In 2019, The Nature Conservancy implemented a large-scale restoration project to protect the coastal community of Bayou La Batre, Alabama from future coastal hazards and to revitalize a locally important waterfront area that lost over 500 feet of shoreline in a century.  Designed by coastal engineers of Moffatt & Nichol and guided by scientists from Dauphin Island Sea Lab, the Lightning Point Restoration project included 1.5 miles of segmented breakwaters; more than 40 acres of marsh and scrub-shrub habitats; 2 miles of excavated tidal creeks; and installation of almost 90,000 native plants. The site was tested immediately after completion in Summer 2020 against four major named storms with minimal damage and showcased immense resiliency. Project success stems from its thoughtful nature-based engineering design team and feedback from experts who helped develop a strategic 5-year Monitoring and Adaptive Management Plan to capture key structural and biological parameters.  By measuring both structural and biological metrics annually and simultaneously post-construction, the team collated lessons to design future optimal nature-based solutions. Findings indicate successful integration of engineered and ecological components. The breakwaters maintained their integrity and expected settlement rates, while stabilizing the 43-acre coastal habitat expanse without significant sediment loss. The stability of the breakwaters has allowed native plants to flourish over the newly created portions of the sites and less non-native species are encountered across the protected marshes. The team will highlight critical green and gray components to be evaluated in monitoring plans for successful, sustainable and resilient nature-based solutions and share lessons learned for future implementation across the Gulf.