Technically, Santa Rosa Beach encompasses a large part of South Walton, including the smaller neighborhoods of Seaside, WaterColor, Grayton Beach, and Blue Mountain Beach. Play in the clean, gentle waves of Seaside and race along the shores of this northwest Florida beach community that is better known as the location of the film The Truman Show starring Jim Carrey. You can't miss access to Seaside's main beach under a tall grey structure that is a cross between a pyramid and a lighthouse. Enjoy a day in the sunshine and surf of the Emerald Coast, stop at one of Seaside's quaint shops along the beach or in the city center, or take a bike ride along the beach road.
Seaside is a city of picture books that offers the perfect place for people watching. Sunset on the beach in Seagrove, Florida. On our second full day in the city, we traveled 8 miles east to Rosemary Beach, another planned community developed by the same Miami architecture firm, DPZ CoDesign, that designed Seaside. The clothing boutiques and home furnishings stores in Rosemary Beach, Alys Beach and Seaside, for example, are high-end, with no mall in sight.
From east to west, South Walton's sixteen coastal towns are Inlet Beach, Rosemary Beach, Seacrest, Alys Beach, Watersound, Seagrove, Seaside, WaterColor, Grayton Beach, Blue Mountain, Santa Rosa Beach, Gulf Place, Dune Allen, Sandestin, Miramar Beach, and Seascape. From west to east on Highway 30A, you'll find Dune Allen Beach, Santa Rosa Beach, Blue Mountain Beach, Grayton Beach, Watercolor, Seaside, Seagrove Beach, WaterSound Beach, Seacrest Beach, Alys Beach, Rosemary Beach, and Inlet Beach. But in general, the main points of interest are Rosemary Beach, Alys Beach, Seaside, Santa Rosa Beach, WaterColor, Grayton Beach, Blue Mountain and Gulf Place. Some good places to eat in Santa Rosa include Goatfeathers (which also has a takeaway seafood market), Local Catch, and Cafe Tango.
It didn't have a private pool like Santa Rosa's house had offered the previous year, but it came with a golf cart and you could walk to a neighborhood pool and very close to the central area with shops and restaurants. But here you won't find the golf carts that are ubiquitous in Santa Rosa, although you'll see billions of bikes, so drive slowly when you get to the city. You will find many homes for rent in Santa Rosa on sites ranging from VRBO to Marriott Homes & Villas. On Rosemary Beach, pan-Caribbean-style homes line shady streets connected by hidden parks and wooden walkways leading to the beach, while Seaside is a pastel-colored dreamy landscape that houses small beach huts with white fences.
Justin Gaffrey, whose studio is located just off 30th in Santa Rosa Beach, layers heavy acrylic paint for a thick, textured style that represents local wildlife and Gulf Coast landscapes. There are public beaches in Santa Rosa with free parking, along with bike lanes and many street-ready golf carts available for rent. Within this area, you'll find the beach communities of Rosemary Beach, Seaside, Aly's, and Santa Rosa, to name a few.