed 6.625% FHA 5/1 ARM 6.375%
    VA 30 Year Fixed 6.750%
   

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Carved pumpkins, QR-code voting, and a pedestrian street that looks like a small-town Halloween movie — just up the Foley Beach Express from the sand.

Hey locals and beach dreamers! Downtown OWA is rolling out its first-ever Pumpkins on Parade beginning Thursday, October 1, 2026. Local businesses turn ordinary pumpkins into one-of-a-kind displays that show off their brand, personality, or industry. You stroll the pedestrian streets, scan the QR codes, and vote for your favorite. The winner is OWA’s first Pumpkins on Parade Champion.

Admission is free. The displays run through October as a month-long community competition — not a one-night pop-up. Official details live at visitowa.com/pumpkins-on-parade and on the Gulf Shores & Orange Beach…

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A dedicated walk-and-bike crossing over the Intracoastal — so Waterway Village stays connected when Highway 59 takes the sidewalks off the Holmes Bridge.

Hey locals and beach dreamers! If you have driven past Waterway Village lately, you have seen the towers. That is the Waterway Village Pedestrian Bridge — a City of Gulf Shores project to put pedestrians and cyclists on their own crossing over the Intracoastal Waterway, instead of sharing the W.C. Holmes Bridge with Highway 59 traffic.

The official project page is here: Waterway Village Pedestrian Bridge on the city’s Engage site. Construction is already well underway. The city’s September 25 update says the towers are rising quickly and the structure is on track to open in Spring 2027.

Why the…

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