The first time I heard about 30A, I had no idea what it meant – a restaurant? A club? An address?? However, as its popularity has grown over the years, I have since seen some beautiful photos that showcase this gorgeous destination along the Gulf Coast of Florida – sometimes referred to as the Emerald Coast. Hugging the water is a stretch of highway called 30A, which is located between Destin and Panama City. Along this highway are some quaint and beautiful beach towns, each with their own personality.
TIP!
30A is becoming a beach vacation hot spot. We visited in mid-May and were able to enjoy less crowds and more seclusion on the beach!
Choosing to take our beach vacation to 30A was easy, but deciding where to stay among the various towns was much more difficult! They each seemed to have their own unique vibes. Once we realized that 30A is a very bike-able destination with a biking/walking path connecting all the towns, it took the pressure off. We ultimately decided to stay in Seagrove, which is located roughly in the middle of 30A. The biggest factor in this decision was the layout of our rental property. Much of the architecture in 30A rental properties is multi-storied. While they are either adorable cottages or gorgeous beach homes (depending on where you are at), we didn’t want to worry about a lack of baby gates with our toddler. Seagrove seemed to have more condominium options where we could rent a floor without stairs yet still enjoy the perks of having our own kitchen, laundry, and multiple bedrooms. If we return in the future, however, I am excited to explore some of the other fun options in neighboring towns!
TIP!
If spending time at the beach is important to you, be sure to check that your rental property has its own beach access before booking! Most of the beach is accessed through private rentals and public access points can be few and far between.
Transportation:
Depending on your personal preferences, there are several different options to choose from when traveling around 30A. The closest airports are Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (ECP) in Panama City or Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport in Destin – both are about an hour drive, give or take. If you want to avoid renting a car, it’s very easy to Uber/Lyft from either destination. There are a ton of bike rental shops and bike parking in 30A, and once you arrive in you can manage to get mostly everywhere you’d like on bike. Another option is to investigate a rental property that includes a golf cart. Golf carts are another popular way to get around and it may save your legs if you want to explore 30A end-to-end. Our rental did not include a golf cart, so we rented a car through Turo. This allowed us to bring our own car seat and have the freedom to hop around as we’d like.
TIP!
30A has no shortage of fantastic places to eat, but I recommend getting your reservations in advance when you can – especially if traveling with kids! Those prime dinner time slots fill up quickly.
Beach Towns:
Along the highway are many different small beach towns. While we didn’t make it to all of them, we did pop in to several to get a taste of what each was like! The towns we visited (in order from West to East) were:
Blue Mountain Beach:
Dinner at Mimmo’s
Delicious Italian food! David had veal with risotto and I tried the seafood ravioli. Both were divine!
Dessert at Ice Cream Shoppe
Right next door to Mimmo’s is Ice Cream Shoppe, this place has your classic favorites as well as some fancy options. We shared the caramel cheesecake ice cream and we were not disappointed!
Seaside:
The town of Seaside served as the setting for the movie The Truman Show, starring Jim Carrey. It is easy to see why it was selected – it is such a quaint, picture-perfect town! The buildings are bright white and the homes and cottages are pastels. The iconic post office from the movie is in the center of a beautiful shopping area, with a massive green space and amphitheater across the street. On the evening we visited, a children’s movie was being played on a large screen in this area and kids were roaming and playing on the lawn in front. Just behind the amphitheater is a row of conveniently located food trucks, including foods such as gyros, gourmet grilled cheese, bbq, hot dogs, crepes, shaved ice, and delicious frosés!
In addition to the main gathering space, some other areas worth checking out include:
Bud and Alley’s Waterfront Restaurant and Rooftop Bar
This place had some great seafood and cocktails. If you are able to snag an outdoor table I would, as the restaurant sits by the water and offers incredible views!
Shopping Boutiques
While there are some adorable boutiques and children’s stores in the main square, I wish I had spent more time exploring the waterfront shops as well. Just behind Bud and Alley’s are individual shops that look basically like boxes! They include offerings such as hair braiding, soaps, home goods, and more.
TIP!
Seaside can get incredibly crowded during the summer. I recommend walking, biking, or taking a golf-cart into town if you are able!
Seagrove:
Seagrove is the area where we stayed for a week. We loved Seagrove’s calm, family-friendly atmosphere, yet walkability to coffee and food options. As mentioned above, the rental properties in this area also seemed to best suit our needs during this stage of life. While much of our week was spent at the beach, some of our other favorite finds from the area include:
Beachy Bean Coffee Co.
