Episode 6: 30A Travel Guide

We both frequently get questions about 30A--Everything from what it is to where to stay, eat, and explore. In this episode, we cover it all! We share local favorites (including a few of our own) and pack as much insight as possible about these charming beachside towns that make up "30A" into a 34-minute conversation. 

We’ve also written a blog post all about 30A if you’d like to dive deeper. You can check it out here: https://www.beachpeopleproperties.com/local-guide

Thanks for listening & God Bless! 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hey friends, welcome back to the Hand Tiger Home podcast, episode number six. Uh episode five was me solo talking about real estate investing. And while I had a blast doing that, I'm really excited to have Hannah back in the studio with me. And by studio, I mean our uh office that we share in our home. So welcome back, Hannah.

SPEAKER_01 0:18

Well, we don't really share our office very well. It's like 90% mine. If you walked in here right now, I have installed in like 10 days. So I've got artwork and pillowcases and curtains and picture frames, and then on the other half, I've got samples laid out literally everywhere. So this is kind of my domain. But I let Ty come visit.

SPEAKER_00 0:39

I applaud your honesty. It really is a 90-10 office.

SPEAKER_01 0:42

I think we are already outgrowing this office. We are so excited to have a separate office, and it is like office.

SPEAKER_00 0:48

To be fair, it's like a 10 by 8 room. Stored with cabinets. So it's it's teeny. But today we're coming back with an episode on a topic that we talk about all the time or get asked about, I should say, all the time. What to do in 30A. So we're calling this 30A travel guide.

SPEAKER_01 1:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:05

Is that right?

SPEAKER_01 1:05

Yep. We have a travel guide on our website, the Beach People Properties website. There's a travel guide there with a little graphic of the area where our favorite restaurants are. But we thought this would be a great platform to kind of dive a little bit deeper and tell you everything you need to know before you come visit. So if you are happening on a flight or you are packing up for a road trip, give us a listen and we'll tell you what not to miss.

SPEAKER_00 1:28

Absolutely. So we broke it down into a couple different categories and we thought we would start talking about the towns. People get very confused. And a question we get sometimes from people is what is 30A? Do you want to start there?

SPEAKER_01 1:39

Yes. I when we started visiting, it took me a while to wrap my head around it and understand the layout of the area and what it was. So 30A, which if you were searching on Google Maps or you were looking for an Airbnb, you would type in Santa Rosa Beach or Inlet Beach. Those are the two cities that 30A runs through. So 30A is a county road that runs along the ocean with a bunch of little towns sprinkled. I think it's like 20 miles, maybe 24.

SPEAKER_00 2:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:10

24 miles. Um, these little towns are sprinkled along that road. So that is how the area got its name, 30A, is County Highway 30A.

SPEAKER_00 2:19

Yeah, it's funny because I grew up obviously spending time here my whole life. I never really thought about it. Like it's named, it's a number. It's a road, it's a county highway, like you said. It's it's kind of funny.

SPEAKER_01 2:29

Yeah, like you grew up saying 30A, but no one who's never heard of it or heard of it. It's kind of like, what?

SPEAKER_00 2:34

Yeah, well, when people would ask me, I thought, well, it's strange they're asking. Duh, it's in Florida, but now I I totally understand it.

SPEAKER_01 2:40

So we'll go through the towns, then we'll talk about activities, restaurants, and then where to stay. If you haven't realized by now, most of our podcasts are constructed in bullet points and lists because that's very much Thai and I'd both of our personalities kind of operate with that function. So the towns will start east to west. And Ty, why don't you go ahead and start?

SPEAKER_00 3:01

Cool. So right off 30A, we'll start there, technically, right? Is Pan is and technically it's a Panama City Beach mailing address would be Carolon Beach, which is the neighborhood that we once lived in.

SPEAKER_01 3:10

And this is a community a lot of people don't talk about. It's kind of off CR. So 30A is sandwiched right between Panama City Beach and Destin. So a lot of people, like if you're from the Midwest, you've probably heard of PCB or Destin, but maybe not of 30A. So Panama City Beach butts right up to 30A. And there is a little community just outside of 30A that we personally love called Caroline Beach.

SPEAKER_00 3:35

Yes. So that is the neighborhood we once lived in, and I came to my whole life. It's about 400 houses. It's a mile of private beach. So it's one of the quietest towns we're going to mention by far, quietest beaches. It's a place where you can always get a spot. You can bring the whole family and get a spot, regardless if it's spring break or something.

SPEAKER_01 3:52

If you're staying there, because it's a it is a private house.

SPEAKER_00 3:54

Correct, it is private. Um, but there are lots of houses. I think 40% of the houses in there are rentals. Um, so there are plenty of houses. There are condos in the front, even there's a kind of a pseudo-in uh as well. So tons of opportunities at varying sizes and price points to get into Carolina Beach.

SPEAKER_01 4:09

So it's not as much a town you would just go spend an afternoon like rosemary or seaside, but it is a great place to stay.

