Barefoot Landing (www.bflanding.com) is like a big outdoor mall. It has a lake in the middle of it and the shops go around the lake with a couple bridges in the middle. It has about 100 shops and several restaurants. It kept us busy all day!

If you like to shop, this is a must. Some of the stores are: Anything Joe's, All About My Beer, Barefoot Candles, Peace Frogs, and Scrappin' Barefoot. Food: Crab House, Johnny Rockets, Joe's Crab Shack, and many more. We went to Johnny Rockets for lunch and Crab House for supper. Definitely recommend either of them.

The best part of the experience, minus the shopping, was the tigers. Every week or so, this foundation has tigers and monkeys come in to stay there. For about $50, I think, you can get your picture taken with them. The money benefits the research on the tigers and monkeys, etc. It is amazing. I LOVED IT!

Barefoot Landing is an upscale shopping complex that has a rather nice relaxing atmosphere. It has a rustic, nautical decor which makes it nice to walk around and enjoy the atmosphere even if you are not there to shop.
The walkways are made of wood to look like a pier, so it gives that beachy feeling as you listen to the wood creak with each footstep.

There are also many unique but expensive shops to see if you like shopping, browsing, or window shopping. The window shopping and browsing are free, of course, and with most of the prices here, that is what we did! Most of the shops offer unique items at a price to match. Many of the shops had a beachy theme with rustic nautically decor or nautical things for sale. Not all the shops were pricey though, so you may be able to find the unique treasure at a reasonable price, ready to take home with you.

There is a nice big lake in the middle of the complex with a long wooden bridge going across the middle. You can buy fish food from the little gumball type vending machine. It's like little pebbles of dog food, but the fish love it! We had the most fun watching and feeding the fish! A school of big carp live in the lake and are always waiting for food to descend upon them. When they see people on the bridge, they come over to see if there will be food. When the food starts landing in the water they swarm over each other to get it, even jumping out of the water and laying on top of each other. You can tell they are used to being fed.

There are several restaurants that make good choices for lunch or dinner options, some have a seafood theme, some have outdoor dining. It is nice for a relaxing afternoon or evening activity. Some offer nighttime entertainment.

Barefoot Landing is home to the Alabama Theater, Barefoot Princess paddlewheel boat, Grand Prix Family Thrill, House of the Blues, and Alligator Adventure. Alligator Adventure is an alligator park and reptile research institute. The perfect place to bring the whole family. Staff members can often be found on the Jay Leno Show. You can visit them at www.alligatoradventure.com. Throughout barefoot landing, you will often see staff members with animals from the park. While we were there, we saw one staff member with a HUGE turtle. My poor little 10-pound dog didn’t know what to make of this huge thing! Speaking of dogs, if you have one in tow, make sure to bring them here. Dogs are permitted if they are on a leash. Several of the stores will allow them in. There is a Bone Apetit Bakery featuring fresh-made treats for your pets. And Johnny Rockets offers outdoor seating and will allow your pet at the tables outside.

Golf fans will love this place. The Barefoot Resort and Golf offer courses built by Greg Norman, David Love III, Tom Fazio, and Pete Dye. Throughout the year, they have a number of celebrations going on, including Bike Week in May, Summerfest, a classic car show, trick-or-treating, and holiday celebrations. They are also involved with charitable organizations. The holiday celebrations from November and December offer a Toys For Tots Drive, and they offer several chili and rib cook-offs for charity. To see what is going on during your visit, simply go to www.bflanding.com.

It's conveniently located near Barefoot Landing, which has many choices for restaurants and shops. So you can make a day of it!