Heading to vacation in Gulf Shores for a family beach vacation? You’re in for a trip filled with endless activities, beautiful white sand beaches, sunshine-filled adventures, and family fun.
But wait—what do you do if it starts raining? It’s the age-old family vacation question. Lucky for you, there are plenty of rainy-day activities for families to enjoy on the Alabama gulf coast when the weather isn’t quite cooperating.
Here are our favorite rainy-day activities in Gulf Shores to explore!
Fat Daddy’s Arcade
Relive a childhood classic: a day at the arcade! Whether you have small children visiting an arcade for the first time or you’re trying to keep your teens occupied, Fat Daddy’s is a great option.
Try your hand at classic arcade games and modern favorites here. Top games include The Giant, The Wizard of Oz, Jurassic Park, and many more! Once you’ve played to your heart’s content, you can trade in your tickets for fun prizes. The prize shop was recently renovated in 2022, so the options are better than ever!
The Factory
“Play now, grow up later” is the tagline for The Factory, and we wholeheartedly support that mission. Are your kids bouncing off the walls when they have to spend the day inside? If so, this is the perfect place to spend your rainy day in Gulf Shores.
The Factory’s main attractions are its Jump and Climb Experiences. You can also bundle them together for a whole day of fun! The Jump Experience includes Foam Pits, Ninja Obstacle Course, and Slam Dunk Hoops, and the Climb Experience features an incredible rock climbing wall, Adrenaline Tower, and super tall Skyscraper walls.
All skill levels are welcome here, and even little kids can have a fun time! As always, it’s important to keep a watchful eye, but The Factory is a safe, entertaining rainy-day activity in the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach areas.
South Baldwin Community Theatre
Get ready for a show! Sit back and watch as members of the South Baldwin Community Theatre put on a wonderful local theater show. The theatre is a non-profit organization founded in 1972, so they’ve been putting on productions for over 50 years now!
These community theatre members come from all walks of life—attorneys, housewives, doctors, teachers, people from pretty much any career you could think of come together to perform in these shows! Their love for the arts inspires each performance, and you can feel this passion in every performance.
The community theatre puts on a range of productions, from Dracula to The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Check their schedule of events to see what they’re playing when you’re in town!
Tropic Falls Waterpark
It’s raining outside, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the water entirely. Spend a day at Tropic Falls Waterpark and have an absolute blast!
This indoor waterpark has a wide range of attractions. Tuki’s Tower is one attraction that always keeps kids running back for more—the tropical play structure features five slides and a dump bucket tower! Other attractions include slides like the Serpentine Swirl, and even a wave simulator called the Coastal Curl, where you can put your surfing skills to the test.
Jurassic Golf
Glow-in-the-dark dinosaurs and mini golf all in the same place? Sign us up!
This new family-friendly attraction features 18 holes of prehistoric fun. You don’t need to worry about rain, because the entire course is indoors!
Teleport back to the Mesozoic era and play mini golf beside all your little ones’ favorite dinos. It’s a great group activity for all ages!
David L. Bodenhamer Recreation Center
Want to get some exercise in? Just because it’s raining doesn’t mean you can’t get in some quality physical activity with your kids! At the David L. Bodenhamer Recreation Center, you can explore a wide variety of activities.
Put your one-on-one skills to the test in the indoor basketball court, or get in a few laps in the heated indoor swimming pool. If neither of those activities are quite your speed, you could always spend time in the recreational game room! There’s also a full indoor track available to let off some steam and get a good walk in, on even the rainiest of days.
Gulf State Park Nature Center
Spend the day learning about the environment in Gulf Shores at the State Park Nature Center. It’s a living museum of plants and animals that are native to the Gulf Coast region.
If you’ve got some curious kiddos who are always wanting to learn more about the environment around them, this is the perfect place! They can learn more about the Gulf Coast and visit some of the super cool animal ambassadors at the center, including owls, turtles, alligators, snakes, and more.
Gulf Bowling
Bowling is a perfect rainy-day activity for a family vacation! Go head-to-head with your loved ones and see who comes out on top.
Gulf Bowling is a fun destination with 16 bowling lanes, laser tag, axe-throwing, and an arcade. They truly do cater to all ages here! Start your day off here, and before you know it, a few hours will have flown by. With so many entertainment options, Gulf Bowling is a crowd-pleaser.
BOOK YOUR GULF SHORES FAMILY VACATION WITH GULF SHORES RENTALS!
Now that you know all the best spots to head on a rainy day, your Gulf Shores family vacation is sure to be one to remember! The next stop is to book your vacation rental. Whether you’re looking for a gulf-front view or want to be sure your rental is pet-friendly, Gulf Shores Rentals is here to meet all your vacation rental needs.
Browse our available vacation rentals now and book your vacation to Gulf Shores directly with Gulf Shores Rentals!