SPEAKER_00 4:16

Right.

SPEAKER_01 4:16

Um, and there is a little downtown with a couple eateries. We'll highlight one of them when we get to the restaurants.

SPEAKER_00 4:21

So that downtown area, so to speak, and the whole neighborhood were designed by a renowned New Orleans architect. And he brought a really cool flavor. He brought pastel, which is a word I could never say for some reason. Pestel. Pastel. I don't know why I can never say it. Um, big porches and sort of that Charleston slash New Orleans vibe to the community.

SPEAKER_01 4:39

So that's kind of the whole vibe of Carolina. It's like Charleston, New Orleans, very southern.

SPEAKER_00 4:44

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 4:45

Um, lots of palm trees.

SPEAKER_00 4:48

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 4:49

You have to say Port Sitten.

SPEAKER_00 4:51

You gotta Caroline requires a little extra southern.

SPEAKER_01 4:54

Yes, that's right.

SPEAKER_00 4:54

For sure.

SPEAKER_01 4:55

Okay, so moving to the next town west, which would be about two miles from Caroline, is Rosemary Beach.

SPEAKER_00 5:01

So Rosemary is gonna be the first neighborhood on 30A. And there's a big thing with locals about saying on versus in 30A. You wanna jump on that? Because it's not a town. Yes, that's right.

SPEAKER_01 5:15

And definitely don't say it on Instagram. It is on 30A. They will come for you. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 5:21

So Rosemary started in 1985 and it was inspired by the West Indies, the Dutch West Indies, and has obviously a very European feel.

SPEAKER_01 5:30

So the cobblestone roads, lots of gas lanterns, again, great porches. It is so cozy. It's such a unique environment. There's also these boardwalks that run through the neighborhood. Um, the landscaping is very intentional, and you'll found find that along all of the communities on 30A. So lots of oak trees, obviously, rosemary. The just even the color scheme is different.

SPEAKER_00 5:53

Yeah, it's not conventionally beachy. It's not light and brighter pastel colors. There's definitely darker tones, and that European influence is heavy.

SPEAKER_01 6:00

And Rosemary has a great downtown, lots of good restaurants, great little coffee shop, great shopping. And then there's also a farmer's market on Sunday mornings that is really popular.

SPEAKER_00 6:10

So just one mile or maybe even less down the road from Rosemary, you will find the unbelievable Alice Beach neighborhood.

SPEAKER_01 6:17

Yeah, Alice Beach is gonna blow your socks off if you haven't been yet.

SPEAKER_00 6:19

It is saying blow your socks off.

SPEAKER_01 6:21

Yes. Oh, I've heard that. Have you ever heard that before?

SPEAKER_00 6:24

No.

SPEAKER_01 6:24

Wow, you live under a rock. Um, have you heard that one before? So Alice Beach, think Greece, think Mediterranean. All of the buildings are white. It's very curated. All of the communities along 30A are curated, but Alice Beach, I would say, is the curated steroids. Yes, it is influencer haven.

SPEAKER_00 6:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:46

So that is where you're gonna go take your photos and your selfies. No one's gonna judge you because everybody else is taking their selfies there. It's a place, it's a very photogenic place. It's beautiful.

SPEAKER_00 6:57

And it's probably uh did you tag on this kind of the bougiest. I mean, this is a bougie area, but Alice is top.

SPEAKER_01 7:03

Yeah, you've got an aloe there, you've got Oku, they just put in. Um, so the shops are very high-end, and it's just a fun posh place to visit.

SPEAKER_00 7:12

There's almost nowhere like it. You know, it's like Rosemary Beach, we'll talk about this later, and Caroline. They have some similarities and seaside some similarities. Alice is its own animal.

SPEAKER_01 7:21

It is, it's so unique. Um, and there's also a really big green space right in the middle of it. So even though it is high-end, it's also very family friendly. Yeah. So lots of kids running around and throwing a football and grabbing a casual bite to eat.

SPEAKER_00 7:35

Okay, next we'll talk about the one that started it all when it was just scrub brush and nothingness here. Seaside.

SPEAKER_01 7:42

Yes. If you have seen the Truman show, um, that is where that was filmed. So it's a again, a very curated town. And if you haven't watched a movie, I would give you some homework and say, watch it before you come or watch it while you're here, even if you're fun. We watched it so many times our first year living here, because everybody who visited, we would watch it. And now I don't think I can watch it again. One, because we've seen it too many times. Two, because I'm starting to feel like we live in the Truman Show, but that's a whole nother podcast. Um, anyway, how would you describe Seaside? Very cottagey paint.

SPEAKER_00 8:14

Yeah. So Seaside, like I said, it's the original, started in the early 80s, and it's designed as new urbanism, uh, and new urbanists, I should say, in design, where the idea was that you wouldn't have to own a car to get around theoretically. So they put in a school and a grocery store and restaurants, and that was really the idea that you'd go by bike or foot, and uh it's a really beautiful idea, though obviously that's changed a lot and evolved over time.

