My husband and I have been visiting the beaches of “30A” since our boys were little. The first time we went, we fell in love with the area. We felt like it was the closest we could get to an actual “vacation” with kids. We usually feel like a vacation with kids is a trip, not a vacation…. You know the saying. But the first time we went to 30A, we were actually able to relax a bit- even with a 2 and 3 year old! It is extremely family friendly (most restaurants assume you’ll be bringing kids), it’s casual (you can wear your swimsuit/cover-up most places and not get a weird look), and it’s beautiful (the sand is white, and the water is crystal clear). So we keep going back. This was our fourth time to go.
Now that our boys are a bit older, we felt up to exploring the 30A area more. We weren’t bound to the house based on nap schedules, and for the most part, our boys can sit at a table for a meal- ha! With that in mind, I asked for recommendations on Instagram, and I received so many great ones! I wanted to share, and I decided to include all the recommendations. You may be in a different walk of life, so you may like certain recommendations more than others (I erased names for privacy reasons).
Here are the fantastic recommendations from the readers:
My Personal Recommendations:
We stayed in the Seaside development, and this was our beach entrance. There is a beach entrance for every street in the neighborhood. I obviously do not get all dolled up to go to the beach -ha! Look at that messy hair! Click (here) for swimsuit details. Anyway, there are lots of great developments to go to in the 30A area. Some of my friends favorite developments are Rosemary Beach, Aly’s Beach and Watercolor. Everybody has their favorite, but trust me, they’re all good!
I highly recommend the Cabana Man company to set up your beach chairs. They’re reliable, and they’ve been doing it for years! It’s a little indulgent, but it’s worth every penny!
We wanted to visit all the places recommended to us, but we ran out of time! A friend texted me for my recommendations the Sunday we got back, and here’s what I wrote in a nut shell: George’s is great, but since we had the boys, we went early to avoid the wait. You must go to Frost Bite Snow Cone Truck in Seaside and get the wedding cake flavor snow cone with cream on top. I ate one every night! We had never eaten at the rooftop part of Bud and Alley’s, and we liked it because it was more casual and you can watch the sunset (just like the rec said). The Pearl Hotel’s rooftop was great and had live music the night we went. The boys got a smoothie in a fancy glass before dinner started, and it kept them happy and busy! This would also be a great date night spot (just like the rec said). The boys love the Sugar Shak! It’s a quaint little candy store, and it’s a highlight of the trip for them! My husband’s favorite dinner of the trip was the dark meat chicken entree at The Perfect Pig (thanks for the rec!). I know, it sounds gross, but it was really good (I had a taste). Oh, and you must go to the Red Bar (another great rec). It has stuff all over the wall and the kids loved it. You can play a really great game of “I Spy”!
If you are looking for a great beach vacation, look no further. You won’t be disappointed! You can see what I wore on this beach vacation (here).
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Brenda DLR says
Hi! This such a gift for me today. I’m currently booking our first trip to 30A! Being a newbie comes with some anxiety about doing it right. I particularly appreciated your perspective on going with older kids. My youngest is 4 yrs old, so I’m looking forward to more elbow room with schedules and overall flexibility!
Thanks for sharing!
Leslie says
Yes we love 30A! My sister in law lives there and we visit every year. Such a great family friendly vacation.
Courtney says
We have a small condo on 30A….literally my happy place! So glad you tried the Perfect Pig (so many of us recommended it) – it’s always “the husband’s” favorite spot! Plan a trip for early fall – football season on 30A is so much fun and the weather is perfect! Keep it up – love your blog!
Carly Lee says
What a great idea!!! Thanks for reading and for the recommendation!