Lulus at Homeport Marina
Driving into Gulf Shores one Saturday afternoon, we decided to stop at Lulus at Homeport Marina on the Intracoastal Canal. If you are driving into town and have an hour or more before check-in, this could be a good idea for you; have a "beachy" meal and kill some time in a lively way. If you have young children with you, it is an even better idea. Most kids will happily spend an hour or more playing in the sand piles, especially since they haven't set foot on the beach yet.  During peak season and during holidays or special events in the Gulf Shores area, Lulu's can be VERY crowded at night, with wait times up to 2 1/2 hours. The place is really hopping with activity during summer nights, so if huge crowds of fun-loving tourists and loud music works for you, hit the beach first and come back at night. There might be room at the bar before your table is ready, or you can get a drink and listen to the band, or put it down long enough to join a volleyball game.  While your having your lunch or dinner, you can watch pleasure boats cruise up and down the canal. Occasionally one will dock at Lulu's. If you have a boat or want to rent one, you can too.  Commercial watercraft like huge barges and shrimp boats also use the canal. We didn't see any barges during our visit, but this shrimp boat was parked at the dock across the canal.
 ... and you can check out the boats at Homeport Marina.   Kids have plenty to do at Lulu's. In fact, they might be having so much fun that will not want to stop and eat.
When they do come in from the sand, the Fountain for Youth and the other fun things, there is a kid's menu. Kid favorites like cheeseburgers, shrimp, and chicken fingers are few of the kid-friendly things on the menu. This time at Lulu's, Kathy ordered the Cheeseburger in Paradise ($8.95). For obvious reasons, this is a very popular item at Lulus at Homeport Marina. I had the fish basket. I didn't ask what kind of fish. If it's fried I like it, but this tasted like grouper. It was $15.95, and came with french fries and jalapeno hushpuppies. It was all very good, and Kathy had good things to say about the cheeseburger. We didn't have room for desert but the choices looked good: Key Lime Pie, Krispy Kreme UnChristmas Pudding and Brownie in Paradise.  The kids were back in school in most places in Alabama, so this was not even a busy Saturday afternoon measured to peak season Lulu's. Yet, the gift store was doing a brisk business selling T-shirts and souvenirs. Outside the shop a caracturist with a little girl looking over his shoulder was trying to concentrate on a drawing a little boy who was getting antsy. Dockside, a sleek shiny cigarette racing boat was reeving up its engines Kids were sliding down the sand piles and playing in the Fountain for Youth. Waitresses were scurrying about with trays full of cheeseburgers and seafood. There was even an art show under a nearby shed.  It's not for everyone, but the only way the only way to find out if it's for you ... is to stop by Lulu's.
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