SPEAKER_01 8:40

Yeah, there's like a darling little market called Motica Market. Um, it is the same market that is in that movie, and it looks pretty much identical as to how it did in the movie. And it's just this teeny tiny grocery store. It's still family-owned, and again, it's just very quaint, very sweet. There is Airstream Row, which is a bunch of airstreams with little different eateries, which is great for families because you can go and all pick something different, and then there's a green space where kids just run around and go crazy.

SPEAKER_00 9:08

Yeah, I think one of the cool parts I'll highlight about Seaside is it's not the mega mansion part of 30A. Um, like Alice Beach, you're talking most of these houses are substantial, and Rosemary has kind of small, medium, and large houses, but Seaside has a lot of cottages, as Hannah said out, and they're quaint and they're cozy. And you walk back in there and they also cobbled roads. Um, and it it feels like yesteryear in a really fun way.

SPEAKER_01 9:30

Yeah, yeah. Some of the houses are kind of like gingerbread inspired, I would say. Um, like a lot of lattice, a lot of pastel colors, and it is very sweet. It does get pretty busy. It's probably the busiest town, especially spring break and summer. Um, we personally love it in the winter, especially Christmas. They just oh, they have so many Christmas trees. They have like live Christmas concerts on the green, and it is absolutely magical. Definitely my favorite memories living on 30A are probably Christmas in Seaside.

SPEAKER_00 10:01

Many of these communities are family friendly, but I would say the most family-oriented is Seaside.

SPEAKER_01 10:06

Yeah, very, very kid friendly. Like we said, big green space, toy stores, kind of some food that is more catered to kids, and our kids love it. I would say kid friendly in the way that kids love it, but also if you have toddlers, they like we can't drive through it without them being like seaside, seaside, let's get out, let's run around in the green. So they've intentionally avoided it.

SPEAKER_00 10:28

Yes, at times.

SPEAKER_01 10:30

They really, really love it.

SPEAKER_00 10:31

So let's move on to the eclectic artsy community of we hit watercolor first. Oh, I'm sorry, yeah, I skipped it.

SPEAKER_01 10:37

So watercolor is right next to Seaside. And watercolor doesn't have much of a downtown. There's a couple little eateries and um a little green space, but it's not as much of a downtown as some of these other guns.

SPEAKER_00 10:51

Yeah. However, I'll I'll tag on, it is very family-friendly and family-oriented too. Yes. They have an incredible, like, I guess you'd call it a park, a lazy river, they have multiple pools, um, basketball, tennis, I believe. They have a lot of cool amenities.

SPEAKER_01 11:05

Oh, yeah, definitely. Now that is intended for people who are staying there. Um, so if you're visiting, um, you know, you can check out the downtown and then also the great walking trails. So our favorite thing about watercolor is that there are so many areas to walk. There's trails, there's boardwalks. It never feels busy because it's so vast. It's the largest community along 30A. So there is plenty of space. It never really feels crowded, even in peak season. Um, and they also have a really great Christmas display.

SPEAKER_00 11:35

So true. All right. So moving on to the artistic eclectic community is Greaton Beach, just past watercolor. So Greaton is also kind of an OG. It's been here since the 80s. This is really interesting because it's kind of this microcosm where you have a lot of really tiny little old Florida cottages and newer, like mega mansions.

SPEAKER_01 11:54

Yeah. And it is very laid back. It's kind of known to be laid back, more like beach hippie culture. Um, it's small. There's a couple of restaurants, a couple of shops. It does have one of the prettiest, most unique beaches because it connects to the coastal Dune Lake.

SPEAKER_00 12:11

Right.

SPEAKER_01 12:11

Um, so it's a really pretty beach. And I think that's one thing that draws a lot of people in.

SPEAKER_00 12:16

It can also get quite crowded because it's also a beach that people who are coming from inland, like this towns of Freeport and Defuniac Springs, which are up the road 20 and 40 minutes, where it's the beach that most of them would come directly to.

SPEAKER_01 12:27

Because it's the closest to that area. There is a parking um area and a like a beach shuttle. Yeah. What is that off of 395? 283. 283.

SPEAKER_00 12:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:40

Um, so if you have trouble finding park in in Grayton, they do have that service.

SPEAKER_00 12:44

For sure. And for country music fans, Brian Kelly, who is a solo singer but is half a Florida Georgia line, he has a store there, he and his wife, and they also um they do concerts called the Surf Post Sessions regularly, which are pretty intimate and and seems super cool.

SPEAKER_01 12:59

Yeah, so definitely look that up when you are coming to town. And then there are other communities that aren't really conventional places to visit, but places to stay. And we'll talk about that when we get to where to rent. Um, but now we'll move on to activities. So obviously, visiting all the towns is a must. Going to the beach is obviously also a must. Um, but there is a lot of other things to do. So, for example, there are some really great state parks.

