A few weeks ago, my family and I traveled to 30A, a beautiful area nestled in between Destin and Panama City. Think of 30A as a long stretch of road that has numerous little beach towns dotted throughout. Up until a few years ago, I wasn’t familiar with this area, but I have quickly fallen in love with its quaint charm. We have been to this area countless times over the years and especially love Rosemary Beach, Seacrest, Seaside, Santa Rosa Beach, and Watercolor.
WHERE TO STAY
Typically, we book places through VRBO or 360Blue. You can literally stay anywhere along 30A and still be able to easily get around to the other little beach towns to shop/eat. Most places come with bikes and/or a golf cart (I would DEFINITELY try to find a place with a golf cart!) which makes getting around much easier. In the past we have stayed in Rosemary Beach (top pick), Seacrest (more quiet), Seaside (top pick), Watercolor, or Santa Rosa Beach (top pick).
My parents also recently bought a home in the Santa Rosa Beach area and we have been SO excited! They are getting older and I think they really wanted to find a place where they could relax + spend time with family. My entire family has fallen in love with the 30A area, so we are all so excited to have this home. Right now, my parents are renting it out most weeks, but I do think we plan on using it more in the fall once the crowds die down a bit in that area. I will leave the link to the house here in case anyone is interested! Quick note- the home is located in the cutest little neighborhood with an amazing community pool (its STUNNING). We have actually vacationed in this neighborhood in the past at a few different homes and it’s the best! There’s also a Publix + shopping center (multiple restaurants, ice cream place, liquor store, etc) right near the entrance of the neighborhood which we love- makes things so easy! There is a bike path to the beach, but we usually just take the golf cart to Seaside (about 7 min drive), park, and go to the beach.
WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast:
- The Donut Hole (multiple locations, we go to the one in Rosemary): our favorite- definitely a must! Made from scratch kind of breakfast. We always make it a point to go here at least once during our stay!
- Donut Hut (Santa Rosa): lots of fun flavored donuts with toppings, fun for kids
- Raw & Juicy (Alys): coffee, smoothie, juices, and bowls
- Playa Bowls (Rosemary): bowls + smoothies
- Black Bear Bread Co (Seaside): bakery, coffee, pastries, sandwiches
- Amavida Coffee (Seaside & Rosemary): Specialty coffee drinks
Lunch:
- Cowgirl Kitchen (Rosemary)
- Geroge’s at Alys Beach: Keep in mind they are closed 3-5pm
- The Meltdown (Seaside): gourmet grilled cheese, Scotts Fave!
- Barefoot Barbecue (Seaside)
- Bud & Alys Pizza Bar & Trattoria (Seaside)
- Citizen (Alys)
- Bud & Alley’s Taco Bar (Seaside)
- The Shrimp Shack (Seaside)
- Pickles (Seaside): Burgers, chicken tenders, shakes, etc.
Dinner:
- Old Florida Fish House (Santa Rosa): Our fave! Food is delish & they have lots of fun activities for the kids (corn hole, ping pong)
- Pizza by the Sea (multiple locations): we usually get pizza our first night because its easy after a day of travel
- Angelina’s (Santa Rosa): the BEST Italian! I love their calzones!
- The Great Southern Cafe (Seaside): a must! EVERYTHING is good, but they are known for their mojitos and grits; reservations open one week in advance
- Pescado (Rosemary): fancy, literally can never get a reservation here haha!
- LaCo (Rosemary) upscale Mexcian
- Seaside had a ton of walk-up vendors too, really cant go wrong there & no reservation required!
- Surfing Deer (Santa Rosa): fancy, so good!
- The Hub: great place to bring the kids – multiple food vendors + they have movie nights!
WHAT TO DO
- Pool Day
- Beach Day
- Shopping: we love Seaside & Rosemary! Lots of cute little stores – clothing, kids toys, etc. Duckie’s, Bump & Baby and Cabana is Seaside + Gigi’s and Rosemary Beach Collection. As a side note, the outlets in Destin are about 30ish minutes away if you want to do that!
- Bonfire on the beach: we used the Light Me Up 30A
- Rock Paper Scissors 30A: you can walk in & do an art project! So fun for kids on a rainy day!
As far as what to do while you are there, obviously going to the beach is the main activity. We would drive to the Seaside town center, park, and use the beach access there. It is perfect because there are a ton of restaurants around, so whenever you are hungry/thirsty you can go grab something! We brought our own umbrellas, but one day we forgot and paid for umbrellas and chairs. We went through a company called Cabana-Man (they just had a little setup on the beach) and it was $60 for one large umbrella and two chairs for the whole day.
If a beach isn’t your thing, there are plenty of pools and shopping! Destin also has a huge outlet mall, so you could always drive over for a full day of shopping too!
I hope this travel guide is helpful for those of you planning a trip to the area! 30A is definitely my favorite place to go in Florida now and I cannot wait to go back!
As always, thank you for reading! -A
Thanks so much for sharing!!!! My family and I love to go to Destin every year and it is absolutely beautiful but this sounds and looks like a lovely place! We will have to keep it in mind!
Yes, definitely look into it!