Your Guide to 30A
Activities
Activities
30A has more going on than a beach day. Paddleboards, kayaks, and bikes are easy to rent from multiple spots along the corridor, and the coastal dune lakes are worth exploring by board.
For something faster, jet ski rentals and parasailing are available out of Santa Rosa Beach. Book ahead in summer.
Golfers have four courses at Sandestin Resort, ranging from links-style to tree-lined. The Baytowne course is the most scenic.
On land, the Timpoochee Trail runs 19 miles through the trees parallel to the highway. Rent a bike and ride the whole thing, or just the stretch between Seaside and Watercolor.
Dining
Regional Favorites
The food scene along 30A punches well above its size. In Rosemary Beach, Restaurant Paradis is the place for fresh Gulf Coast snapper — book ahead, especially on weekends. Cuvee 30A in Santa Rosa Beach has earned a reputation for its wine list and the kind of cooking that keeps people coming back every summer.
For a livelier night, the Red Door Saloon in Destin runs live music most evenings alongside a full bar and a crowd that stays late. Tailfins Seafood and Oyster Bar is the spot for raw oysters and cold drinks with a view of the harbor.
Beyond the restaurants, 30A hosts some of the Gulf Coast's best annual events. The Sandestin Wine Festival each spring draws serious collectors and casual drinkers alike. The 30A Songwriters Festival in January fills venues across the corridor with hundreds of performers. And the Seabreeze Jazz Festival brings a full weekend of outdoor concerts to the beach every April.
From the water to the trails, there's more here than a beach day.
Things to Do on 30A
Slow Down
Relaxation on 30A
Start at Serenity by the Sea Spa inside the Sandestin Beach Resort. Their massage and facial menu is thorough, and the setting does the rest of the work.
Rent an e-bike and ride the Timpoochee Trail, which runs parallel to 30A through the trees and past the coastal dune lakes. Stop at the boutiques in Grayton Beach or Seaside along the way. The shops are small and the finds are genuinely local.
If you'd rather do nothing at all, the beach chairs are waiting. The Gulf is calm most mornings before the afternoon wind picks up.
Gulf Coast snapper, award-winning chefs, and late-night live music. Here are the spots worth knowing.
Where to Eat on 30A
Did You Know
Uniquely 30A
Seaside's Famous Architecture
Seaside was designed in the 1980s as a model New Urbanist town. Its pastel cottages and white picket fences have appeared in films and architecture textbooks alike.
Coastal Dune Lakes
30A is one of only a handful of places in the world with coastal dune lakes. These rare freshwater lakes sit just behind the dunes and occasionally open to the Gulf.
Underwater Museum of Art
Just off Grayton Beach State Park, the first underwater sculpture garden in the U.S. doubles as an artificial reef. Snorkelers and divers can explore it year-round.
Justin Gaffrey Gallery
One of 30A's most recognized artists works out of a studio in Blue Mountain Beach. His thick-palette coastal paintings are collected across the country.
30A Songwriters Festival
Every January, hundreds of singer-songwriters perform in venues across the corridor. It's one of the most attended music events on the Gulf Coast.
Sandestin Wine Festival
Each spring, the Sandestin Resort hosts one of the Southeast's largest wine festivals, with tastings, dinners, and seminars spread across the property.
Explore 30A
Three places worth a visit
Community
Seaside
Art
Justin Gaffrey Gallery
Adventure
Underwater Museum of Art
Guest Reviews
What our guests say about 30A
4.6
430 reviews
Overall good experience. Some of the appliances weren't working properly (oven & stove) & side gate didn't lock.
Linda
Stayed in August 2026
I have leased several home's in the Destin, Fort Walton area and this is by far the most satisfying experience we have ever had. The house checks all the boxes from being clean to service and help from the management team. We had a problem with the cart and they were on it in a matter of minutes. I will book this home again!
Don
Stayed in August 2026
everything was great.but it would have been nice to have more than one umbrella at the pool.
Scott
Stayed in August 2026
We had an amazing stay.
Joshua
Stayed in August 2026
