One thing’s for sure: Southerners love to eat, and they love to eat well.

For more than four decades now, seafood fans from around the world have descended upon Gulf Shores on a yearly basis for the National Shrimp Festival. And over the course of the four-day weekend, more than 250,000 people gather to eat tens of thousands of pounds of shrimp cooked up any way you can imagine it.

This year, the 41st Annual National Shrimp Festival presented by Zatarain’s was held over the weekend of Oct. 11-14. Representatives from Alabama Gulf Seafood and the Organized Seafood Association of Alabama were on hand to introduce seafood fans to the flavor and health benefits of fresh-caught Gulf shrimp and educate the public on the importance of buying locally sourced seafood.

One hundred and eighty pounds of fresh Alabama shrimp were boiled in Zatarain’s Crawfish, Shrimp and Crab Boil on-site every day of the festival, and samples were handed out at various times during the day. The unparalleled freshness and taste had shrimp fans coming back for seconds and thirds.

To learn more about this year’s festival and see some of the sights and sounds of the weekend, check out the videos below.