My wife and I, with our 1- and 3-year olds, are renting a house in WaterColor/Seaside the first week of August. We’ve never been before. Anyone have recs for restaurants, things to do, things not to do, etc.? We’ll have a car.
Was just there, Ryan. We go from time to time as the Panhandle has some of the prettiest beaches in America. Powder white sands, crystal clear water. Perfect for kids as rarely is the surf rough. With kids that age, seems like you will be down on the beach more than anything else. Just enjoy that time. Keep in mind that it is damn hot right now so bring very light clothing and lots of sun block.
Seaside and Rosemary Beach are gorgeous examples of New Urbanism designed by world-reknown architects Andreas Duany and Liz Playter-Zyberk. Rent some bikes with the carriages and roll around checking out the architecture and planning. Browse the shops, hit some wine bars and quaint restaurants. It’s crowded now, so reservations at the better restaurants are recommended.
Enjoy!
Ryan-
+1 to what Robert says.
We just got back as well and have been a dozen times in past six or seven years with my now-teenage kids.
30A is a great stretch of family-friendly communities and some of the best beaches anywhere.
It’s even better as kids get older as they hop on bikes and can be very independent.
Bike trails run for miles along 30 A, you can easily bike from Seaside to Watercolor-Alys Beach-Rosemary Beach.
As Robert said, definitely check out Alys Beach and Rosemary, a bit Disney-ish, but pretty little communities. They filmed the Truman Show in Rosemary.
Restaurants are really hit and miss, very touristy and overpriced, etc.
That being said:
Seaside proper has numerous food trucks and shacks on the promenade and beach. With kids, this can be perfect. Shrimp Shack is solid. As is the Grilled Cheese truck.
Hurricanes Oyster Bar in Grayton Beach (low-brow, kid friendly)
Great Southern Cafe in Seaside can be very good.
George’s in Alys Beach (bit more upscale)
Edwards in Rosemary Beach. (same as George’s)
If you are in a house and up for it, go to Goatfeathers seafood shop in Seagrove for the best fresh fish and shrimp and cook-in (my fave food thing when I’m in town)
Wine-Always last thing on my mind when I’m there. I bring my own. Though, Modica market in Seaside has decent wine/beer selection, as does Chan’s Wine World in Destin (20 min drive).
As Robert said, prepare yourself. It is HOT there now. And I live in the south. Edit: Never mind, you’re from Houston, you’ll be fine ![[wow.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/7/7d450e9830889c8943b674446a21b7254cad657e.gif "wow"){kind=small}
Enjoy!
George’s in
Been going down there for 20 years. We used to stay in Destin but the last 10 years have been staying in Rosemary beach. It’s everything Dennis and Robert wrote above. The food scene has definitely improved a lot over the last decade. I’d recommend any of:
Cafe 30A
George’s in Alys Beach (my favourite with some pretty eclectic menu items but invariably delicious and quite light in comparison with what I usually see in the US)
Bud & Alleys in Seaside
Stinkys fish camp
La Crema (more casual tapas place in Rosemary beach and a nice break from the usual menus - great chocolate fondue desserts!)
Havana Beach in the Pearl Hotel in Rosemary Beach
For a greasy breakfast you can try one of the donut holes either on the way to Destin or PCB. For an even greasier, down and dirty fish shack, the locals like Dewey’s just by the East Pass bridge in Destin. I wasn’t a fan and wouldn’t recommend driving out there just for that but if you’re out there and just fancy some fish you may want to try it out. In terms of fish more generally, I wouldn’t bother with any of the places there like backyard porch etc etc. All pretty grim.
In terms of stuff to do, you may be quite restricted with 1 and 3 year olds in tow but walking around seaside (where Truman show was filmed) and Rosemary beach in the evening is lovely. There’s often an outdoor movie or theatre show at night.
The Hub on 30A at Watersound is a lot of fun now as well. They often have excellent live music and it’s just a nice place to go and eat from a range of different places outside.
