I'm not a beach person really, but I just love the atmosphere of a beach town. Pensacola and Gulf Shores are just a bit over 30 minutes apart, and have the same charm and fun atmosphere without them being as touristy as Destin or other towns along 30A. I LOVED the Zoos in both places, they are small, and have several ways that you can interact with the animals there. We met sloths and giraffes at Gulf Breeze in Pensacola, and sloths and monkeys at Alabama Gulf Coast Zoos. Both also had old forts which I always find pretty neat to visit.