SPEAKER_00 13:24

Yeah, Great has its own state park that we just mentioned that's really well loved. Topsail is another one, so which is a little further west. Um, and then Eden Garden, which is one of my favorites because you get sort of that traditional southern flora. Um, the oak trees are absolutely mag majestic. The magnolia trees and that is on the bay.

SPEAKER_01 13:45

That is not a beach front state park.

SPEAKER_00 13:49

No.

SPEAKER_01 13:49

Um, it's on the bay, which is a body of water, maybe a 15-minute drive inland. Yeah. And it also has this large historic southern home on the property that I really love.

SPEAKER_00 14:00

And you can tour, I believe.

SPEAKER_01 14:01

Yeah, and you can tour it. Yep. So that is a great state park, Camp Helen State Park.

SPEAKER_00 14:05

Yeah. Um, and then that's great if you want to throw in a paddleboard or canoe. That's a really great place to do it because you can throw it right into uh Lake Powell there.

SPEAKER_01 14:12

Yes. And that was that's another activity, obviously, paddleboarding, um, kayaking or boating. Um, Shell Island and Crab Island are really popular. And that's a place where you can rent a boat and kind of just go um kind of anchor down.

SPEAKER_00 14:28

Yeah, like in the in the Midwest where we're from in northern Michigan, there's a lake up north called Torch Lake. There's another one, um, what's the other one? Glen Lake?

SPEAKER_01 14:34

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 14:35

Glen Lake, where people will go out and then it gets shallow and you can just throw your anchor in and kind of hang out, play music, goof around, whatever, swim. And that's what Shell Island would be here. It's really beautiful. It does get very busy, but at times, but it's um it's really pretty.

SPEAKER_01 14:48

Crystal clear turquoise water, just absolutely gorgeous.

SPEAKER_00 14:51

You'd think you're in the tropics, which is part of the obviously allure of living here and visiting here.

SPEAKER_01 14:56

Um, obviously, there's so many places to walk. The towns, the state parks. Um 30A has a along the whole entire thing, there is a bike path that you can walk and run and obviously bike. Biking is very popular here because you can grab an e-bike and really make it to all the towns back and forth. Obviously, spring break and summer, you want to be a little extra careful when you're biking because it does get a little bit uh busier, but it is a great town for biking.

SPEAKER_00 15:22

For sure. Um, I'd say too the shopping here activities has it has improved a lot over the years. When I was a kid, there were not many options. Um, and now there's Grand Boulevard, which is in technically in Sandastin, but it's maybe five minutes off, 30A, and that has all your Fayer tea, Lululemon, Vineyard Vines, I don't know what else it has. Lily Pulzer, all the high-end good stuff. Um, and then there's Pew Park and Panama City Beach, the other way which has your conventional staples like Target.

SPEAKER_01 15:48

Um and there's Silver Sands, which is the outlet mall. So you've got all of your outlets there. So if you've got a rainy day, there's definitely some shopping opportunities.

SPEAKER_00 15:56

It's funny because if you drive by that on a normal sunny day, it's like somewhat busy. You drive by on a rainy day, it is packed. Yes, it's the place to be in a rainy day. Also, of course, there's like just tons of boutique shopping. So if you're into that kind of thing, which a lot of folks who come here are, every little town we've mentioned has their own little flavor of boutique. And some have just a couple, like watercolor, Hannah mentioned just a couple, but like Seaside, Rosemary. Um, they have a ton, ton of great little shops.

SPEAKER_01 16:20

Yep, and art galleries and that kind of thing.

SPEAKER_00 16:22

For sure.

SPEAKER_01 16:24

Uh, Panama City Beach also just got a top golf. Yeah. And that's not far from 30A.

SPEAKER_00 16:29

I keep trying to get Hannah to go. She's not much of a golfer, but neither am I.

SPEAKER_01 16:32

Well, I just picture the kids like falling off of the Oh, yes.

SPEAKER_00 16:37

The yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:38

And then there's a new pirate experience. I don't remember what it's called.

SPEAKER_00 16:42

Pirates called Pirates Cove. I think it's by Dally Parton.

SPEAKER_01 16:45

Yeah, so that is like a tourist attraction. Um, you know, you drive by, it looks like a giant pirate environment. I haven't been, but people say it's really fun.

SPEAKER_00 16:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:53

Um, and then of course, mini golf and all those other touristy things. They've got a whole lot of that in Panam City Beach and Destin.

SPEAKER_00 17:00

I will say for golfers, there are not a ton of public golf courses down here.

SPEAKER_01 17:03

Right.

SPEAKER_00 17:03

So, like my uncle is an avid golfer, he comes down for the winter, he's retired, and he drives inland 20 to 30 minutes to find public golf courses.

SPEAKER_01 17:10

Yep, that's a good point. And then also, I think we forgot to mention fishing charters when we're talking about boating. And obviously that's a thing here as well.

