Spring Break 2022: What To Know Before Hitting Alabama Beaches

The calendar has officially flipped over to March, which means spring and Spring Break is rapidly approaching.

Whether this Spring Break will be your first Spring Break at the beaches since COVID-19 lockdowns back in 2020, or you’re just making the annual pilgrimage to the beaches, you should make sure you know the rules regarding parking, alcohol and more before you go.

Gulf Shores

The city of Gulf Shores will be continuing their alcohol ban on the beaches this year, which was first imposed in 2016 after numerous arrests for drinking, narcotic use and more.

The news isn’t too surprising once you remember some of the events that took place during Spring Break that year. Of the most notorious was when a spring breaker from Texas launched a football over large crowd and into the direction of police officers.

Said spring breaker was later arrested for the action.

This year’s ban, which is six years strong, ban began on Feb. 28 and will continue until April 18, which coincides with most local and regional school spring breaks.

As far as parking goes, paid parking season at certain public beaches in the city resumed on March 1 and will continue until Nov. 30.

You can park publicly at Gulf Place, West Beach, West Sixth Street and Little Lagoon Pass for $5 for up to four hours or $10 per day.

Both cash and cards are accepted at the pay stations but they do not issue change. Gulf Shores residents and property owners who have a Hurricane Re-Entry Decal for 2019-2020 can park at all paid public parking locations for free, according to a release from the city.

Overnight parking is prohibited at all public parking locations.

Orange Beach

Orange Beach is warning visitors that their city is not a party town for the Spring Break holiday.

“If you’re looking for a party town, the City of Orange Beach is not it,” the Orange Beach Police Department posted on Facebook Monday afternoon. “If you choose to violate the law, you will go to jail.”

Besides underage drinking, illegal drug use and other typical crimes, the police department is also warning people not to:

• Have glass containers on the beach
• Sleep in their car or on the beach
• Leave chairs and tents on the beach after sunset
• Have loud, offensive music and noise on the beach or in their room
• Have alcohol on Alabama State Park beaches
• Dig large holes on the beach or carry steel shovels

To help with potential issues, the city of Orange Beach will shut down a portion of the Perdido Pass Beach during Spring Break. This first happened in 2021.

According to Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon, the beach closure is to create a “sanctuary city for families” during the season.

“We’ve eliminated that area so we don’t have all of these spring breakers sowing mischief,” Kennon said last year.

That particular area is known for crowding and by closing that portion of the beach, it’ll be easier to control what’s going on at the beaches, according to Kennon.