I’ve always loved September on the coast. The weather turns less humid, the crowds shift from weekly vacationers to weekend day-trippers and the newly arrived winter residents.

Birds are migrating so there are wonderful opportunities to add new species to your birding life list. Along the northern Gulf Coast you can also catch the Monarch Butterfly migration.

The beaches are less populated so beach combing is less of a competitive sport. In some coastal towns, businesses (both retail and restaurants) close up for the winter as soon as Labor Day passes, changing the town’s dynamic from a booming vacation hub to a quiet town where locals can regroup to catch up on life.  Weekday traffic jams seem to only exist (in some coastal areas)  when schools let out in the afternoon and you get stuck behind a stopped school bus on your way to catch the afternoon surf.

And, it is a bit refreshing to me to have to throw on a light jacket to go for a walk on the beach.

I love September and this month I’m celebrating daily with all things “S” to remind us all how cool this month is and how cool the coast can be.

S is for September at the Shore.