Alabama’s beaches took center stage on national television Wednesday as FOX Weather brought its “Beach House to Gulf Shores” for three hours of exploring not only what draws visitors to the coast, but how weather has helped shape the communities that call it home.
Meteorologists Bob Van Dillen and Marissa Torres hosted the live special, traveling throughout Gulf Shores and Orange Beach and giving viewers a look at the area’s sugar-white sand, attractions, food, beach safety and hurricane history.
The live FOX Weather Beach House special, sponsored by Vrbo, combined weather and travel coverage as the hosts explored how weather has shaped Gulf Shores and Orange Beach while showcasing the people, attractions and experiences along Alabama’s coast.
Crystal Hinds, vice president of marketing for Alabama’s Beaches, gave the national audience a local perspective on what draws visitors to the coast, pointing to shopping, dining, fishing, golf and other attractions, along with more than 28 miles of paved trails in Gulf State Park’s Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail system.
But the landscape itself also became part of the story.
FOX Weather environmental engineer Dr. Tracy Fanara explored the science behind the area’s distinctive sugar-white sand and ecosystems, while Van Dillen took viewers back thousands of years to explain how quartz originating in the Appalachian Mountains eventually made its way to the Gulf Coast.
The result is the bright white sand that has become one of Alabama’s most recognizable calling cards.
Van Dillen got a much different view of that coastline when he climbed aboard a helicopter with Brett Lessinger of Orange Beach Search and Rescue.
Lessinger explained that the helicopter gives lifeguards another resource when responding to swimmers in distress and other water emergencies.
“It’s an extra added safety cushion,” Lessinger said. “They’re able to deploy on swimmers in distress and other water emergency calls that we may have.”
The crew took Van Dillen on a flight along the coastline before demonstrating how lifeguards can enter the water from the helicopter and conduct a mock rescue.
Van Dillen was ready to join them.
“I felt like jumping out,” he said. “I was so psyched.”
He also came away impressed by the people who actually do the job.
“Those lifeguards are highly trained,” Van Dillen said. “They’re great athletes.”
Beach safety was also part of Hinds’ message to the national audience. She pointed viewers to the Beach Safe program, which allows beachgoers to receive current conditions and warning information by texting ALBEACHES to 888777.
Not every part of the FOX Weather visit involved jumping out of helicopters.
Torres spent time experiencing the vacation side of Alabama’s coast, including a stop at Coastal in Orange Beach, where she was joined by Jess and Tony, creators of the Living in Lower Alabama YouTube channel.
The tour took her to the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo to feed giraffes and to Gulf State Park Fishing and Education Pier, where the group spotted a dolphin in the water.
And no Gulf Coast tour would be complete without some local food and drink. Torres sampled brunch at Coastal — along with a Bushwacker, the frozen cocktail that has become synonymous with trips to the area.
Hinds also used the national exposure to explain that Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Fort Morgan each offer visitors something a little different.
“Orange Beach is really known for fishing, boating. Gulf Shores is really known for its downtown area and golf,” she said. “Fort Morgan, if you want to be a little more removed from the hustle and bustle, that’s a great spot for you too. But they’re all three really special communities.”
She also made the case that Alabama’s beach season does not necessarily end when summer vacation does. Hinds said lifeguards remain on duty into the fall, while visitors continue coming during the winter. She recalled Christmas days when temperatures were warm enough for shorts and T-shirts.
The Gulf gives Alabama’s coast its beauty, but FOX Weather also showed viewers the other side of living beside it.
FOX Weather correspondent Brandy Campbell traveled to Flora-Bama on the Alabama-Florida state line for a Comeback Kitchens segment examining how the landmark survived some of the region’s most destructive storms.
Founded in 1964, Flora-Bama was devastated when Hurricane Ivan struck in September 2004.
During the segment, an interviewee described sand reaching roughly two-thirds of the way to the ceiling in one room. The business shut down for several months, with the main bar eventually operating under large tents as Flora-Bama began its recovery.
When the building was rebuilt, items salvaged from the old structure were incorporated into the new one in an effort to preserve its history and character.
Then came Hurricane Sally in 2020, bringing another round of damaging winds and rising water. Once again, Flora-Bama recovered, with the FOX Weather segment recounting how the business was back to bringing people together within weeks.
The stories of hurricanes, rescue operations and even the origins of the sand gave the broadcast a look at how closely weather is tied to life on Alabama’s coast. But the three-hour special also gave viewers around the country a taste of why people keep coming back.
For Hinds, that appeal goes beyond the beaches themselves — back to the people who call the Alabama coast home.
“My favorite is the people,” Hinds said. “Southern hospitality shines the brightest on Alabama’s beaches.”
Sherri Blevins is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at [email protected].
