Florida is known for its many beaches, with most travelers flocking to southern spots like Miami or The Keys to escape New York winters, or heading inland for the amusement parks in Orlando. Yet many have never been to, nor heard of, South Walton.
It’s no wonder, as many of the 16 tiny beach towns that make up South Walton, like Rosemary Beach, have signs stating “Established in 1995.” This is nouveau beach chic at its best.
Highway 30, or 30A as it is locally known, ties the 16 towns in this Florida Panhandle region together and is one of the state’s most scenic drives. I wondered how these tony towns, in northwest Florida’s Walton County, along the pristine, 26-mile string of beaches, slipped through the travel tracks.
Rosemary Beach alone is reason enough to visit South Walton. And the 16 towns together make a visit mandatory, as no two towns are alike. One thing they do have in common is the shared Gulf of Mexico coast.
It was dusky so there was just enough light to take in the elusive charm of Rosemary Beach. The Euro overtones throughout the village-like vibe were a definitive nod to New Orleans.
Classic cocktails at The Pearl hotel’s Havana Beach Bar & Grill set the sexy tone, along with the evocative black-and-white photography that would make Ernest Hemingway feel at home.
The 55-room ultra-luxe beach hotel had all of its large glass restaurant doors wide open. The ambient music was complemented by the sound of relaxed locals and a beautiful beach breeze that wafting in.
The Pearl is no place to count calories, but it’s a great place for romance, relaxation and rooftop cocktails before or after spa treatments. Most rooms boast a Hollywood Regency design. The beach and village view of the Gulf and Main Street from the Pearl Suite’s clock tower left me wondering how had I never heard of this hotel, let alone the sleek and sexy beach town of Rosemary below.
YOU MUST VISIT SOUTH WALTON
Kayakers go exploring in Fort Walton Beach.
You are well aware when you leave one South Walton town and pop into another, as the design difference is drastic. You go from stark white modern Mediterranean, to an about-face presentation of pale painted beach bungalows, then homes bursting with bright Caribbean colors. Aesthetically, each town has it’s own architectural angle, appeal, feel, followers and reason to visit.
Start your walkabout in Central South Walton in Grayton Beach. It is one of the longest established towns, set almost in the middle of the string of 16. It’s also the best place to get your art on. The laid-back, hippie kitsch, arty ambiance is home to the Grayton Artists Collective. They feature several art exhibits, galleries and an impressive and eclectic mix of mediums and artists. Modus Photography’s expansive prints on large pieces of reclaimed metal and wood are breathtaking and quite expensive.
The next town of WaterColor is like the Hamptons, sans the scene. The award-winning, 60-room WaterColor Inn & Resort is in nearby Santa Rosa Beach. As the only AAA Four Diamond Resort in South Walton, it is tres chic. The property’s 499 acres are nestled between a rare coastal dune lake and equally rare longleaf pine forest.
The WaterColor Inn is a sunset and cocktail spot, a beach breakfast of French toast on fluffy challah stop, and the perfect place for big beachy “I do’s.” It’s also a good place for spotting famous faces from Hollywood, Nashville and ESPN.
WaterColor’s neighbor Seaside Beach feels like the heart, soul and hub of South Walton. Founded in 1982, one of the first of its kind in the New Urbanism movement or community planning, this modern-day Mayberry is always abuzz and full of surprises.
Individuality is enforced in Seaside, as no two early-1900 Florida homes nor Southern antebellum designed houses on the same street, can have the same picket fence. The town plays host to many a character and wows with a large amphitheater, a repertory company, an eclectic coffee shop and Airstream Row — a set of trailers selling food.
Airstream Row’s five vendors — The Meltdown’s many grilled cheeses, Barefoot BBQ’s brisket, Wild Bill’s Beach Dog sans hormones and antibiotics, Raw & Juicy’s vegan options, and Frost Bites’ shaved ice-reflect the local, Gulf and farm-to-table fare.
There are plenty of ways to work off overindulgences in South Walton. As one of Florida’s greenest regions, 40% of Walton’s land is preserved. There are five state-owned parks, preserves and forests, which make for a pristine, yet wild and lush coastline.
The stately Pearl Hotel in Rosemary Beach is super friendly and fun.
The region is also home to 15 coastal dune lakes, longleaf pines, sea-oat-covered dunes, wetlands, marshes and the two highest points in the state of Florida. This is anything but your average beach.
Getting out and enjoying the wild biodiversity is quite common for locals and tourists seeking beach adventures. Horseback riding, kayaking, canoeing and standup paddling are seen throughout the region.
If you prefer a more laid-back approach to your activity, take in the beauty, architecture and character of each town casually on foot, or by bike. The paved path throughout the 26-mile stretch of beach is your bike’s personal 30A.
Wild Bill's Beach Dogs on Airstream Row in Seaside is a funky place to grab a bite.
Maybe that’s why Walton County has surged onto the national radar, being ranked the No. 1 beach destination in Florida thanks to $183 million spent on accommodations there this past June and July. And Santa Rosa Beach was named to Travel + Leisure’s America’s Favorite Towns 2014 list.
So go while the small-town allure is still alive and thriving.
http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/south-walton-unheralded-florida-gem-article-1.2039831?cid=bitly
