The best things to do in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach in October! The Shrimp Festival, Halloween events and parties, beach time, and so many cool things to see and do.
Things to do in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach in October
I have to admit that October is one of my absolute favorite months in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Alabama. The weather is perfect, the crowds are minimal, and you can still spend time at the beach without being chilled.
October Events in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach
We will continually be updating this list as events are announced and updated.
The Annual Alabama Coastal BirdFest
Dates - Friday October 3 - Sunday Oct 5, 2025
Locations - Baldwin and Mobile County
Enjoy amazing bird-watching activities and programs in Mobile, Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, and more locations.
Flora-Bama Oktoberfest
Date - TBD
Location - Flora Bama
Break out your lederhosen and get ready for great beer and food! There is a stein hoisting competition sponsored by Sam Adams.
Food is served at 4 pm and includes Beer Brats, Sauerkraut, and German Potato Salad.
The New Orleans based Polka Band the Brats will be playing starting at 4 pm.
2pm - Registration Begins for Stein Hoisting Competition. We will only accept the first 8 females to sign up for the female heat and the first 16 males to sign up for the two male heats.
3pm - Stein Hoisting Competition Begins
4pm - Food is served and The Brats begin
The Annual National Shrimp Festival
Dates - Thursday October 9 - Sunday October 12, 2025
Location - Gulf Shores Main Public Beach
Enjoy live music, 200+ artists booths, kid's activities, and fresh gulf seafood. This is one of the events you don't want to miss!
Check out our Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Fall Bucket List
Halloween Events at OWA
Dates - TBD
Haunted Hustle 5K, Fun Run, Witches Ride
Date - TBD 2025
Location - Gulf Place Town Green and Public Beach
The City Of Gulf Shors is hosting a Haunted Hustle at the beach! Wear your best Halloween costume and join the 5K walk/run, fun run, Witches on Wheels Bike Parade, and More.
6 pm - Witches on Wheels Bike Parade
6:30 pm - Fun Run
7:10 pm Haunted Hustle 5k
Foley Hometown Halloween
Date - TBD 2025
Location - Downtown Foley
Enjoy games, treats, bounce houses, face painting, cake walks, balloon creations, and costume contests in downtown Foley!
Elberta Sausage Festival
Date - October 25, 2025
Location - Elberta Town Park, Intersection of Main St. and State St.
Join the Annual Elberta Sausage Festival and enjoy great food and fun! The festival supports the Elberta Volunteer Fire Department.
Trunk or Treat at The Wharf
Date - TBD 2025
Free admission and parking. More details are coming soon.
Flora-Bama Halloween Contest
Date - October 31
Location - Flora-Bama
Compete in the annual Flora-Bama Halloween costume contest.
Additional October Events along the Gulf Coast
Blue Angels Practice
Dates - TBD
Location - Pensacola Naval Air Station
Gates open at 9:30 am
The Blue Angels are scheduled to take off at 10:30 am
The dates with a * includes an autograph day in the museum following the Blue Angels Practice.
Practices last approximately 55 minutes. There are open bleacher seats for 500 people. You can also rent a chair for $6 (there are limited quantities of chairs).
Please note that backpacks, daypacks, luggage, or similar items are NOT allowed on the flight line during Blue Angel practice air shows.
You will need to have your ID to enter onto the Naval Air Station. Public access to NAS Pensacola is available only from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. through the West Gate on Blue Angel Parkway.
Make sure to plan time to visit the National Naval Aviation Museum after practice. The museum is truly amazing.
October Things to do in Gulf Shores & Orange Beach
These are some of our favorite things to do in Gulf Shore and Orange Beach around town.
Sunset Dolphin Sail
The weather in October is still gorgeous for being out on the water.
You can relax with a cold drink while watching dolphins frolicking nearby. As the sun goes down, you can savor the warm weather and epic views from the sailboat.
This is one of our favorite date night activities on the water. It is so relaxing and the views are amazing.
