If you want to experience the South in all its drawl-y, deep-fried glory, go north to Alabama. Proudly honky-tonk but increasingly sleek thanks to posh new condo developments, Alabama's Gulf Coast is the place to go for a hit of Southern Exposure.

Order a mess of fried crab claws, go to a dive bar and watch the sun set, and enjoy white-sand beaches without a smidgen of attitude.

Orange Beach and Gulf Shores are full of southern-fried charm, low-key fun (there's a festival devoted to tossing mullet) and more moss-draped beauty than you can shake a fish at. It's an awesome place to take the kids, thanks to its barefoot beach-town vibe. Warning: You'll find your newly-adopted Southern accent hard to shake.

Here's a look at some of our top picks. Enjoy, ya'all!

• Best neo-Southern snack: Fried green tomatoes and L.A. (as in ''Lower Alabama'') caviar at Lulu's at Homeport Marina Restaurant, owned by Jimmy Buffett's sister, Lucy. What's L.A. caviar? Black-eyed peas in balsamic vinaigrette, a better combination than it sounds. This is also the place to tuck into ''a mountain of fried okra'' (the only vegetable our boys consumed during the trip) and a mess o' fried crab claws.

Notice the theme here? It isn't just Lulu's. ''We never met a food we didn't want to deep-fry,'' said friendly local Mike (no last name offered), of the batter-dipped menu offerings. Better fried veggies than fried desserts, we decided, although we did encounter a couple of the latter on our visit.

Rustic and rambling, Lulu's is a good place to get into the spirit of the Gulf Coast. It's set on the Intracoastal Waterway, so you can watch the barges go by, and there's a giant sand pit for kids to play in. Frequent live music adds to the good-time theme.

Most entrees $7.95-$16.95. 200 E. 25th Ave., Gulf Shores. 251-967-5858; www.lulusathomeport.com.

• Best place to party: Of course you've heard of the Flora-Bama Lounge, the self-proclaimed ''last great American roadhouse,'' located on the Alabama-Florida line. They do have an oyster bar, but this ramshackle establishment is really about sucking down a longneck beer and listening to live jams on one of four bandstands. (If you're bringing kids, show up while the sun is still up. It's less rowdy then.)

Everybody shows up on the first full weekend in April for the famous Interstate Mullet Toss, in which teams -- including kids -- compete to see who can toss a mullet farthest, from Alabama to Florida. No gloves, or sandy hands, allowed, making for some slippery action!

17401 Perdido Key Dr., Pensacola. 850-492-3048; www.florabama.com.

• Best nature escape: The Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge is home to 370 species of birds and assorted creatures like the red fox, coyote, armadillo, bobcat, flying squirrel, and even the endangered Alabama Beach Mouse. Although you probably won't see them (most of these critters only come out at night), you'll enjoy the six miles of nature trails. There's a lovely little strip of beach and a kayak that awaits anyone who wishes to use it. (For free. Now that's Southern hospitality!)

12295 State Highway 180, Gulf Shores. 251-540-7720; www.fws.gov/bonsecour.

• Best place to commune with Flipper: Well, maybe not the Flipper, but don't all dolphins look alike? Dolphin cruises are huge here, because who doesn't get excited watching these playful mammals play ''follow the wake,'' dive for fish and randomly pop up alongside the boat? Captain Richie Russell of Dolphin Express Cruises takes families into the back bays of Orange Beach in a 50-foot motorboat. Even the two teenagers in our group got a kick out of this. Trips depart from Bear Point Marina in Orange Beach. 251-971-1893; www.dolphinexpresscruises.com.

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