This complete 30A travel guide highlights our family’s favorite places to eat, stay, and do when visiting this area of Florida. It is one of our all-time favorite vacation spots. Come check it all out!

A Complete 30A Travel Guide For Families

We have visited 30A Florida the last few years during Spring and Summer.  We enjoy it so much that our family continues going back year after year.  We have nailed down our favorites through these many visits and want to pass them along to you in this post.

I am so excited to share our 30A travel guide with you with recommendations on where to stay, eat, and what to do. Keep reading for all the information!

Where To Stay In 30A

While there are some hotels and condominiums in 30A, we have found that staying in a rental home (i.e., VRBO) is the most accommodating for your family in this area. Below are some highlights of staying in a rental house:

• This area of Florida has so much natural beauty! When we stayed at our VRBO this past vacation, the neighborhood our home was located in was surrounded by natural beauty, which we enjoyed so much. For Spring Break 2022, we stayed at a lovely VRBO in Blue Mountain, FL. This is the exact one we stayed in HERE. It is a great one!
• Community interaction with others who are vacationing or the ability to be near several other families you may vacation with.

*Update 12/2022 lodging information: We highly recommend the rental home we stayed in this winter. It sleeps up to 10, has two levels and porches, is located in a quiet neighborhood, is an easy bike ride to the beach, and has an amazing neighborhood area with pools/a firepit/a playground/hammocks, and more! 

You can rent it HERE!

 

• Access to fun recreational activities at your fingertips (we’ll talk more about that below!).  We always rent bikes and have them available to hop on when heading to the beach or riding around the sidewalk areas of 30A.
• Space and amenities, of course, are maximum when staying at a rental home. We had a four-bedroom home at our most recent VRBO, which allowed plenty enough room for our family of six. 

All these things considered, your lodging is up to you, as each family is different. This is what we enjoyed the most.

What To Do with Kids In 30A

 

 

 

There is much to do in 30A, and I’m sharing what we’ve enjoyed in this 30A travel guide! We primarily go to spend time on the beautiful sandy, white beaches, but there are many other activities in addition to that.

 

The beach is typically quick access via bike ride or walking from anywhere you stay in 30A.  There are many places to rent beach gear (i.e., chairs, umbrellas, etc.), or you can bring your own.  We love walking down the wooden pathways covered with natural trees to uncover the lovely sand and ocean waiting on the other side. 

Your rental owner or company can steer you to the best beach access points.  We always bring volleyballs, footballs, sandcastle toys, towels, a cooler for drinks and snacks, and of course, suntan lotion to spend a full day enjoying these lovely beaches.

When we are not on the beach, we are typically bike riding.  This is the primary form of transportation I’d say most guests utilize during their stay on 30A.  There are many places to rent bikes in the towns there on 30A.  Make sure you get one with a basket to hold your phone, snacks, and other things because you won’t be happy with a short bike ride through these gorgeous beach towns.

Our favorite bike ride is through Watercolor and gazes at the lovely beach homes there. They also have a must-see garden and fountain entrance as you come straight off 30A.

Seaside, Rosemary, Alys, and Grayton have some fun places to walk around and enjoy shopping. These are more high-end stores but have a lot of fun things to look around at and window shop nonetheless.

The Hub is a family-centered establishment that offers multiple food venues and an open green area for your kids to have a good time while you get a good meal.

We also enjoy going to Baytowne Wharf, another family-friendly, fun destination in Sandestin, FL. There are several outdoor activities (i.e., zipline, climbing wall, and more), and don’t miss the delicious ice cream store.

We hope you enjoy these activities as much as we do!

Where To Eat In 30A

I am most excited about this one, haha! There are so many amazing restaurants; it’s hard not to include all of them in this 30A travel guide.  I will share with you the ones we can’t stop returning to! 

• Bud And Alley’s Waterfront Restaurant & Bar.  We love this restaurant because of the beautiful beachfront views and delicious seafood.  Andy and I have enjoyed the crabcakes and the calamari appetizer (get two orders, they go fast, haha!) Our kids always get their pasta dish with shrimp and love it!
• Shunk Gulleys. This may be our absolute favorite! Be prepared to wait, but there are several little shops around that you can browse while you wait. Make sure to order their grouper sandwich!
• The Great Southern Cafe. This restaurant is a bit more dressy than Bud And Alley’s but one you don’t want to miss.  Their southern cuisine is delicious for brunch and dinner.
• The Candy Bar: Your kids will LOVE this place! It is the happiest little candy shop, decorated wall to wall with candy and full of bright text and color everywhere you turn.

 

 

• Hokulia Shave Ice: This past vacation, we enjoyed this shave ice experience for the first time…and we will definitely be going back again and again.  The serving sizes are amazingly generous, and the staff is very friendly service. 
• FOOW (Fish Out Of Water) Restaurant.  This is another nice restaurant that is located waterfront too.  The food is so good, and the surroundings are quite lovely as well. We highly recommend going at sunset for the views!
• Stinky’s Fish Camp: This laid-back seafood restaurant is one of our very favorites! Andy cannot get enough to the “Stinky’s Stew,” and for that matter, neither can I.  It is a fun, local-feeling restaurant to try.
• The Donut Hole: You cannot miss this place! The breakfast here is to die for (not to mention the doughnuts, of course). We love their eggs benedict, pancakes, and breakfast sandwiches. But you seriously can’t go wrong with anything!

 

Shop some of my favorite beach essentials by tapping on the images below:

 

I hope this 30A travel guide will inspire you and your family to visit and make wonderful memories together.  It truly is a special place, full of wonderful things to do, see, and enjoy just spending time together.

Want to read even more information on 30A? Heather of My Life Well Loved blog shares many valuable tips and tricks in her post here, including what to pack, and where she recommends staying, eating, and doing.

 

If you enjoyed this travel post, I’d recommend checking out these additional guides too:

• Quick Guide For A Family-Friendly Weekend In Ashville, NC 
• Quick Guide For A Family-Friendly Weekend In Jekyll Island, GA
• Quick Guide For A Family-Friendly Weekend In Orlando, FL