SPEAKER_00 17:18

So now let's talk about restaurants because it is one thing I get asked frequently. Hannah is the influencer here. I'm not, but people get in my DMs asking me where to eat down here. You got the food and coffee recommendations from me.

SPEAKER_01 17:31

So now we don't really eat out very much since moving here. When we were tourists here, we would obviously eat out all week and go to all of our favorite places. And now living here, we just it's not sustainable to have like fried shrimp and grits every day. So we we just don't go out that much. Um, we generally eat pretty clean too at home. Like we've tried to cook from scratch and have changed our diet a lot since we moved here. For sure. But we will tell you what used to be our favorites, our current favorites, and then also just the the crowd favorites about town. So why don't we start again east to west? So we'll start in Caroline Beach. Cool. Yeah, where there is a great newer coffee shop called the Salty Bottle. It's coffee and wine.

SPEAKER_00 18:13

Yep, coffee and wine bar, salty bottle. Um, I like it because uh it's generally not overly busy. You can get a coffee even in peak season and a parking spot. Parking spot. Um, and it's right in downtown Caroline, quote unquote. And there's a lake rate behind there, so you can actually get your coffee and sit in the back patio and have water view.

SPEAKER_01 18:31

It's a very cozy environment. Um, they have like wine nights and little events here and there. They decked it out for Christmas. We used to walk there from our house because we lived in that community like all the time. So we don't go as much anymore, but that is a kind of a uh underrated, off the beaten factory, let's say secret little spot to check out.

SPEAKER_00 18:51

Two, they bought adjacent from them a place that they're gonna turn into a pizza place restaurant right there, right across the street. Um, it's not open yet, but I'm sure it would be great as well.

SPEAKER_01 19:00

So then moving a couple of miles towards Inlet Beach, you have 30 Avenue, which is a shopping and dining center. It has again a little green space and is very curated and cute. And there is Amici, which is one of my favorites. Yep. That is an Italian place. Great wood-fired pizzas, their happy hour, which I think is four to six, yeah, is ten dollar pizzas. So that's a great little hack. You have to go to get it. You can't get those to go.

SPEAKER_00 19:25

Yeah. Um, amigos right next door is Mexican, and people like that as well. That same shopping center has goat feathers, which is a seafood, which is really more to go.

SPEAKER_01 19:36

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 19:37

Um, and cuvet, which is more finer fine dining, but it's terrific. Uh, we don't do a ton of fine dining, which just isn't what he and I have done in our life that much. Um, but maybe because we have to like Couvet, though.

SPEAKER_01 19:49

But we've a good happy hour. And then Goat Feathers is they have like a to-go menu where they will prepare you a meal, but they also have just fresh seafood that you can buy raw and take home and cook.

SPEAKER_00 20:01

So in Rosemary, some of the favorites locally, I would say, where people like to visit and locals go to would be crema, which is like tapas.

SPEAKER_01 20:08

Very cozy environment.

SPEAKER_00 20:10

For sure. Um, it feels like to me, Spain. Maybe that's just because it's called Cremo. I think it's I think it's the English food. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:19

Um we haven't been there in a while, but we've loved that place.

SPEAKER_00 20:22

Yeah. Pescado, which is rooftop.

SPEAKER_01 20:25

About that place, we gotta go back there.

SPEAKER_00 20:26

Yeah, Pescado has incredible views of yeah. I mean, you can see all of Rosemary and the Gulf, which is incredible.

SPEAKER_01 20:31

Now, Pescado is no kids after one. So if you've got kids, go for brunch. Um, I really liked their brunch quite a lot. And then if you want to go on a date night or just with girlfriends, or if you're a guy and you have friends, um, it's a great place to like grab a drink and get an appetizer on the rooftop in the evening.

SPEAKER_00 20:51

Yeah, Galleons, which is right downtown Rosemary, is popular, relatively new, but popular software burger or some seafood. And then my favorite coffee shop, probably here as far as coffee quality is concerned, not necessarily vibe. Yeah, is uh Almavita. Almavita has has the most consistently good cold brew.

SPEAKER_01 21:09

Yes. And then moving to Alice Beach, first you have George's, and George's is very quaint, it's been around for a while. I would say it's like it's not super upscale, it's still kind of casual, but um, they've got great grouper, they've got a burger, and then they've got you know some more higher-end seafood.

SPEAKER_00 21:26

So seafood is their specialty, pretty much.

SPEAKER_01 21:29

And then you have citizen, which is new.

SPEAKER_00 21:31

We've never even been there.

SPEAKER_01 21:32

We haven't been there on their list. Um, we just haven't made it there.

SPEAKER_00 21:35

People rave about the brunch there as well.

SPEAKER_01 21:37

Yes. And they have, I mean, they serve every meal. Um, and it is a beautiful environment. It's upscale, it's wonderfully designed. And then Oku, they just put in as well, which is like upscale sushi.

