What Is Ono Island? Meredith’s Local Guide to Orange Beach’s Private Island Community

What Is Ono Island? A Personal Guide from a Neighbor, Homeowner & Real Estate Advisor

Ono Island is one of those places that is hard to fully understand until you cross the bridge, pass through the gate, and feel the pace of the Gulf Coast change.

I live here, I work here, I boat here, and I have the privilege of helping buyers and sellers understand this private island community in a way that goes far beyond listings and square footage. To me, Ono Island is not simply a gated neighborhood in Orange Beach, Alabama. It is a way of living — quietly, intentionally, beautifully, and always with the water somewhere nearby.

Ono Island is where neighbors wave from golf carts, boats sit tucked beneath covered boathouses, sunrise light…

295 Views, 0 Comments

Can I Buy an Ono Island House Under $1 Million? | Ono Island Real Estate

Can I Buy an Ono Island House for Under One Million Dollars?

Yes — it is possible to buy an Ono Island house for under one million dollars. But like most things in real estate, the better answer is a little more nuanced:

Yes, but you need to understand what you are buying, where the home sits on the island, whether it includes waterfront, how much updating it may need, and how quickly you are prepared to move when the right property appears.

As someone who lives on Ono Island and studies this market closely, I can tell you that under-$1,000,000 opportunities do exist. They are simply not all created equal. Some are interior homes. Some may be older homes with wonderful bones. Some may have access to island amenities but not a…

219 Views, 0 Comments

Should I Dock My Boat at The Wharf Marina in Orange Beach?

Orange Beach Marina Lifestyle

Should I Dock My Boat at The Wharf Marina in Orange Beach?

A local perspective on rental slips, larger yachts, Viking and Valhalla popularity, sportfishing culture, and the future of boating along the Intracoastal Waterway.

When people ask me about The Wharf Marina in Orange Beach, I do not think the real question is what boat should I buy for The Wharf?

I think the better question is:

As Meredith Folger Amon, I look at that question through the lens of lifestyle, fit, and the long game. The right marina should support the way you actually use your boat. It should match your boating rhythm,…

1778 Views, 0 Comments

Why 40-Foot Deep-V Fishing Boats Are Popular in Orange Beach & Ono Island

Why Deep-V Monohull Fishing Boats Around 40 Feet Are So Popular in Orange Beach & Ono Island

Yesterday, I took these images near Perdido Pass, and they immediately reminded me why deep-V monohull fishing boats around 40 feet are so incredibly popular in Orange Beach, Alabama and around Ono Island.

There is a certain look to these boats when they are running through the Pass — confident, purposeful, capable. They are not simply “pretty boats.” They are built for our water, our fishing culture, our Gulf conditions, and the way so many of us live here.

As an Ono Island homeowner and local real estate advisor, I see the connection every day between the boat someone owns — or wants to own — and the waterfront property that truly fits…

621 Views, 0 Comments

What Fish Can You Catch Offshore in Orange Beach, Alabama?

Orange Beach Boating & Offshore Fishing

What Fish Can You Catch Offshore in Orange Beach, Alabama?

One of the reasons I love living and working along the Alabama Gulf Coast is that our lifestyle extends far beyond the shoreline. In Orange Beach, boating and offshore fishing are woven into the rhythm of daily life — from early morning runs through Perdido Pass to afternoons returning home with salt on the deck and stories from the Gulf.

For many buyers I work with, the question is not only, “What home should I buy?” It is also, “Where will I keep the boat, how quickly can I get offshore, and what can I catch?”

Offshore Fishing in Orange…

1038 Views, 0 Comments

Margaritaville Orange Beach Resort Construction Update | Intracoastal Waterway Development

Margaritaville Orange Beach: A New Waterfront Destination Takes Shape on the Intracoastal Waterway

As I stood overlooking The Wharf Marina recently, watching tower cranes stretch across the skyline and steel framing rise above the Intracoastal Waterway, I couldn’t help but think about how dramatically this area is evolving.

What I was looking at is the future home of Margaritaville Resort Orange Beach, one of the most anticipated waterfront developments currently under construction along Alabama’s Gulf Coast.

Located on the north side of The Wharf Marina in Orange Beach, this new resort community is creating something much more significant than another condominium project. It is introducing an entirely new waterfront…

212 Views, 0 Comments

Most Popular Offshore Fishing Boats in Orange Beach, Alabama

Orange Beach Boating Lifestyle

Most Popular Offshore Fishing Boats & Sportfishing Yachts in Orange Beach, Alabama

There are certain boats that simply look at home in Orange Beach. You see them tied up at the marina, running through Perdido Pass at daylight, backing into slips after a tournament weigh-in, or sitting proudly behind a waterfront home on Ono Island.

For those of us who love the Gulf Coast boating lifestyle, boats are not just transportation. They are part of the property story.

Most Popular Offshore Fishing Boats in Orange Beach

These are the center consoles and offshore fishing…

1929 Views, 0 Comments

How Much Value Does a Private Boat Dock Add in Orange Beach & Ono Island?

How Much Value Does a Private Boat Dock Add to a Condo or Waterfront Home in Orange Beach and Ono Island?

On the Alabama Gulf Coast, a private boat dock is not just an amenity — it can be one of the most important value drivers for a waterfront property. In Orange Beach and on Ono Island, boating access is deeply tied to lifestyle, resale appeal, and long-term property desirability.

Whether you are evaluating an Orange Beach condo with a deeded boat slip, a single-family home on a canal, or a luxury waterfront estate on Ono Island, the value of the dock depends on much more than whether a boat can be tied up behind the property.

1288 Views, 0 Comments

Is Ono Island Quiet Year-Round or Crowded Seasonally?

Is Ono Island Quiet Year-Round or Crowded Seasonally?

As a homeowner on Ono Island, I would describe the island as peaceful, private, and beautifully residential — even during the busiest seasons along the Alabama Gulf Coast.

Ono Island is a private, gated island community in Orange Beach, bordered by Bayou St. John and Old River, with access by a private bridge owned by the Property Owners Association. That private access is one of the reasons the island feels so different from many coastal areas nearby.

Is Ono Island Crowded in the Summer?

Not in the way most people think of…

249 Views, 0 Comments

Gulf Coast Masters 2026 at Orange Beach Marina | Gulf Coast Fishing Tournament and Real Estate Lifestyle

The Gulf Coast Masters Returns to Orange Beach: Big Boats, Big Energy, and a Signature Weekend on the Water

There are certain weekends on the Alabama Gulf Coast that seem to capture everything I love about living and working near the water. The Gulf Coast Masters, hosted by the Mobile Big Game Fishing Club, is one of them.

From May 20-23, 2026, the 49th Annual Memorial Day Tournament returns to Orange Beach, Alabama, bringing big boats, skilled captains, offshore crews, and a tremendous amount of dockside energy to Orange Beach Marina. For anyone who loves sportfishing, boating, Gulf Coast real estate, or the atmosphere of a true waterfront community, this is one of those events that reminds you why Orange Beach is so special.

…

1146 Views, 0 Comments