If you get a rainy day and/or just fancy a day away from the beach/pool, there’s a large and nice outdoor factory mall on the eastern edge of Destin (Sandestin) called Silver Sands. All the big name brands there and prices are very good! You could stop off for an early dinner on the way back at either Seagars in the Hilton Sandestin resort (not been for years so can’t comment) or the ocean club just at the entrance to the tops’l resort next to the Hilton. Ocean Club is a bit dull inside but the food is actually pretty good, especially the fish of the day which is always grouper almandine! Of course, the real reason for you to suggest going there is that opposite silver sands are chan’s wine world and vintij wine boutique/bistro which are the two best places to get wine and cheese/charcuterie in the area! If you do go the other direction towards PCB, then check out the carousel supermarket for its wine selection. It’s in a pretty grubby area and it’s not very salubrious itself but it has a surprisingly good selection with the high end stuff in a locked cellar that they’ll open for you.
Any questions, fire away!
I love what these guys have written and this list of restaurants from Dan. I love Stinky’s for a casual fish meal. 30A is still solid. Georges is supposed to be the best I don’t have a lot of personal experience. You will have a great time. Some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.
We go to Seagrove (just east of Seaside) about 4 times per year and have done so for 25 years.
A word about travel times. While the miles may seem short, traffic on 98 can back up very quickly. Also Seaside causes a good bit of congestion. For groceries you have a nice market (Modeca) in Seaside and just west of Seaside there is a Publix about a mile north of 30A.
Renting bikes and Kayaks is a lot of fun if you don’t mind peddling with the kids on the back. Lot’s of cutesy shops in Seaside and a great Lily store in Watercolor. As mentioned the outlet stores are good bet on a rainy day, and Destin commons has lots of chain food and stores.
If you’re like us, when we travelled with the young kids, we always ate early. Almost all of the restaurants have some type of happy hour or two for one early bird special. We take advantage of them, have a nice dinner with the family, get the kids fed and in bed and have quiet time.
We eat at Restaurant thirty-a every time we go. Corkage is $20 or so, but sometimes they waive it depending on how long the server has been there. We’ve taken the kids since they were about 4 months old. Probably been 150 times over the years. May seem improbably but the steak is outstanding as are the scallops. Pizza’s are good too. I usually try to stick with the Floribean style food.
Restaurants in Seaside. I highly recommend Great Southern. They know how to make a cocktail and don’t take reservations. Most things are really well made with the exception of the Oyster’s Rockefeller. The wine bar in Seaside is good as well. They do Paella on Thursdays I think. The BBQ trailer is quite good. I’ll never understand why folks stand in line for Grill Cheese sandwiches but they do. The ice cream place off the square is good and the line moves quickly.
The Pizza place is good, the taco place tasty but pricey. The sunset view at Bud and Alleys can’t be beat but the food is only above average and the service a bit rushed.
723 Whiskey Bravo is good and a relative bargain.
Cowgirl kitchen is a great breakfast spot with specials on bloody mary’s early in the AM. It isn’t on the menu, but you can get the pulled pork on top of the cheese grits which is killer.
We like Basmati which is a short drive west of you on 30A.
The new Gastropub is just opening and have not tried it yet, the restaurant previous to it was outstanding hated to see it go.
Donut Hole fills up quickly and the line can seem forever, but moves relatively quickly. You can get the donuts and pies to go and you don’t have to stand in line to get them.
You can go into Destin and rent a pontoon boat and hang out at Crab Island. Might be a little tough with really young kids though.
In the Red Bar complex is a kind of Tapas place Chiringo http://chiringograyton.com that my niece reviewed favorably a couple of weeks ago. Here is her blog. Probably Polka Dots
New place in Destin just opened by a guy from over here: Panini Pete. Great pressed sandwiches and Beignets.
Avoid Georges at Alys beach. Here is my most recent review: http://www.yelp.com/biz/georges-at-alys-beach-alys-beach?hrid
Any specific questions let me know.
These responses are excellent and so helpful – thank you!
If you are driving from Houston I can help with some sights and eats along I-10 as well.
Be forewarned that the Wallace tunnel eastbound is prone to multi-hour backups starting about 2 pm on Fridays. Backs up around 4 pm weekdays. There are ways around it depending on time of day.
Very helpful advice. We’re driving from Houston but stopping in NOLA on Friday night, then resuming on Saturday. Check-in is at 4pm on Saturday. If you have any tips for avoiding traffic, I’m all ears!