SPEAKER_00 21:49

Yeah, the Oku, some of you will have heard of it because they have maybe about a dozen locations and it's cities, like I believe, like maybe Charleston, Miami, Nashville, maybe.

SPEAKER_01 21:58

And I've actually heard mixed reviews. They've been very passionate in both directions. So a lot of people have definitely raved about that place.

SPEAKER_00 22:05

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 22:06

Um Fawnville Press is a local favorite, and that is pretty casual. Um, coffee, cafe. It's right by the green space that I meant we mentioned earlier. So that's great if you want to grab breakfast sandwiches and a picnic blanket and bring your kids over to the green space and have a bite while they run around. We do that quite a lot.

SPEAKER_00 22:25

In the spirit of authenticity, this can be one of the busiest places on 30A. Yes. Like you can drive by there and there are a hundred people there and there's a 40-person line. So at full transparency, this can be a tough one to get into at times.

SPEAKER_01 22:36

And then Raw and Juicy is a block away from there. And we love Raw and Juicy. It is all organic. Yep. Um, it's kind of a smoothie shop and cafe. They actually just got a new chef and expanded their menu quite a lot. So they have a pretty extensive lunch and now dinner menu. And what we also love about it is they have a lot of indoor-outdoor seating. Um, and then they have a really great little kids' play area.

SPEAKER_00 23:02

Yeah, the vibe of Rowan Juicy is my favorite along with 38. It's very indoor-outdoor. Um, and they too have just taken a really special, just like Alice Beach, uh special amount of attention to the curation of the space. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:13

And especially the play space, the kids love it. Like it's so nice as a parent, especially to toddlers, to be able to grab some food and then have the kids be occupied and not try to keep them in their chairs inside a restaurant.

SPEAKER_00 23:26

So now as we progress from Alice, probably what, five miles down the road in technically Seagrove, it's Prima, which is my favorite restaurant. All organic uh smoothies, juices, the amazing chicken noodle soup in the winter. I don't know if they call it chicken noodle soup.

SPEAKER_01 23:40

It's like chicken quinoa, tumor.

SPEAKER_00 23:42

So good. Um, a fantastic egg sandwich that people love.

SPEAKER_01 23:46

The best customer service on 30A.

SPEAKER_00 23:48

Yes, the team there loves what they do, and and we've gotten to know them really well.

SPEAKER_01 23:52

And we've had a ride at when we don't go for a week, we go in and they're like, we haven't seen you guys in a long time. And it just makes me feel concerned that we go there way too much.

SPEAKER_00 24:02

We do go there a lot. Yeah, we do.

SPEAKER_01 24:03

So they have a menu and then they also have a lot of grab and grow go stuff. So you can grab some chicken salad.

SPEAKER_00 24:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:08

Um, I love their salads, I love their Saiy bowl. Obviously, Ty loves the soup. Yeah, it's just a great spot.

SPEAKER_00 24:14

It's a great spot. So definitely go to Prima, especially if you're into healthy eats. Um, as you move over to Seaside, Seaside and Grayton both have a black bear bread company, which is our kind of like unhealthy splurgy.

SPEAKER_01 24:25

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 24:25

Um, the the biscuits, I always say the most southern thing about our family is our love of biscuits, especially me and the kids. We adore the blackberry biscuits.

SPEAKER_01 24:33

Yeah, our diet is like all organic, grass-fed, like oil free. Palace oil free and biscuits. Lots of biscuits from Black Bear. Um, the Great In Beach location always has well, I shouldn't say always, but usually has parking, and that is just so cozy. Like if you're here on a rainy day, um, please don't go to Blackberry because that means that we won't be able to go because it's always busy on rainy days.

SPEAKER_00 24:54

Yeah, please don't go.

SPEAKER_01 24:55

Just kidding. It's very cozy, a great spot to like sit and camp out and have a long conversation. Um, we love like everything there. You get the breakfast sandwich a lot.

SPEAKER_00 25:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:04

Um, I get the kale sandwich quite a lot. I often get their specials, and that is just a really good spot. And they've got coffee and matcha as well.

SPEAKER_00 25:13

I'll say the customer service there is also excellent.

SPEAKER_01 25:16

It is. And then moving to seaside, my personal favorite where I often go, like for my birthday or for a special treat, is the Great Southern. And I love their gritzaya, which is so unlike me to order something like this. But basically, it's like cheesy grits with shrimp and like crispy sweet potatoes on top. It's just really good.

SPEAKER_00 25:35

I think it's sort of your nod to a former life you once lived.

SPEAKER_01 25:38

Maybe. Maybe. Um, and they have a lot of seafood and southern food. They're also known for their mojitos, I think. I haven't had one, but I've heard those are really good. And then Bud Anali's is one of the only restaurants on 30A that is oceanfront. So you'll get a view there, and they have a variety of food, including pizzas, um, and that's just a great environment and a great view.

SPEAKER_00 26:00

And there's a new restaurant, Asian restaurant called Drome and a new uh airstream called Wild Nectar, both of which people are actually speaking very highly of. We did Wild Nectar once and it was good.