This is one of my favorite places on 30A. It is a slight walk to the East of Seagrove, but it is SO worth it. Not only is the food and coffee delicious, it also has the BEST vibe. The coffee shop is a basically a house with a porch outside for additional seating. The lawn is expansive and is a great place for kids to play and explore. We visited almost every day!
Old Florida Fish House
Just beside the Beachy Bean is Old Florida Fish House. I highly recommend booking a dinner reservation outside here! The ambience is great – it sits right on a lake and live music plays on the green lawn next door. It is definitely a family-friendly restaurant, and while waiting for food kids can explore the green space or walk down to a dock.
Angelina’s Pizzeria and Pasta
After beaching all afternoon, we had Angelina’s for carryout one night and it hit the spot!
Turbo Coffee
Located in a little shopping area, Turbo coffee is a great quick option for your morning coffee run. Their cinnamon toast latte was delicious!
Dough Sea Dough Donuts
A small little donut shop that has all the favorite classics as well as some loaded, fancy donuts. If you’re in the mood for a hot breakfast, they had a selection of breakfast sandwiches as well.
Prema Organic Cafe
There’s something about an acai bowl while on a beach vacation that hits differently. This place also had fresh juices and a variety of other breakfast bowls, like dargonfruit and spirulina.
Jogging/Biking the Timpoochee Trail
This trail is the pathway that runs alongside 30A highway. It is great for squeezing in a little movement while getting a view!
The Big Chill:
The Big Chill is an outdoor gathering space surrounded by shops and restaurants. In the center of the green space is a stage for outdoor concerts and events with a jumbotron above for watching sports. A portion of The Big Chill contains open-air seating with plenty of tables and chairs for large groups. It’s a great spot for all ages to hang out- for kids there’s a build-a-bear store, toy store, hair braiding/tinseling, an arcade, and ice cream. For adults, there’s a bar, live entertainment, and…ice cream! Check out their schedule of events here.
Alys Beach:
Alys beach is a town unlike anything I have ever seen. It’s definitely a luxury community, comprised of pristine white homes straight out of an architectural magazine! Here you can find restaurants, shopping, and our favorite find – a nature walk/trail. The Alys Beach Nature Trail is just over a half-mile loop, mostly on a boardwalk. It was an easy path to take with a stroller and is a great place for kids to stretch their legs.
After our trail walk, we went for brunch at Raw and Juicy. I ordered the avocado toast and it was fantastic! David ordered a delicious French toast and we tried out two different smoothies, both great! Conveniently located just beside this restaurant is an adorable playground. Here, kids can find a slide build into a hill, a porch-style swing, a climbing hill, and climbing/exploring structures that looked like sculptures! Little C enjoyed spotting the tiny lizards that scampered around the rock borders.
Rosemary Beach:
Rosemary Beach is a beautiful, quaint town straight out of a fairytale. Residents staying in the Rosemary Beach community have access to the beach as well as several pools, and there is no shortage of great restaurants and shopping! During our visit, we popped into clothing boutiques, baby and children’s stores, a toy store, an upscale souvenir store, and a bookshop. We visited on a Sunday, which is when Rosemary Beach hosts a famers market from 9:00am-1:00pm. The peaches called out to us and they were so juicy and delicious! Some restaurants we tried in this area include:
Pescado
To enter this rooftop bar and seafood grill, we were escorted to an elevator off the street and taken to the top floor – it felt exclusive and fancy! Once we arrived at the top we were met with the most gorgeous view of the sea. I went the brunch route and ordered a massive French toast and David ordered lobster grilled cheese with tomato bisque. Both were phenomenal!
3rd Cup
An adorable coffee shop located on a corner. They offer coffee, tea, and pastries that are actually made from a local bakery, called Blue Mountain Bakery. Little C approved of the croissants!
Things we Missed:
While we squeezed a lot of relaxing, eating, and beach time into our week at 30A, there are definitely some things I would love to experience on our next visit. These include:
The Town of Watercolor
Located in basically the same area as Seaside, Watercolor seems like a fantastic place for families to stay. Residents in this community are centrally located along the 30A highway, and have access to a beach club, which includes resort pools!
Grayton Beach
Grayton Beach seems to be a laid back beach town with fun hole-in-the-wall bars and restaurants!
Black Bear Bread Co.
Bakery located in Seaside, it was recommended to us a couple times during our stay!
Help us out for our next trip – what are your recommendations for places to stay, eat, and play in 30A?