Our next stop as we wind our way out of Florida’s panhandle and along the Gulf coast is the sleepy little town of Port St. Joe. This part of the US coastline has recently been termed the Forgotten Coast. This is because tourists gave the town a wide berth for many years, while it was home to a hugely successful, but unfortunately rather smelly paper mill. The paper mill closed down in 1999 after bringing 60 years of prosperity to the town. As the town’s economy was entirely based around the mill, unemployment soared and the population plummeted, causing the local chamber of commerce to reinvent itself as “The Forgotten Coast” and encouraging people to rediscover the abundant natural beauty of the area. And it really is beautiful. There is mile upon mile of endless, pure white beaches behind rolling grassy dunes. Rows of pastel coloured, timber beach houses perch on stilts, peering over sugar-white dunes towards the emerald waters. It is truly reminiscent of the quintessential 1950s postcard version of the American dream. 

We finally arrived at our campsite in time to have a quick swim in the pool before heading out for some dinner. We realised that it was actually Cinco De Mayo, and there was apparently a very good Mexican restaurant a few miles down the road, so where better to head for a feast of tacos and quesadillas, washed down with a celebratory margarita.

The following day was the day the kids had been dreading, the start of our third and final term of home school. To be fair, they had enjoyed six weeks off so far, so they weren’t doing too badly. Plus, we got to sit next to the pool in the 30 degree Florida sunshine to do English and Maths, while their friends were sat in a classroom in rainy old England. So that was a win, surely?

When school was done, we headed into town for a bite to eat. This area of the country is well know for its amazing seafood, and the reputation is well earned. I chowed down on some epic crab legs with a side of Gumbo, while Kate opted for the baked oyster platter. As if we weren’t all stretched at the waistband enough, we finished it off with some frozen treats from Shoobies ice cream bar before waddling back to the van to head off to the beach. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if my swimming cozzy would still fit after the last few weeks, but we were determined to explore the perfect beaches of the Saint Joseph Peninsula national park. The beaches here are some of the top rated in the whole of America, and quite probably some of the finest in the world. The added bonus is that you can explore the wilder beaches of the Gulf Coast, or wander to the other side of the peninsula for the calmer waters of the sheltered bay. 

This peninsula is home to the largest number of loggerhead turtles in Florida, and this is the time of year when they lay their eggs in the dunes. While we didn’t manage to spot any turtles (apparently night-time is best for turtle spotting), we did have a close encounter with a stingray, a brief fight with an angry blue crab, and Hunter even managed to catch a tiny stranded puffer fish in a bottle before releasing him in the open sea. All in all, not a bad days work at the beach!

The following day we were on the move once more, and this time we were finally going to cross a state line. Our next destination was the seaside resort of Gulf Shores in Alabama. For those of you reading this that don’t know, Bam is actually short for Alabama. So, of course we had to stop on the state line and get a picture of Bam with her namesake sign. Finally, Alabama has been to Alabama.

Gulf Shores has an amazing vibe. It is a family-friendly seaside town that also feels like a spring break kinda party destination. It has miles of powder white sand, tons of great eateries, and some great shopping outlets for all your beach related fashion and paraphernalia. It is also home to one of the biggest music festivals in the south, the Hangout Music Fest on the beach. Annoyingly we are 11 days too early, and just to make it even more irksome – this year the headliners are the awesome California funk rockers, the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I’m half tempted to hang around for a few weeks here instead.

After settling in at the campsite, we headed into town for a look around. We couldn’t resist checking out the neon fronted facade of Souvenir City. As you wander through the jaws of the brilliant, giant shark shaped entrance, you are greeted by the most incredible bazaar, packed to the rafters with clothes, gifts, shells, toys, and loads more. You can pick up random items like alligator heads, live pet crabs and even hand painted t-shirts, airbrushed to order by the in-house artists. It was like every beachside souvenir tat shop I had ever seen, all rolled into one giant shark fronted warehouse. Epic.

I previously noted how the seafood round these parts is second to none, and the chow on offer at Shrimp Basket in town was no exception. Dinner consisted of mountains of crab claws, fried oysters, gulf shrimps and clam strips, all washed down with southern style iced tea. This really was my idea of food heaven. This is my kinda town, Sweet home Alabama!

After school the next day, we headed down to the beach to enjoy an afternoon splashing around in the balmy waters. This might be our last chance to hang around at the seaside for a while, so we made the most of it. Another slap up meal courtesy of the Hangout beach bar. I just couldn’t resist gettin’ me some more of those mouthwatering crab legs. I was starting to become a bit of an expert at extracting the sweet meat from inside those fiddly crustaceans now. Then a few hours on the gorgeous white sands, splashing around in the warm ocean waves. What a great way to spend the day.

This coastline isn’t one I ever thought about visiting, and I suppose it wouldn’t be on many foreign visitor’s itineraries, but I sure would recommend it. It’s got everything you want from a classic beach holiday, and I dare say it would be a lot less expensive than the more well known resorts in southern Florida. The weather is great, the beaches are perfect, the sea is warm, and the southern hospitality is second to none. It’s the full package, and if we weren’t on a tight schedule to make it across the country I’d be hanging around a lot longer. But there are plenty more places we need to visit yet, tomorrow we are off to the jazz capital of the south, the Big Easy…