A little get-away
We enjoyed another trip to 30A with the grands and their parents. The group is growing and included two other families.
We are now a band of six parents, three grandparents, two high schoolers, three middle schoolers and five no-longer-littles chomping at the bit to keep up with the older kids.
It was different and wonderful and challenging at times as we navigated new levels of independence.
We did alright.
Sure there was a bit of exchanging photos of days gone by as we remembered when playing cards, building sand castles and naps were part of the week.
I read recently that change is inevitable and it is okay to acknowledge a little grief at what is no more, but then wipe your tears and get back in to what is now.
We did some of the old things and found some new things and actually felt rested at the end of it, so there is that.
So for the sake of giving you ideas if you are headed down to that stretch of beach from Destin to Seaside, here are some things we enjoyed:
We like to stay in Santa Rosa Beach. It has great walking/biking paths and enough shops/restaurants and snack places without a ton of traffic.
Traditional stops always include:
North Beach Social – a great place on the bay right by the bridge. Kids can wade in water quite a ways out (ask Emmett). There are great photo ops as the sun sets (see the umbrella pic above). The food is delicious and you can eat at picnic tables, under umbrellas, out in the sand. Often there is live music. https://www.northbeach.social
Local Catch – this is one we like for lunch stop on the way home from the beach. You can wear your swim wear with cover up and they don’t care what your hair looks like. Again – the food is delicious, the staff is always so nice and we love the open air patio. http://www.localcatch30a.com
This year we found a new favorite – Russ wanted to take us for breakfast one morning so we ended up at Crackings. This little find is located in a small shopping area that had quite a few stores to explore until our table was ready. There were boutiques and gift shoppes that were cute and for the most part affordable. One owner also is an author so I bought one of her books and will be adding that to the review at the end of August. We loved the food and atmosphere of the restaurant. The staff was so nice and if you are tired of walking around while you wait, they had live music and some tables in the shade where you could enjoy a glass of water or purchase a drink. https://www.crackingsfl.com
For ice cream we love the Blue Mountain Beach Creamery, but you can’t go wrong with any of the options along 30A. Pecan Jack’s or the little place just down from Local Catch are all good. https://bluemountainbeachcreamery.com
Another new find was a pizza place across from the Outlet Mall in Destin. The kids cleaned up their plates and the adults also managed to eat all but a small take out box…Buffalo Jack’s Legendary Wings & Pizza lived up to its claim. It was legendary. And yes, wings and pizza were consumed. https://www.buffalojackslegendarywings.com
While we had access to a beach area with our condo and enjoyed our friends’ beach access farther down the way, we all loved Grayton Beach. While there is a fee at times, last year and this year we were admitted for free. It is unspoiled as there are no buildings in that area.
Last but not list, make sure you visit this shoppe….we loved it and the name…heehee