Hot Shop at Coastal Art Center
Now that the weather is colling down it is the perfect time to head to the Coastal Art Center in Orange Beach and participate in their Hot Shop classes! Learn to blow or pull an epic piece of glass art.
This is one of my favorite unique things to do in Orange Beach.
Wade Ward Nature Park
Fall migration and cooler weather makes it the perfect time to walk the boardwalk at Wade Ward Nature Park in Gulf Shores.
Located right off of Highway 59 is one of our favorite easy walks to see birds and look for the occasional gator.
Orange Beach Dolphin Cruise
I feel like anytime you can get out on the water and watch Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins it is a great day.
We try to take an Orange Beach Dolphin Tour at least once every month. There is just something magical about being on the water with the dolphins.
We love seeing the Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins in the back bays of Orange Beach. Check out our experiences on Hammock Time Tiki Tours, Explorer Dolphin Cruise, Southern Rose Dolphin cruise, Cruise OB (Orange Beach), Sail Wild Hearts, and the Sunny Lady Dolphin Cruise.
Dolphin Tours - Book a dolphin cruise here
Orange Beach and Gulf Shores Weather in October
The weather in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach is still warm in October. It is my favorite month.
Gulf Shores and Orange Beach enjoy Fall weather in October with temperatures ranging from 56 degrees to 74 degrees.
Daylight hours continue to decrease in October with the shortest day of the month is October 31, with 10 hours, 59 minutes of daylight and the longest day is October 1, with 11 hours, 51 minutes of daylight.
The earliest sunrise of the month in Gulf Shores is 6:44 AM on October 1 and the latest sunrise is 20 minutes later at 7:04 AM on October 31.
The latest sunset is 6:35 PM on October 1 and the earliest sunset is 32 minutes earlier at 6:03 PM on October 31.
Water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico starts to fall in October from 81°F to 75°F, over the course of the month.
Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Lodging
If you are visiting and need to book accommodations, here are our recommendations. We have stayed at each of these lodging options:
The Beach Club Resort and Spa (Fort Morgan): This resort offers beachfront condos with amazing amenities and a great spa. Don't miss dinner at Coast Restaurant.
Use Code - GULFJOURNEY for a discount when booking with Spectrum Resort.
Turquoise Place Luxury Vacation Rentals (Orange Beach): This is our favorite resort in the area! It offers luxury amenities, epic beachfront views, and unbelievable condos.
Use Code - GULFJOURNEY for a discount when booking with Spectrum Resort.
Springhill Suites Orange Beach: Located next to The Wharf, it is an excellent location near shopping and dining. We enjoyed their gorgeous pool.
The Lodge at Gulf State Park: Located on the beach in Gulf State Park, this Hilton Hotel offers epic beach views, a sustainable hotel experience, and great restaurants.
The map below shows the current hotels and vacation rentals available in the area. You can select the dates you are visiting to see current availability.
Additional Gulf Coast Travel Guides
Things to do in Fort Morgan, Alabama - All of the fun things to do and see while visiting Fort Morgan.
Fun Things to do in Foley, AL - The very best things to do while visiting Foley, Alabama
Things to do in Fairhope, AL - The top things to do in Fairhope, Alabama, include attractions, dining, sunset, wildlife, nature preserves, and so much more!
Best Coffee shops in Fairhope, AL - Great coffee shops you don't want to miss while visiting Fairhope.
Unique Things to do in Gulf Shores - There are so many amazing and unique things to do in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Alabama!
Looking ahead make sure to check out our January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December Guides to Gulf Shores and Orange Beach!
Don't miss our other Gulf Coast destinations, including Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Dauphin Island, Fairhope, Fort Morgan, Foley, Mobile, Bayou La Batre, Alabama, and so many more!
We also have articles on the Emerald Coast of Florida, including Destin, Fort Walton Beach, Pensacola Beach, Navarre Beach, Panama City Beach, Perdido Key, Pensacola, and more.
Keep an eye out for articles on the Gulf Coast of Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, and Florida!
Check out our Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok pages for more great ideas for the Gulf Coast.
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