Beach Vacay on 30A

Life is filled with many different seasons and our vacation 2021 proved to be another new season of life. We told our 15 year old and our 14 year old they could each invite a friend with us on our vacation. So enters the season of young adulthood. I remember as a teen thinking that inviting a friend to summer vacation meant you were practically grown. Our crew plus two made it to my favorite beach local…Highway 30A.

Jeff and I were introduced to 30A around 2010. Our first 30A trip was spent at Grayton Beach State Park. 30A is a collection of seaside communities that focuses on small town feels with beautiful architcture that can all be reached by bicycle. The communities included are: Grayton Beach, Watercolor, Seaside, Seagrove, Watersound, Seacrest, Alys Beach, and Rosemary Beach.

While I feel there are a variety of activities to participate in and reasons to fall in love with the communities of 30A, I will readily admit that its popularity has greatly increased over the last few years. Grayton Beach and its tiny spot on the map, remains my favorite 30A community.

Due to its popularity, booking a stay on 30A early is important in securing the best deal. I enjoy staying in a private house or small condo while at the beach. Vacation Rental By Owner (VRBO) has been our best rental route when traveling. AirBnB is another vacation rental site along with one that I have just been introduced to, Vacasa. I do not have any experience with Vacasa. My best tip for booking through these sites? READ THE REVIEWS – and not just the first three. I have found great information about a property, whether good or bad from the reviews. Our July 2021 trip was booked in January 2021. We stayed in the Beachwood Villas in Seagrove, Florida.

Activities abound on 30A with a wide range of prices. For my crew, budget friendly activities make my heart happy. I like to sprinkle free activities throughout our vacation week. The beauty of this Florida shoreline is hard to beat. Emerald waters and white sands make for a beautiful landscape. Walks along the beach, sitting and laying out by the water, and crab hunting at night provides lots of squeals of delight, laughter, and relaxation. Crab hunting provides squeals of terror and delight! One of my favorite activities? Bike rides. All 30A communities are connected by bike and/or walking trails. You can bike for hours if you want. You can bike to eat, bike to the grocery store, or simple bike to ramble. During the summer months, each 30A community provides free activities: children’s theater, family movie nights, and live music. 30a.com is a great resource for calendar events.

When looking to spend some money, Baytowne Wharf in Sandestin is a fun location. It hosts a wealth of shops, activities, and restaurants to enjoy. One night of our recent vacation was spent at the Gran Maze in the Coconut Creek Family Fun park. While the maze did not take long for our teenagers to navigate, we had LOTS of fun and laughs here!

Food makes any vacation better. In keeping with a relatively budget friendly meal plan, we alternated between eating at our condo and going out to eat. Rosemary Beach’s Farmer’s Market provides a wealth of vendors who have wonderfully yummy food! It’s Tamale Time! has been a fan favorite with our family for a couple of years now. We’ve cooked these tamales for two different beach vacations and they are amazing. We did not get them this time, but Alligator Pear chips are really good! For this trip, we got some super tasty jalapeno and cilantro hummus from a vendor at the market but I have totally forgotten the name. This makes me upset because the hummus was so good. Goatfeathers Seafood Market steamed large shrimp to go along with the corn and potatoes we boiled to complete our shrimp boil one night. Honestly, some nights after being out at the beach all day, we simply ate frozen pizza and cheese bread. One of my best decisions I made for this trip was to order our groceries and sundries via Walmart Grocery Pickup from a Walmart near our vacation rental. The key is to place the order 5-7 days BEFORE your arrival date to ensure the day and time are available for grocery pickup. These time slots fill up quickly, so plan ahead!

As far as eating out, Seaside has a variety of restaurants and eateries surrounding its amphitheater. We like Pickles, a little burger, fries, and shake joint and the cool Modica Market. The market is a grocery store that is quirky and has everything you could want for a quick meal. Order a sandwich and a huge slice of cake to eat while watching a play at Seaside’s Amphitheater. The Hub at 30A is located between Watersound and Seacrest. This is another one-stop-shop for all things fun. A variety of shops and eateries surround a fun green space which boasts a large screen in the center. Family Movie Nights are hosted here throughout the summer. Our party of 7 chose supper from: Duos All American Eats; Local Smoke: Southern Pride BBQ; and Hooked: Sea to Table. There are a few more restaurants on site to choose from.

So much variety in such an easily-accessible environment makes 30A my beach destination of choice! Did I miss anything? Comment below with any questions or tips you would want to include in your trip to 30A.