Travel Tuesday: Rosemary Beach

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve done a Travel Tuesday, and some recent vacation planning has got me reminiscing about one of my favorite spots in the country (heck, the world): 30A.

Growing up in Atlanta, we frequently headed south to the beautiful gulf waters on Florida’s famed panhandle. My favorite resort towns happen to be on 30A, but pretty much any spot on the panhandle is guaranteed to give you sugar white sand and emerald green, clear water.

I hadn’t been back to 30A in quite a few years, so last summer we headed down with our usual travel crew and rented a big house smack dab in the middle of Rosemary. We had waited too long to get anything on the water, but our house suited us just fine. Plus, we saved several thousand dollars by not being right on the beach. We rented Bon Temps and it fit the needs of our party of 12 perfectly. Each couple had a master bedroom, plus we had a bunk room for the girls (three of them) and a bunk room for the boys (also three of them). Each bedroom had it’s own bathroom. The house also had a pool. What more could you need???

This picture was taken shortly after our arrival. The kids were too eager to wait until morning to go swimming, so we indulged them with a little night swimming. They lined up oldest to youngest. These kiddos have been friends their entire lives. I’ve known their mamas and daddies for ages…..some of them going on almost thirty years.

Emery (9), Davis (9), McKenna (9), Bodie (6), Charlie (6), Alexandra (5)

I arranged for a bonfire our second night at the beach and this was an unforgettable experience. I booked through Beach Brothers Beach Service in Santa Rosa and they handled everything: chairs, speakers, coolers of ice, s’mores fixings, fire pit, fire permit, etc. We just showed up with some beer, wine and juice boxes and they took care of the rest. Super nice guys. I can’t recommend them enough. www.beachbrothersbeachservice.com

The main mode of transportation in Rosemary is bikes. We brought a bunch from home, but they’re easy and plentiful to rent as well.

I loved this cool surf van outside one of the shops

We lucked out with beautiful weather every single day of our trip. We went the last week in June.

Crystal clear water and good sized waves

We ventured down the coast to Seaside one evening and dined at the famous Bud and Alley’s. As always, it was delicious and beautiful. After dinner, the kids grabbed ice cream from Frost Bites and we enjoyed an outdoor concert. Warning: parking and traffic are a bit of a nightmare. Plan to Uber so you don’t have to worry about parking. As for traffic, allow plenty of time to get to your dinner. www.budandalleys.com and www.frostbitesseaside.com

Since the waves were pretty decent while we were at the beach I decided to book the kids surfing lessons. They had been watching some surfers on our stretch of beach for a few days and were eager to try it. I totally lucked out and was able to get us two lessons with Austin Magee of Austin Magee’s Surf School. I honestly can’t believe we were able to book anything. I think Austin may have been super accommodating and squeezed us in. Thank heavens he did! What a wonderful afternoon! All of the kids managed to stand up and they had a blast. Austin is an excellent teacher. His mom helps out and she is just the sweetest. Austin met us in Seaside, but I think he offers lessons in a few towns along 30A. www.amsurfschool.com

Another cool activity I planned for the kids (the adults loved it, too) was a professional sand sculpture lesson. I didn’t even know such a thing existed until a friend enlightened me a few weeks prior to our trip. I found Beach Sand Sculptures on Instagram and booked a lesson for our second to last day at the beach. Our instructor was an adorable college student from Fort Walton who gets to spend her summers teaching beachgoers how to build sandcastles that actually stand up. I will say that some of our younger kids lost interest after about an hour or so, but the older three kids and the parents truly enjoyed this experience. So, if traveling with a bunch of younsters (I’d say seven or under), put this on your list for a future trip. www.beachsandsculptures.com

Our final dinner was spent at Edward’s in Rosemary and it was the perfect way to finish our trip. The food and service were incredible, as was the beautiful courtyard setting. Love these girls! I couldn’t do motherhood without them. I’m so thankful that their families put up with my travel whims and excessive need to plan everything down to the minute.