Our family decided to take one final trip before we welcome our new little one this summer, and 30A was at the top of our list. We thought it would be perfect for the kids and a nice relaxing option for Troy and me, and let me tell ya it didn’t disappoint. Due to limitations with my pregnancy, we had to drive instead of fly but it honestly wasn’t bad since we stayed at a hotel in Jackson, MS the first night to break up the typically twelve hour trek. Early the next morning, we got on the road and headed toward the coast and really only stopped for one little side trip: visiting the U.S.S. Alabama and eating a delicious lunch at Felix’s (so so good).
We got to our house just before dinner time, unpacked a little, then went out for pizza at Angelina’s, a charming little Italian spot with great food and wonderful service.
Our house was located about five minutes from Seaside, off of Seagrove beach. We rented through RealJoy.com and had a really awesome experience. I loved that they offer reasonable insurance and don’t require you to pay for your entire stay upon booking (I wanted some flexibility since you never know how pregnancies can go!) , which is typical of other popular booking sites. Our house was part of a small, quiet community and it was perfect for our family of four — beautifully decorated, two large bedrooms with their own bath, a full kitchen and laundry, all of the amenities we could need, with just a short walk to the beach and steps from the pool! I loved watching the sunrise from the balcony in the mornings.
Our first morning on 30A, we got up early and drove down toward Inlet Beach, passing through some more of the adorable towns along the way to our breakfast destination: The Donut Hole. It came highly recommended and we quickly realized it was indeed a popular spot, with a decent line forming at the counter. You have the option to get donuts to-go or eat in their restaurant, so we chose to load up a box of donuts and eat out on their lawn so the kids could run around, play corn hole, and enjoy the beautiful weather.
The beach was calling us though, so we soon ventured back toward our house but not without stopping in Alys beach to gawk at the stunning architecture there (omg the photo opps were unreal)… and to grab more donuts! Don’t judge; hear me out 🙂 by far, the most recommendations we got for 30A were for donut places, so we thought it would be a good idea to load up on the best of the best and just munch on those over the next few days so we didn’t waste a bunch of time going out to eat breakfast, or cooking and cleaning up at the house. My kids (and Troy and I) love a simple breakfast, usually some juice (coffee for us), yogurt, and some sort of bread item — so this worked well for us. Next trip, we may do brunch somewhere…but I don’t expect we will pass on donuts so easily.
One of the highly recommended spots mentioned above is Charlie’s Donut Truck in Alys beach, who has been serving their famous donuts there for ten years. When a donut truck regularly sells out of donuts by mid-morning, you know it’s going to be good, right?? We grabbed a small varied box and believe me, they were as awesome as everyone said they would be. I loved their popular Holland Cream with chocolate and the plain glazed, the kids enjoyed the sprinkle one, and Troy went for his usual guilty pleasure: the maple bacon.
Nothing like a double donut stop before hitting the beach… ha! We spent the rest of the day doing nothing more than playing in the surf and the sand, relaxing, and enjoying the slower pace. We practically had the entire stretch to ourselves!
Later that night, we drove into Seaside to eat at Bud and Alley’s, another highly recommended spot, but I admit I got confused when we made reservations (not kid friendly, and more pricey than I planned for having two kids with us) so we ended up changing our plan from eating in their waterfront restaurant to eating at their Pizza Bar next-door. There was a private event that night so we couldn’t sit on their terrace but the food was really good (my favorite was the fried Brussels sprouts)!
We fell in love with Seaside and spent a lot of time there over the next few days. In the next post, I will share our favorite shopping there, more food stops, and some fun things to do if you’re visiting that part of 30A.
Other notable restaurants near Alys beach that people recommended, in case you want to try them out (or, if you don’t want to consume solely donuts on your trip): George’s, NEAT tasting room, Raw & Juicy, and Caliza for a fun date night.
