Casey and Christina Buckner firmly believe that “life is better in flip flops.” That’s one of the reasons they left their native Birmingham for the shimmering shores of Orange Beach, where they opened Flip Flop Vacations and Real Estate in 2020, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

At first, they planned to split their time between Birmingham and the coast. “But once we got down here, we fell in love with the area so much that we moved down here.”

They quickly opened another ancillary business, The Surfside Shuttle, to accommodate vacationers.

While life was good on the Alabama coast, they soon noticed that “there was not a lot of transportation, especially for big parties,” says Casey.

So last year, they started the shuttle company to take people to and from the Mobile and Pensacola airports. “We saw the need and said ‘hey, let’s go for it,’” he says.

Both of their new businesses recently were honored with a “Best of Baldwin 2023″ award from Gulf Coast Media, which affirmed their decision to make the move to the beach, where they’ve been able to “make an impact” in a short time.

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Soon after starting The Surfside Shuttle, Casey and his friend and managing partner Cayce Wilkinson realized there was an opportunity to offer tours of local bars and restaurants that offer bushwackers, aka adult milkshakes that have become wildly popular on Alabama’s beaches.

“We’re known for bushwackers down here,” Casey says. “Every restaurant has their own version.” Offering a tour would be a chance to let customers sample the alcoholic drink while seeing the area itself in a comfortable, music-filled party bus that picks them off and drops them off at their condo or house.

Read more: This bushwacker coffee tastes like a beach vacation

“We named it the Original Bushwacker Tour,” says Christina. “The first week, we had 200,000 views. We were booking so fast. We were blown away.”

Within two months, they had to add another bus. Each bus holds up to 14 guests. A typical tour lasts from four to six hours and goes to four scenic places including CoastAL Orange Beach, OSO in Bear Point, Tacky Jack’s on the Back Bay and the Flora-Bama, which straddles the Alabama-Florida state line.

“The iconic Flora-Bama is usually the last stop,” says Casey. “Some people decided to hang out there and extend the tour while the driver waits for them.”

Read more: 13 things you may not know about the Flora-Bama

The tour price doesn’t include the drink price, so guests aren’t limited to bushwackers and don’t feel compelled to have four drinks (but if they do, they’re in a safe environment on the bus).

Casey and his business partners take turns driving the buses. “We’re all family,” says Christina. “The other dads do birthday parties and drive.”

On the property management side, Casey says he’s surprised by how many people he talks to “who didn’t realize Alabama had beaches.” It’s become a personal and professional mission for the Buckners to introduce them to the beautiful beaches lining the coast. And while they’re at it, why not introduce them to the bushwacker?

“It’s been fun to offer an extra thing like this,” Casey says.

To book a tour, call (251) 215-1919.

More beach stories:

Fannie Flagg revisits life with one of Gulf Shores’ ‘pioneer families’

5 amazing dishes at the beach

This beach diner is a total throwback