Hey friends!
I should preface this post by saying that I am no expert on 30A, as this is our first trip to this area as a family. BUT I did a lot of research on which community I thought was the best fit for our family… Rosemary Beach it was!
I also received dozens of suggestions and places we had to visit from my Instagram community & family/friends.
WHERE WE STAYED:
I actually not realize this until we arrived and became familiar with the area that we were really staying within Seacrest Beach. This community has its own HOA with a pool & tram service! The beach is within a five minute walk. It was also between Aly’s Beach & Rosemary Beach, both just a five minute walk away. This was the perfect location for us because there were many things we wanted do in both towns. Also, our home was considerably less expensive as compared to staying in Rosemary or Aly’s. We did not mind the five minute walk at all. 🙂
You can book our rental house here: VRBO
WHAT WE ATE:
Breakfast –
Charlie’s Donuts (Aly’s Beach) was voted best bakery by Southern Living so this was a stop we had to make. Their donuts were sweet and delicious! They also had a really great smoothie.
The Daughter’s Kitchen (Rosemary) has killer breakfast sandwiches, their bagel & lox was delish. They also carry Charlie’s Donuts if you can’t make it over to the truck.
Amavida Coffee (Rosemary & Seaside) has the best cookie butter latte I have ever had. Eric and I went back three times for it. We also tried their house iced and hot coffee, that was good too.
Lunch/Dinner –
Cowgirl Kitchen (Rosemary) has several locations but their brunch & bloody Mary’s at the Rosemary location was hard to beat! I would definitely suggest trying the seared tuna dip as an app, it was SO GOOD. The inside is a little small, so maybe plan to go there without a stroller, if traveling with kiddos.
Great Southern (Seaside) if you are in the market for oysters on the half shell & the best service I would definitely stop in to Great Southern. We went twice we loved it so much!
LaCo (Rosemary) just opened the week we went, it might of even been their first day? We had lunch here and it was very good. It is a fun twist on Mexican food.
Bud & Alley’s Pizza Bar (Seaside) was fantastic. Their pizzas are all personal pan size, which is great because Eric and I don’t agree on pizza toppings, ha!
Dessert –
It’s Heavenly (Seaside) has the best gelato I’ve had in years. We tried the Key Lime Pie and a few other flavors and I am still dreaming about it.
There were plenty of ice cream and bakeries but by the time we finished dinner out, the baby was ready for bed. Next time I’ll be going in the afternoon to pick up some sweets to try!
Places that were highly recommended but we did not have time to visit:
The Hub – shopping and restaurants
George’s (Aly’s Beach) – restaurant
La Crema (Rosemary) – fondue
Amigo 30A (30 Ave) – Mexican restaurant
Raw & Juicy (Aly’s Beach) – breakfast and juice bar
Caliza – restaurant
Big Bad Breakast (Rosemary) – restaurant
Pescado – restaurant (go at sunset!)
Crabby Steve’s – on the water restaurant
Amici Restaurant – Italian
Destin Ice Market (near 30 Ave) – fresh fish market, would be perfect for picking up dinner and cooking at the house!
WHERE WE SHOPPED:
Seaside Style (in Seaside) had the BEST selection of dog gifts! We got Huckleberry Finn the cutest palm leaf collar!
Bump + Baby (in Seaside) is a store by Seaside Style and they had the best selection of coastal baby clothes & gifts. They also sell our son’s favorite stuffed animal brand Jelly Cat & I picked up another rabbit for him. He sleeps with it every single night and if this bunny ever goes missing we are in trouble 🤪
Willow Boutique had the cutest selection of clothes, if i had not brought so many outfits with me a few of theirs would have definitely come home with me. They also had an amazing selection on makeup. I picked up some Westman Atelier tinted highlighter that it so pretty!
Rosemary Beach Trading Post has the cutest t-shirts and gifts! Their t-shirts are the comfort colors brand which is my favorite!
WHAT WE DID:
Beach, we had direct access through the Seacrest community, but there are public beaches as well.
Walked around and looked at architecture. It seriously feels like you are in another county. Rosemary Beach has very european vibes, and Aly’s Beach is all white and STUNNING.
Aly’s Beach kids playground was a big hit. It was very unique and had plenty of activities for older and younger kids. I wish we would of found it sooner in our trip. It is right next to Raw & Juicy!
Bamboo Bicycle company was on our list but we did not have time, with the way the weather was. We will definitely be renting bicycles next time and exploring that way!
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If you can’t tell from this post we REALLY liked the house we rented, food we ate, and places we shopped (oh – and the beach, duh!) 30A, we will be back 😘
XOXO,
The VanLandingham’s
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