Right on, Milton. Went to Whiskey Bravo for the first time a few weeks back. Great views from the upstairs deck.
Go to Charlie’s Donut Truck in Alys Beach! Better than Donut hole!
Good spot to stop for lunch is the Causeway. It gets you on the other side of the tunnel and off the Bayway. You can hop back on the Interstate at the Spanish Fort exit. Three recommended spots on Causeway, Original Oyster House, Felix’s Fish Camp and Ed’s Seafood Shed. All family friendly.
Getting through Mobile and the tunnels. We have two tunnels and one bridge to get you to the eastern shore. The old tunnel (Bankhead) takes you from Government St (highway 90) under the river and puts you on the causeway. Until about 4 this is the preferred way to go if there is any hint of a backup. Use Waze or hit one of the local TV stations to look at the traffic cams. If you leave New Orleans by 10 I would say your chances are pretty good to stay on 10 through the new tunnels (wallace). Once through the tunnel you can drop down to the causeway to eat or look at the Battleship (used in bunches of movies, Under Siege, USS Indianopolis etc.) The 5 Rivers area is also pretty amazing. Known as America’s Amazon (http://americasamazon.net) the Mobile-Tensaw delta is the most biologically diverse area in North America.
Avoiding beach traffic. Even though the drive on 98 is nice the summer congestion is fierce. So I stay on 10 until 331. There is construction going on, but traffic tends to move pretty well. This puts you on 98 east of Sandestin and just west of Watercolor. Follow the signs to get you down to 30A.
I don’t like the Middle Bay bridge route, unless you want to hit Destin Commons or something.
If you want to do lunch in Pensacola, Jerry’s drive in is worth the detour and can be combined with a stop by Joe Patti Seafood. Most of the folks in there are from your neck of the woods filling coolers with shrimp for their beach vacation.
If you want the most scenic route, get off I-10 and pick up 98 in Pensacola, driving across Pensacola Bay through Navarre (where they filmed Jaws) and through all the little towns along the beach. You’re never more than a few hundred yards from the Gulf. Duck when you pass Hurlburt as you never can tell when a Spectre gunship will be landing. You will also see Osprey’s and lots of other cool stuff practicing along the beach. When you cross over the Destin bridge you will see the party at Crab Island and the prettiest green water you will ever see. There is an outpost of the Donut Hole just east of the bridge. From there nothing but sand and water on both sides of the highway for miles. Then all the outlet shops, strip centers etc. until you pass Sandestin. From there it is all pine trees until you drop down to 30A.
Minor correction, Truman Show was done in Seaside.
Oh, got me. And Modica was in, didn’t realize that.
Definitely avoid the mid bay bridge route on a Saturday in peak season as it’ll be a parking lot the whole way.
Milton - sorry you had a bad time at George’s. Haven’t been there since last summer but it was really great then, finally overtaking our perennial favourite, cafe 30A. Agree with your rec on the steak at 30A though the quail and grits as a starter is superb too.
Georges is a place I want to like. I have only had one meal there that came close to the menu’s promise. I normally wouldn’t write such negative review, but the circumstances were so egregious just felt compelled. We’re still waiting to hear from the restaurant after multiple promises to contact us etc. It just became obvious particularly after seeing other reviews that they were strictly in it for the tourist dollar. With limited choices particularly on that stretch of 30a they don’t have to put forth a top tier effort every night.
At Thirty A I get the Carpaccio a bunch as an app since I have such a problem with cooked beef, particularly filet. Had the Tuna Poke last time and it was great. My wife never skips the Oyster and Spinach salad. Tried unsuccessfully the last few years to get them to bring back the red curry seafood appetizer. If I were there tonight I would definitely get the triple tail, one of the top 5 GOM fishes to eat.
God the sins I used to commit there.
Ok, now you’ve got everyone’s attention. Where, when? Always seemed like the most family friendly and least sinful place around!
Folks in the Klanhandle might take you literally.
Don’t worry, all my outlaws will be packing…
There was a time when this was not the way. Santa Rosa Beach was the town, Seaside a pastel strip (with Bud & Alley’s) and Seagrove but a collection of rundown condos, trailers and ne’re-do-wells. I was a pirate, not quite looking at forty.