30A The Best Kept Beach Secret
Our morning stroll on Seagrove Beach.
30A is one of our favorite places to go with and without kids. If you haven’t been to this little piece of paradise, you will want to put it on your list. 30A is located between Panama City and Destin and has pristine white sand, beautiful blue water, high end restaurants, and rental home accommodations. You can fly into Panama City (ECP) or Destin/Fort Walton (VPS) but most of 30A’s visitors drive. The streets are full of Moke’s, golf carts, bikes, and families of all ages. This adorable coastal town is unlike any other. Almost all families rent one of the well-appointed homes and couples may opt for a stay at the lovely hotel, The Pearl.
The biggest decision is what area is right for you and your family. Honestly, you can’t go wrong. Every area has something different to offer but all equally amazing. Here is how I would break it down. If you are going without kids, I would consider Rosemary Beach or Alys Beach. Rosemary Beach is where The Pearl Hotel is located and also home to a couple of our favorite high-end restaurants, Pescado and Paradis. You are also really close to George’s in Alys Beach. Alys Beach is incredibly beautiful, but you’ll pay for it. A number of A list celebrities have recently bought here so it has an exclusive feel.
If you are traveling with families Watercolor and Seaside are hard to beat. Seaside is where the older kids like to hang out and Watercolor is amazing for young families (also for older kids too). Watercolor has their own water park with pools, slides, and even a lazy river. If you don’t want to AIRBNB, check out Watercolor Inn. Seaside is a natural meeting place as it is built around an open green space lined with shops and restaurants. The seaside beach access has bathrooms and showers and is the easiest in/out of the beach. No matter where you stay, you will end up spending time in Seaside. A “must do” on every vacation to 30A is The Great Southern restaurant. We’ll never miss an opportunity to eat some oysters and you need to try the strawberry mojito. Also, the Modico Market makes fresh squeezed orange juice mimosas. Maybe the perfect start to any vacation morning when you are traveling with kids!
Seagrove is our favorite area for a quieter vacation. Since most vacationers trade in their cars for bikes or golf carts, it is centrally located for a nice bike ride to Seaside or The Hub and the beaches are never packed.
Grayton Beach is made famous by the noteworthy, The RED BAR. You must try this restaurant! Be prepared to wait and be prepared for a fun night. It’s better as an adult only dinner as the bar usually turns into a dance floor. Don’t forget cash, as they don’t take credit cards.
If you are looking for nighttime options, consider a beach bonfire for something fun and different. There are a few companies that can help with this. They’ll set up your bonfire, bring chairs, smore’s, and also clean everything up. We recently used 30A BLAZE and they were great to work with. The Hub also offers nightly entertainment, including movies for kids on the lawn. Here is a sample weekly calendar of events.
Our 3 year old’s perfect day while vacationing on 30A. Starting the day with donuts from the Donut Hut. Mid-morning we head to the beach for a few hours. Lunch at Seaside. Her afternoon would be spent at Watercolor’s pools, slides, and lazy river (only available to those staying in Watercolor). Dinner at The Great Southern Café in Seaside and ending with ice cream from Blue Mountain Creamery. Sounds like a pretty amazing day.
Parents perfect day:
If vacation were still about us, here would be our perfect day. A nice bike ride to Modica Market for a fresh squeezed orange juice mimosa. Paddle board rental at Grayton State Park or Watercolor. Lunch at Bud and Alley’s overlooking the ocean. A few hours on the white sand, dinner at Pescado, followed by a drink at Neat in Alys Beach. Ah- that sounds nice.
Lastly, if you are driving to 30A from Atlanta, I highly recommend stopping by our favorite restaurant in Dothan. Yes, it is in Dothan, Alabama but don’t let that fool you. KBC belongs to a recent top chef WINNER, Kelsey Barnard Clark. Everything on the menu (yes, we’ve tried almost everything) is delicious. Thank me later-
30A is our favorite destination and there is so much more than we talked about. If you are looking for something in particular please reach out. Also, if you think we missed a 30A “must do” please let us know so we can check it out next time.