SPEAKER_01 26:10

It was.

SPEAKER_00 26:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:11

And then I also love to just grab food you go from Motica Market. I love their chicken salad. Um, I've been eating that for years. That would always be like the first thing we would do when we would come down is go get their chicken salad.

SPEAKER_00 26:23

When I lived here years ago, I eat it every day sometimes. Yeah. Every day, which is bizarre. I don't know how I survived.

SPEAKER_01 26:30

And then is there anything else in Seaside? I would say that pickles.

SPEAKER_00 26:33

People love pickles.

SPEAKER_01 26:33

Oh, yeah, people love pickles.

SPEAKER_00 26:35

Um, it's kind of like chicken tenders and fries and stuff like that. People, people really like it.

SPEAKER_01 26:38

People love the meltdown, which is like a grilled cheese airstream. Yeah. We've never been to that, but that gets rave reviews as well.

SPEAKER_00 26:45

Yep. And then you move over to Greyton Beach where we already talked about Black Bear. Um, there's the red bar, which has been there forever. It's sort of an institution. Haven't been there in a really long time, but people loved a kind of dark, cozy, earthy atmosphere.

SPEAKER_01 27:00

And I think they have a rotating menu, or at least they used to used to.

SPEAKER_00 27:03

Maybe that has to be used to have a chalkboard where they'd walk up to you. It was cash only. Don't know if it still is. And it would literally have like four or five things on the menu, and you could just pick one of those four or five things, which was I don't know why. I I thought it was cool back then. I really liked that.

SPEAKER_01 27:16

And then um Chiringo is there. Yep. And that's good. I don't know what kind of food that is, what you how you describe that. It's in the It's like plantains and rice and shump and it's good.

SPEAKER_00 27:26

We haven't been in, I don't think we've been since we moved here, but we used to go a lot when we visited Mexican slash South and Central American, I guess I would say. They actually have a sister location in Alpharada, Georgia, too. So that was started there. My FSU alums, Gonoles.

SPEAKER_01 27:40

And then uh moving further towards Blue Mountain Beach is Shunk Gully.

SPEAKER_00 27:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:45

And we love that place.

SPEAKER_00 27:46

They have sweet tea chicken tenders.

SPEAKER_01 27:48

Yep, with duck fat fries.

SPEAKER_00 27:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:51

We when we are exhausted, like as parents at the end of the day, we put the kids in the car and we run and we get that to go and we eat the chicken tenders and fried carbs. Yes, so fast. Oh, we eat them so fast.

SPEAKER_00 28:03

It's just delicious, yeah. Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_01 28:05

And that actually has a um water view as well.

SPEAKER_00 28:08

So Hannah grew up. This is a weird segue, but Hannah grew up with eight siblings at their house. It was a competition. If there was like something you wanted to eat, you had to eat it.

SPEAKER_01 28:15

Yeah, if you wait, like if you get into a conversation, you'll look down at the food.

SPEAKER_00 28:20

It's just gone. And it's still that way. There's a good dessert, like it is gonna be gone. So um shunk goalie is that to our family. The fries, like, if you don't get your handful of fries, yeah, they will be gone. The kids will devour them.

SPEAKER_01 28:31

Still, we've been married for 10 years, and I can't deprogram that part of me. So anytime we share a meal, is always gets mad at me like five minutes in, he's like, it's all gone.

SPEAKER_00 28:42

Well, especially when it's like the fries, we love the duck fat fries. I'll look down and there's there's one left for me. She's like, I saved you some. Some is more than one, sweetie.

SPEAKER_01 28:51

So that would be our most indulgent meal. Though the fries are cooked in duck fat, so I feel pretty good about that.

SPEAKER_00 28:56

Um I'll highlight one of the restaurants that's further down. It's in Destin, technically, you're on the way to Destin, but called Two Birds, a little cafe. Love it for a lot of reasons. A, I get a great grass-fed burger there. And uh, and B, it's accessible. So if you're in the greater area, like there's never a wait. You can almost always get a table. And so 30A, it's a tourist town. It can get, you know, tourist area, it can get busy. So this is a place you can almost for sure guarantee you can grab breakfast or lunch.

SPEAKER_01 29:21

Yeah, and that would be our summary of restaurants. I'm sure some of you listening will realize we skipped a few that you love, but we're harsh critics. And those are just our personal favorites. Um, okay, where to stay? This is a question we get asked often because um it can be kind of overwhelming. There are so many places to rent. Now it's generally houses and condos. There are a couple of like hotel structures, but that's not really the vibe here. Um, but it can be kind of overwhelming to figure out where to stay. So we're just gonna give a general rule of thumb of what all of the areas, like the general vibe, and you can assess that based on the style of trip that you're taking.

