The Flora-Bama bar at night
Things to do

Flora-Bama

The Flora-Bama is the beach bar on the Florida–Alabama line, just east of Orange Beach, open every day from 11 am to 2:30 am with live music on five stages. Kids are welcome until 6 pm, and there's no cover. From 6 pm it's 18 and up, with a $5 cover for 21 and up. Across the street, the Yacht Club and the Ole River Grill serve dinner on the water.

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Plan your visit
Checked November 5, 2026No cover until 6 pmOpen until 2:30 am

Flora-Bama, Perdido Key, Florida · Photo: DiscoverWithDima / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Credits

The short answer

What to know before you go

Bring a physical ID if you're staying past 6 pm.

The Flora-Bama bar at night
The Flora-Bama at night.Flora-Bama, Perdido Key, Florida · Photo: DiscoverWithDima / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Where
17401 Perdido Key Dr, on the beach, just on the Florida side of the Alabama state line
Bar hours
11 am to 2:30 am, holidays included
Age and cover
All ages and no cover until 6 pm, then 18 and up with a cover
From the beach
Walk up from the sand and in over the boardwalk from 10 am
Dogs
Not allowed at the bar or the two restaurants
Door policy

Cover charge, age and ID

If anyone in your group is 18 to 20, be inside by 10 pm; after that there's no way in. A photo of your license won't do: the bar is in Florida, where digital IDs aren't accepted.

Sources: Flora-Bama door policy, FAQ.

Cover from 6 pm, 21+
$5
Cover from 6 pm, ages 18–20
$20; you must be inside by 10 pm, with no re-entry, and can then stay all night
ID
A current physical driver's license, passport, military or state ID. Digital IDs such as LA Wallet and paper IDs aren't accepted
Concerts and ticketed events
Their own door rules and prices; the Mullet Toss is 21+ after 6 pm
Live music

Five stages, bands every day of the year

Music starts at noon on five stages, with bands playing country, rock, dance and beach music. The Big Tent sits on the beach side, and the beachfront bars are made for a Bushwacker at sunset.

The day's line-up is on the Flora-Bama's live music calendar. Beach concerts and the New Year's Eve party are ticketed and usually sell out, so buy on the tickets page early. Kenny Chesney calls the bar close to his heart and has stopped by more than once.

On weekday afternoons, free bingo runs Monday to Friday from 1 to 4 pm in the tent. Back home, Flora-Bama Radio streams the bar's music on iHeartRadio.

Food and drink

Oyster bar, Yacht Club and Ole River Grill

The oyster bar is inside the Flora-Bama; the two sit-down restaurants are across Perdido Key Drive on the water, welcome kids at all hours and take no reservations. Prices as of November 5, 2026.

  • Oyster bar (in the Flora-Bama)

    Hours: Sunday to Thursday 11 am–11 pm, Friday and Saturday 11 am–1 am

    What to order: Oysters raw ($18 a dozen) or baked, like Oysters McClellan with bacon and smoked Gouda ($27 a dozen); Bama Burger $17, fried shrimp basket $19, kids' plates $7. Chicken and waffles Sundays 9–11 am

  • Flora-Bama Yacht Club, 17350 Perdido Key Dr

    HoursSunday to Thursday 11 am–9 pm, Friday and Saturday 11 am–10 pmWhat to orderSeafood on the water: char-grilled oysters $27 a dozen, gumbo $7, grouper platter $23, 14 oz ribeye $44. 850-483-6272

  • Flora-Bama Ole River Grill, 17400 Perdido Key Dr

    Hours: Daily 11 am–10 pm

    What to order: Burgers, baskets and sports on TV, with a deck on the water: Bama Burger $17, shrimp basket $21, shrimp boil $20 for half a pound, Big Earl's shrimp and grits $20. 850-483-6262

Sources: Flora-Bama oyster bar menu, Yacht Club menu, Ole River Grill menu.

The drink to order is a Bushwacker, a frozen cocktail that tastes like a grown-up milkshake and reached the Gulf Coast in the early 1970s. The Flora-Bama is known as its home and keeps the recipe secret.

Events

Mullet Toss, Polar Bear Dip and the 2027 calendar

The Flora-Bama runs more than 100 events a year. These are the dated ones through September 2027. For the Mullet Toss, book your room months ahead.

  • Frank Brown International Songwriters' Festival

    DateNovember 5–15, 2026What it isMore than 200 songwriters perform; the finale with Craig Campbell is ticketed

  • Thanksgiving potluck

    DateNovember 26, 2026What it isThanksgiving Day at the bar

  • Make It To The Line Run

    DateDecember 26, 2026What it isFamily run and walk for the Secret Santa Fund; register online

  • New Year's Eve bash

    DateDecember 31, 2026What it isTicketed party with live music on three stages and champagne

  • Polar Bear Dip

    DateJanuary 1, 2027, at noonWhat it isFree. Go all the way under and you get a free draft beer and a New Year's plate of ham, black-eyed peas and greens

  • Super Chili Bowl Cook-Off

    DateFebruary 13, 2027What it isChili teams cook for the American Cancer Society

  • Interstate Mullet Toss

    DateApril 23–25, 2027What it isThree days on the beach; how it works below

  • Fishing Rodeo

    DateJune 4–5, 2027, awards June 6What it isOpen to everyone, no VIP boat needed

  • Freedom Run and July 4th party

    DateJuly 3 and 4, 2027What it is4-mile or 1-mile run, then live music, a bikini contest and fireworks

  • Bulls on the Beach

    DateSeptember 9–11, 2027What it isThree nights of live rodeo

How the Mullet Toss works

The Interstate Mullet Toss is held on the last full weekend of April. Every throw raises money for local youth charities, and there are awards for every age group.

