The Wharf Amphitheater — Attraction in Orange Beach

My girlfriends from high school recently went to a concert at The wharf amphitheater. We were celebrating the 60th birthday of the youngest in our group. The birthday girl also has an aggressive form of cancer, which she had been receiving treatment for the entire week before the concert. She was not feeling well, but she went anyway because she wanted to be with us. When we arrived, we could not find handicap parking for her in the regular parking area. The employee at the full lot directed us to go back and park at the Tesla charging station parking spaces. There were several spots available, so we took one and got out of our car. Another employee was driving by in a golf cart, and we flagged him down. He shuttled our group in two separate trips to the gate, so our friend did not have to walk the entire way! At the gate there were even more employees that were very helpful. Our friend who has the illness was able to go on inside with another one of us in the group and sit down just inside the gate. She was offered a cold water by another employee. We were waiting for the fifth member of our group to arrive, and she could not find parking very easily. After another 30 minutes, the concert had already begun. Our friend was still looking for parking, so we let her know we were going to make it to our seats. I definitely recommend bringing a stadium chair as the seats do not have backs unless you purchase the expensive seats on the ground. Side. Note: Academy sports makes a very comfortable stadium chair. Eventually, the fifth member of the group arrived, and we all enjoyed the concert. Our friend who was sick had to leave early, so I walked down with her and another friend to the gate. I had inadvertently left my car key in their car, but no worries. An employee offered to shuttle them to their car and bring my car key back to me. It only took just a few minutes. It definitely saved my friend from having to walk all the way back to the car in the heat. I stayed and talked with some of the employees thanking them for their kindness, and I saw them again before we left. The hospitality of the employees at The wharf was genuine Southern hospitality. They were exhausted from a long day in the heat and the long evening of hosting a rock concert. But they took the time to help us in a very special way. They made the evening a very enjoyable for all of us. This was my first visit to The Wharf Amphitheater, and I definitely will look forward to going again. Concessions are expensive, but proceeds appear to be going to local schools and other...

Love going here for concerts however!!! The crappy so called security staff could be a bit more professional when interacting with patrons. They think they rule the place and have poor tactics when it comes to speaking to people, MY MAIN ISSUE AMONG A FEW... addressing a patron is not rudely getting in their face and yelling at them as it's quiet common sense when at a concert one is not heard easily, when addressing a patron who is not intoxicated, not being rowdy, not doing anything but enjoying themselves and happens to maybe stand up on a chair for a quick photo ( I'm aware it's a safety concern, I had someone standing and helping ensure I didn't fall) because maybe some aren't quite taller than the people in front of them and trying to get down all while being yelled at told to do so over and over without giving a single second to allow a safe decline from my expensive floor seat . I got down as asked without being rude and lashing back. BUT i was already in the process of declining from my expensive floor seat. Sadly this is the type of nonsense that will keep people from returning and giving the venue a bad name. Also the way traffic is handled actually not handled when an event has ended is in desperate need of attention. I was nearly ran over IN MY VEHICLE by a man and his wife that were obviously picking their children up. But because he drives a HUGE wrecker and had his lights on somehow gave him justification in trying to plow through completely stopped traffic, this all being from congestion of cars after his children got in he flys up stopping at the front fender of my car, putting his wrecker in park, jumping out of his wrecker and hitting my car with his fist, opening my door ( I was driving) and telling me to get out he will beat my ass and have me locked up. As his wife is also screaming from her door wide open at me. I simply was going with the flow of traffic (there was no flow actually it was completely stopped) and because he couldn't get through after sitting in the middle of the road for his children to run across and jump in and trying to speed through heavily congested traffic. I just happen to be the car unable to let him through, I guess he felt dignified in threatening myself and scaring my sister who was in the vehicle with me. If the venue has the money to pay for rude unprofessional rent a cops inside the venue they surely have the money to increase traffic control AND real law enforcement outside for safe and...

I recently visited The Wharf Amphitheater with my mother-in-law for a concert, and while the performance and production were fantastic, several operational issues took away from the overall experience. We arrived via Coast Cab (highly recommend—affordable, punctual, and personable). The security process at the entrance felt more like a formality than effective protection. We walked through a metal detector while holding our keys, phones, and wallets—yet were told we couldn’t bring in our small purses because they weren’t clear. Interestingly, the metal detector still beeped due to the items we held, but we were waved through without any additional screening. I even asked if they could simply search our purses, and the security guard said no—that it was just their policy. It gave the impression that the restriction had less to do with guest safety and more to do with encouraging on-site purchases. In practice, it felt less like a security measure and more like a sales tactic.

This raises a fair question: Is the bag restriction really about safety, or about limiting what guests bring in to increase concession sales? With bottled water priced at $5.50, soda at $6.50, and alcoholic beverages pushing $18.50, the financial incentive is hard to ignore. The inconsistency in enforcing this policy only added to the frustration.

Also worth noting: the venue is cashless, which was not clearly communicated ahead of time. That’s important information for guests to know before arriving.

Finding our seats was another challenge. Many section and row numbers were marked with small, hard-to-see stickers, which created unnecessary confusion for guests. A simple update—larger, clearly painted markers and improved signage—would make a big difference in guest experience.

That said, there were some strong positives. The sound quality was excellent, and the large LED screens ensured a good view from nearly any seat. The boardwalk entrance and exit areas were well-lit, creating a welcoming atmosphere. The bleachers were clean, and the natural surroundings gave the space an open,...