Orange Beach, AL

The Lodge at Gulf State Park
Saturday, September 20 - Tuesday, September 23, 2025

Sweet home, Alabama - where the skies are so BLUE!!

Connect with your soul, loved ones, and new friends in the natural beauty of The Lodge. Shed your stress and focus on relationships as you immerse yourself in the seashore and natural habitat of Gulf State Park. Every detail has been thoughtfully designed to connect you with nature and with those with you on the journey.

When it comes to “elevated comfort and Southern hospitality,” there’s nothing else like The Lodge anywhere on the Southern Alabama Coast.

check out the resort and get ready for an amazing retreat!

dinners will be at local restaurants and venues near the hotel!

WHAT TO KNOW

where

The Lodge at Gulf State Park

Address: 21196 E Beach Blvd, Gulf Shores, AL 36542

The Lodge is on CST.

ARRIVAL/DEPARTURE

Arrival time: Monday, between 4pm - 5pm CST

Departure time: 9:00am CST

what to pack

You won’t need much! Pack casual clothes, bathing suits, flip-flops, and your toiletries. Remember to bring all of your family's routine medications like Advil, Tylenol, bandaids, etc. along with any prescription medications, medical supplies, equipment and swim diapers if you have little ones.

We will provide:

  • Beach towels (provided by the resort)

  • Beach chairs and umbrellas

  • Sunscreen (30+ lotion)

  • Snacks and bottled water at the beach and pool

  • Sand toys, sand buckets, rafts, and pool toys

schedule

Here’s our projected camp schedule:

what to expect

You can expect lots of smiles and excitement! Our team of volunteers will be ready to greet you with open arms! When you arrive at The Gulf State Lodge, pull up to the valet area. A member of the Blue Skies team will greet you and help you get checked in. The hotel valet staff will take your luggage and then you will park your car in the lot and meet us back at the lobby of the resort.

PLEASE TEXT EMILY @ 480-232-3859 with your ETA once you get on the road and update her if your arrival time changes:)

We will grab a quick picture of your family and meet everyone once you get back to the lobby. Throughout the retreat, our volunteers will greet you at activities and will be available to answer questions, point you in the right direction, and help you have an amazing week with your family!

Each day begins with fun and togetherness at Good Morning Blue Skies and Chapel! When Chapel finishes, parents gather to get to know each other and share their journeys while the kids play and have fun! Afternoons are spent lounging at the beach and pool - and there’s plenty of time for naps or sightseeing, too, if you like. After dinner, get ready for lots of laughs and fun family time at of our evening activities! After watching a glorious sunset, you can climb into your comfy bed for a peaceful night’s sleep.

It's gonna be a great time! And hopefully, exactly what you and your family need!!

We ask every guest family to attend our welcome dinner and participate in our first and last Kindred Journeys sessions. We encourage guest families to participate in all camp activities, but, take from this week what your family needs and participate in what you choose.

MEALS

We will deliver continental breakfast bag to your room and serve picnic lunches at the resort. Dinners will be both onsite and some at nearby venues/restaurants.

housing

At our Orange Beach camp location, guests and volunteers will be staying in hotel rooms at the resort.

travel

We wish we could blink you down to camp, but each family must provide their own transportation. The nearest airport to Orange Beach is Pensacola (PNS) Airport which is 26 miles away. Other nearby airports include Mobile (MOB) (48.3 miles), Valparaiso (VPS) (63 miles), Gulfport/Biloxi (GPT) (90.3 miles) and Panama City (ECP) (106.5 miles).

guidelines

To help keep everyone safe, please review our guidelines for camp by clicking HERE. We ask all campers to abide by these guidelines to ensure we all have an incredible week together!

COST

Thanks to the fundraising that our volunteers participate in and the generous donations of others, this retreat is provided at no cost to you and your family. You will have to provide your own transportation to and from camp.

podcast

Click here to hear Melinda’s heart behind the ministry and the hope Blue Skies brought to the Dryden family as they join Christy Nockels on her podcast!

a letter from melinda

Click here to read a welcome from Melinda!

Cancellation Policy

Please let us know right away if for some reason you can not make it to camp. We want to make sure every room is filled with families who need a little Blue Skies! Email Mary Nicholl, our Guest Family Coordinator, signmeup@whereskiesareblue.org.