Vacationing in Florida’s 30A Region

With one last push, my little kayak slips into the tea-colored water of Western Lake, and I suddenly have a decision to make.

If I paddle to the right, toward the reservoir’s sheltered reaches, I’ll find a tony vacation village peeking out from a pine forest along the shoreline—widely considered some of the area’s most iconic scenery. But if I navigate left, I can figure out where that narrow, winding channel leads.

This is the latest in a series of choose-your-own-adventure conundrums I’ve faced in Walton County’s 30A region, which old-timers still call the Florida Panhandle.

The 24-mile stretch of rock-star beaches, rare natural wonders, and artfully breezy neighborhoods takes its name from the highway that slices through it. Postcard-worthy emerald waters and pristine ribbons of oceanfront have drawn vacationers here for decades. But lately, the area surrounding the recently designated National Scenic Byway has been growing.

Watersound Club guests walking along a boardwalk from the beach.

Guests at oases like the Watersound Club get exclusive access to private beaches and amenities.

In the past 2 years alone, 3 new hotels, including a sprawling golf-and-beach resort, have opened their doors. A spate of new restaurants and specialty stores means everything from Wagyu beef to electric beach cruisers are on offer. Indeed, earlier in my stay, I enjoyed a purple cocktail made with pea flower at boutique spirits maker Distillery 98 and discovered that it had debuted fairly recently too, in 2019.

This expansion resulted in 2 things: Jaunty golf carts are multiplying like bunnies along the main drag’s most vacation-friendly locales; and visitors like me have many more choices to make.

Should I boardwalk to the ocean at a state park? Or splash out on an umbrella chair at an exclusive beach club? Hit a laid-back artists’ enclave for a fresh-catch lunch, or grab an ice cream cone and stroll one of the area’s scrupulously idyllic town squares?

Rental cabanas dot the beach fronting Seaside.

More pressingly at present, which direction do I paddle?

Drifting a little as the wind ripples the lake’s surface, I give in to my curiosity and head left into the unknown. One of coastal Florida’s signature afternoon storms rumbles on the horizon, too distant to be a threat.

For a long time, it feels as though I have this shallow corridor—flanked by white dunes and waving beach grasses—to myself. Then a stand of cottages appears around a bend. A bit farther along, I hear wind-whipped shouts of children and spot the colorful roofs of sun canopies on the horizon. My kayak bottoms out, and I drag it to a sandy shore.

This arm of Western Lake stops just feet from the shimmering Gulf of Mexico, depositing me happily on Grayton Beach, one of the country’s most lauded beaches.

It seems there are no wrong choices along Florida’s scenic 30A.

Shore bets

Beach access can be tricky, either because of parking woes or because large swaths of 30A’s waterfront are reserved for beach club and vacation village guests. A surefire option for a day at the beach is to visit one of the region’s 3 beautifully maintained state parks. Together, this trio protects nearly 5 stunning miles of undeveloped public beach.

Grayton Beach sign reading "Grayton Beach, nice dogs, strange people."

A Grayton Beach sign boasts the quirky enclave’s unofficial motto.

At the end of Topsail Hill Preserve State Park’s beach boardwalk, white sand meets crystal clear aquamarine water in either direction as far as the eye can see. The park’s dunes, marked by tufts of grass and nothing else, stretch just as far (vehicle-entrance fee, $6).

A bit farther east, Grayton Beach State Park has been recognized by noted coastal ecologist Stephen P. Leatherman—a.k.a. Dr. Beach—as among the best beaches in the country (vehicle-entrance fee, $5).

And at the less-populated Deer Lake State Park (vehicle-entrance fee, $3), flat trails lead through rare coastal habitats to the waterfront. In some instances, paddlers can head about 250 yards offshore to peek beneath the waves at artificial reefs teeming with colorful sea life. Adventure 30A leads guided paddles to the reefs ($90; bring your own snorkel gear).

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Vibe check

There are as many types of 30A vacations as there are neighborhoods. For example, those who like things picture-perfect will be drawn to the 30A community of Seaside, which is so idyllic that it once played backdrop for the 1998 film The Truman Show.

During the spring and summer months, open-air restaurants and vendor stalls in its deftly curated downtown buzz with families, bikes, and golf carts. In the nearby Grayton Beach neighborhood, funky art galleries, some of the area’s best-known nightlife spots, and a hand-painted sign declaring it home to “nice dogs” and “strange people.”

In other words, the vibes here run the gamut. Take advantage of the diversity by neighborhood hopping via the multi-use Timpoochee Trail, which parallels the byway. Bonus: You’ll avoid much of the tourist traffic. YOLO Board+Bike rents beach cruisers for $30 for the first day; $5 for each additional day. Or try an electric bike for $95 for the first day, and $40 per day after that.

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Rare beauties

What do Madagascar, New Zealand, Australia, the Oregon coast, and 30A have in common? They’re the only places on Earth where coastal dune lakes occur. In 30A’s case, 15 of the pine-fringed freshwater reservoirs cozy right up to the Gulf, separated by a narrow strip of sand. Where the brownish lakes breach, sea life swims in and kayakers can paddle right out to sea.

All 3 state parks offer top-notch lake access, from boardwalk trails to shuttles out to the far-flung pools. At the popular Western Lake, Friends of Grayton Beach State Park offers stand-up paddleboard and kayak rentals at budget-friendly price points (single-person kayak rentals start at $20). Or take a sunrise paddle tour and bask in the serenity of this unique environment with Adventure 30A ($90).

Singular stays

A host of new hotels give guests options beyond the whole-home and townhouse rentals that have long defined 30A vacays. High-toned and romantic, Rosemary Beach’s AAA Four Diamond hotel The Pearl was renovated in 2023 and reopened its doors in March (rates start at $532, plus a $50 daily resort fee).

At the laid-back Lodge 30A in Santa Rosa Beach, rooms rank among the area’s most affordable, and an upgrade grants guests access to an off-site beach club (rates start at $209).

And the new resort-style Camp Creek Inn in Inlet Beach lets guests test-drive the perks of private beach club membership with on-site pools, beach access, and golf courses (rates start at $350, plus a $50 daily resort fee).

When travel columnist and guide author Jessica Fender isn’t lounging at the beach, she chronicles her globe-trotting adventures on Instagram @travelerbroads.