Sources: annual events, Mullet Toss, Polar Bear Dip, tickets.

All events in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach

What happens
You throw a dead mullet from a 10-foot circle in Florida down a 200-foot course across the state line into Alabama
When
Friday to Sunday: kids 10 am–noon, adults noon–4 pm, owners and celebrities 4 pm
Cost to throw
$20 with a T-shirt, $25 for a 2X or 3X shirt; the money goes to youth charities on both sides of the line
Cover
From 9 am: $10 a day for 21+, $20 for 18 to 20, free for 17 and under; all ages until 6 pm, then 21+
Getting there
Parking is extremely limited; don't use condo lots or the roadside. Take Uber, Lyft or a cab
Sundays

Church in the tent

Worship on the Water meets every Sunday at 9 am and 11 am in the Big Tent on the beach side of the bar. A service lasts an hour, with a live band and Bible-based teaching led by Pastor Ben Ragsdale. Come in beach clothes.

Church at the Flora-Bama

Rules

Coolers, dogs, the beach and wheelchairs

Spend the morning on the beach behind the bar and walk in from the sand once the boardwalk opens at 10 am. Leave the cooler at home: outside drinks aren't allowed anywhere on the property.

Sources: Flora-Bama FAQ, ADA information, Bushwacker.

Coolers and outside drinks
Not allowed through the doors or anywhere on the property. Beach bags, chairs and towels are fine
Smoking
In several marked areas; nothing illegal
Wheelchairs
Accessible parking right in front, a ground-level entrance, an elevator about 25 feet south of the gift shop, and both floors accessible, including the tent, the dome and the oyster bar; ADA restrooms
On the beach behind the bar
Ike's Beach Service rents beach chairs and runs parasailing and banana boat rides in season; the Flora-Bama Marina across the street rents jet skis and pontoons
History

How a package store became the Flora-Bama

In its early years the Flora-Bama was almost the only thing out here. As traffic on the new highway grew, so did the bar, one addition at a time.

Source: Flora-Bama: the legend of the Flora-Bama.

1964
Ted Tampary and his sons Connie and Tony build a bar and package store right at the state line, where Escambia County, Florida, was wet and Baldwin County, Alabama, dry
Early 1970s
The Bushwacker reaches the Gulf Coast; soon after, co-owner Pat McClellan makes the Flora-Bama version
1978
Joe Gilchrist buys the bar on April 17 and makes live music a daily thing
1986
Pat McClellan joins; the two start the Interstate Mullet Toss and the Frank Brown Songwriters' Festival
2009
John McInnis and Cameron Price become co-owners alongside Joe and Pat
Getting there

Driving, parking and the walk from the condos

Distances are by road, without traffic.

Getting around Gulf Shores and Orange Beach

From Gulf Place, Gulf Shores
About 10.6 miles
From The Wharf, Orange Beach
About 9 miles
From Cotton Bayou beach, Orange Beach
About 4.4 miles
On foot
Phoenix X is about 4 minutes away and Phoenix IX about 7; both are beachfront condos on the Alabama side
Parking
Accessible spaces right in front of the entrance; on Mullet Toss weekend, take a ride share
On the water

Out on the water nearby

Cruisin Tikis takes up to six people around the Orange Beach islands on a tiki boat with your own drinks, with a swim stop at Bird Island. Ike's, which rents the chairs on the beach behind the bar, also runs parasail trips. Prices and ratings as of November 3, 2026.

Dolphins beside a sightseeing boat at sunset off Orange Beach
Photo: U.S. Department of Transportation / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Cruisin Tikis Orange Beach

Orange Beach Islands Tiki Cruise

3 hours

Bring your own drinks and snacks and let a Coast Guard licensed captain take your group around the islands of Orange Beach on a floating tiki bar.

The boat anchors off Bird Island, so you can swim or walk the island before the ride back.

  • Stop at Bird Island to swim or explore
  • Cooler, ice, cups, water and floats provided
Good to know
  • Meets: Zeke's Marina, at the tiki boat in front of Zeke's Restaurant
  • Bring your own drinks; not refundable once booked

4.9 · 271 reviews on Viator

From $99 on Viator

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Parasailing in Orange Beach
Photo: Ike's Beach Service via Viator

Ike's Beach Service

Orange Beach Parasailing

1 hour

See the coast from above with Ike's, which has flown visitors along the Alabama and Florida beaches for more than 20 years. Fly solo, in pairs or three at a time.

  • Single, tandem and triple rides
  • Free parking at check-in
  • Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
Good to know
  • Meets: Ike's check-in counter; park in the free lot and follow the signs

4.3 · 27 reviews on Viator

From $98.99 on Viator

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Stay nearby

Hotels closest to the Flora-Bama

Beachfront hotels in eastern Orange Beach, 3 to 4.5 miles from the state line. For a condo you can walk home from, search Vrbo for Phoenix IX and Phoenix X.

Orange Beach vacation rentals on Vrbo

What people ask

Quick answers

Is the Flora-Bama in Florida or Alabama?

In Florida. The main bar is at 17401 Perdido Key Dr in Perdido Key, right at the state line; Orange Beach, Alabama, starts next door.

Who owns the Flora-Bama?

Joe Gilchrist, Pat McClellan, John McInnis and Cameron Price. Joe bought the bar in 1978, Pat joined in 1986, and John and Cameron came in as co-owners in 2009.

Can you get a Bushwacker to go?

No. The license doesn't allow Bushwackers to go or by the gallon, and the recipe stays a secret.

Are there hotels near the Flora-Bama?

The closest beds are the Phoenix IX and Phoenix X condos, a few minutes' walk away. The nearest beachfront hotels are Perdido Beach Resort and Island House, about 3 miles west.