SPEAKER_00 30:00

So if you're traveling with a family, you really could stay anywhere along 38 and have a wonderful time. But the two communities I would highlight that we talked about earlier would be Carolon Beach and Watercolor. Reason being they have fantastic amenities. Like Carolon has pickleball, tennis, basketball, three pools, one of them on the ocean, and a great park for kids. And watercolor is similar. It has a lazy river, which we rented once while we were building in watercolor and we had a blast.

SPEAKER_01 30:24

Yeah, I love the lazy river as an adult, but definitely like extra kid-friendly, fun pools and amenities in watercolor.

SPEAKER_00 30:32

So if you were staying with girlfriends or as a couple, where would you stay and why?

SPEAKER_01 30:36

I would stay in Rosemary Beach without kids. Now, Rosemary Beach is definitely kid friendly too. Lots of families stay there, but that is where like a lot of bachelorette parties like to stay. Um, if you and I were just coming on a solo trip, um, I would love to stay in Rosemary Beach.

SPEAKER_00 30:51

They have the Pearl.

SPEAKER_01 30:52

Yeah, one of the only hotels along 30A.

SPEAKER_00 30:55

I believe it has ocean views from a lot of it.

SPEAKER_01 30:57

Yeah, the Pearl is so charming, and that is great for just one or two people.

SPEAKER_00 31:01

I know even locals will stay there in an off-season for like a staycation.

SPEAKER_01 31:05

Yeah, definitely. Um, and then Alice Beach would also a lot of bachelor art parties in Alice Beach.

SPEAKER_00 31:10

True.

SPEAKER_01 31:11

Um, and Alice Beach is nice because it's very quiet. I think there must be a much smaller percentage of homes in there that are rented versus just I believe there's a covenant or restriction on that that they limit how many there are. That makes sense. So that's nice if you want a very quiet stay. And they also have a very beautiful resort-style pool and beach club.

SPEAKER_00 31:30

I think too, Alice and Rosemary are walkable. So if you again as a couple or with girlfriends, whatever, you park the car, you get to the rental home, you can go walk to a drink, walk to coffee or a restaurant or shopping or whatever.

SPEAKER_01 31:43

Definitely, which also highlights Seacrest. So Seacrest is right in between Alice and Rosemary. So Seacrest is a great place to rent because you're you can walk to both little towns, the farmer's market, the beach. And again, like Ty said, just park your car and walk all week.

SPEAKER_00 32:01

So Seaside falls into both camps. Amazing for families, great for friends getting together or couples as well.

SPEAKER_01 32:06

But also the most crowded, like we mentioned. So if you're gonna stay in Seaside, just know it could be a little bit busier. Um, teenagers love seaside. So if you have teenagers, that can be great and it can also be trouble, I would say. Well, they kind of during spring break, they can kind of roam.

SPEAKER_00 32:23

There's a great curfew now. So I'm gonna say the last five years or so, they put a curfew in. I think it's seven or eight o'clock. If you're under 18, you can't be out on the beaches or out and out and about, and that's helped tremendously.

SPEAKER_01 32:33

Yep, and that's actually pretty much all.

SPEAKER_00 32:35

All of the towns you're talking about. Yep.

SPEAKER_01 32:36

Um, but yeah, seaside um could just be a little bit busier, even just getting on to 30A and out and going to publics and that kind of thing. Some of these communities that are a little bit further away can just be a little bit easier to manage.

SPEAKER_00 32:50

Okay, so that covers the towns, the activities, the restaurants, and where to stay along 30A. Let's end with a little game of desert island.

SPEAKER_01 32:58

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 32:58

So you can only eat at one 30A restaurant, one coffee, go to one coffee shop and go to one community. What are they?

SPEAKER_01 33:04

Okay, okay. Community, I think I would probably have to pick watercolor. I love the walkability of watercolor, all of the trails and the boardwalks. I just feel like I would never get bored of it. Um, coffee shop, I think I'd pick Black Bear. I know you'd be surprised by that. Um, that I didn't pick Ama Vida, but Black Bear also has matcha. And sometimes I like to mix it up and their matcha is pretty good. And then restaurant, I think the obvious choice is Prima. I feel like I'm already on a desert island with Prima with how much we go there. Um, I just like that they have variety, and that's probably my favorite. Honestly, that would be a pretty good desert island life. What would you say?

SPEAKER_00 33:51

Well, I hate to be boring, but we are quite similar. And I would also agree, watercolor is my favorite community. I love several of them. They're so special for different reasons, like we've covered on this podcast. But watercolor, the nature trails are what seal the deal for me. They're there, it feels like you're immersed in dirty A and you're immersed in nature. So um, I would say Prima as well. We're regulars there, and um, can't go wrong. Coffee shop, though, I'll is where I'll differ. I like Black Bear, but I love Amavita. They would be my favorite. And there's one in Seaside, there's one in Rosemary. Um, I would say Amavita would be my favorite. Thank you so much for listening to episode six, our 30 day travel guide. Send it to a friend or save it if you take a trip to this lovely area in the near future. We wish you the best. God bless you, and take care.