Some locals would like to keep the beautiful beaches of Gulf Shores a secret but the word is out. In this week's edition of Island's magazine the focus was on America's 11 Best White Sand Beaches. When opening the article Gulf Shores is the first highlighted location.

The writer, Rosheda Stephenson, stated "We scoured the nation from coast to coast, using rankings of best regional beaches and official tourism board and city websites to identify the best white sand beaches outside Florida that also have interesting attractions in the surrounding area. With gorgeous sand, clear waters, and many nearby attractions to fill a whole vacation, these white sand beaches are just as fun as Florida's. But you'll have less crowds at many of them — and be closer to home."

With millions of searches being recorded on Google for "Gulf Shores" the word about the white sand beaches is getting out faster and travel options are becoming more numerous. Google Trends reports that recent inquires are on the rise for Shrimp Festival, Embassy Suites and Allegiant Airlines.

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Islands added to their article "Beach combers and lovers of sugary, white sands who want a beach down South, but don't want to go down to Florida, will find the 32 miles of public beach in this small city on Alabama's popular Gulf of Mexico coastline sublime. The waters are a brighter blue, and feature warmer and gentler waves thanks to being on the Gulf of Mexico rather than the Atlantic. For the same reason, the sands stay soft and white, instead of gritty and brown."

Now don't get upset with a magazine pointing out the obvious. You know that you or one of your friends have posted a great picture on social media as well. You wouldn't want people posting up fake pictures of an ugly pond would you?