There are a few features of a relaxing warm-weather vacation that are essential for most of us. You need a great swimsuit, a beach to wear it at, and the perfect beach bar where you can let go of your cares and simply enjoy the party. If there is great food on top of that, even better. Add in live music and some fun-filled events, and you have the recipe for the perfect trip. If you’re visiting the Florida Panhandle, you absolutely have to stop at Perdido Key, an unsung paradise with white sand beaches right on the border of Alabama. Not only does it boast one of the best beaches in the Florida Panhandle, but it has the Flora-Bama Lounge and Package, which has been there since the mid-1960s. This famous honky-tonk spot got the nod from Southern Living as one of the Best Beach Bars for 2025, has gotten top nods from CNN and Playboy, and was actually featured in the John Grisham novel “The Pelican Brief.”
Back in 1962, Florida gave Alabama two miles of land along the shore for the building of the Perdido Pass Bridge, and the Tampary family built a bar right on the border between the states. It grew over the years as it changed hands, and these days it’s a true landmark. Flora-Bama has live music every single night of the year, with five stages, and it’s right on the beach. How can you afford to miss this?
All about the Flora-Bama Lounge and the Mullet Toss
Set between Orange Beach, Alabama and Perdido Key, Florida, Flora-Bama has three places to eat. There’s the Oyster Bar inside the main restaurant with food like French fries and burgers, shrimp tacos, chicken tenders, and, of course, oysters. Across the street is their Ole River Grill on Orange Beach, with fresh seafood, po-boys, and steaks. The Flora-Bama Yacht Club has great food like seafood creole pasta, and you can bring your boat right up to the sand in front of it. Plus, their restaurants recycle oyster shells to help the species continue to thrive in the Gulf. Flora-Bama is also famous for a drink called the Bushwacker, for which they have a house recipe. They call it an “adult milkshake,” and, like a Hurricane in New Orleans, you really have to try it.
In addition to live music, which includes beach tunes, rock, country, and dance, the location even has an iHeart Radio station to stream called “Flora-Bama Radio.” However, music isn’t the only thing they offer. Believe it or not, there are even church services at the location. In addition, once a year, they host an event called the Interstate Mullet Toss. Before you conjure visions of people with business-in-the-front-party-in-the-back hairstyles being thrown across state lines, they’re actually throwing a mullet fish. Participants pay $20 to get a t-shirt (with an additional fee for 2XL and 3XL sizes) and a dead mullet to toss across the border. There are prizes for the winners, and the fish are donated to the alligators at either Alligator Alley or the Gulf Coast Zoo for a treat. The money goes to youth charities and they raise over $40,000 each year. Before you go, check out our ultimate packing guide for a successful beach trip. Bottoms up!
