We chose to spend the last bit of vacation on the beach, enjoying as much of the white sands and turquoise waters as possible. It was amazing how empty it was too; we had it all to ourselves for most of the morning so we could spread out and freely search for seashells, chase waves, dig holes and make sand castles. The water was also extra clear this day, allowing us to see dolphins, fish, and a family of stingrays swimming in the surf.
After a long day of sun, driving up to Blue Mountain Creamery in Santa Rosa Beach for some ice cream seemed like a no-brainer (be sure to bring cash, or you’ll need to use their on-site ATM). I swear their dark chocolate raspberry is the best ice cream I have ever had and I still dream about it.
We had every intention of going back toward Santa Rosa Beach for dinner and trying a restaurant out there (Perfect Pig or Skunk Gulley Oyster House were recommended) but the menu at The Great Southern won us over and I am so glad we went. I had been dying for a fried fish sandwich and theirs was everything I hoped for. We spent the rest of the night walking around seaside then taking some impromptu family photos on the beach as the sun set.
Fun tip: let your kids be in charge of snapping a few photos so you actually get to be in some of them! At one point or another, we handed over our phones, my mirrorless Olympus, and even my Canon to the kiddos to see what they would capture and I loved the photos so much! Everett may be my new apprentice…
Two resources we relied heavily on when planning our trip were the recent Seaside blog posts by Jessica Garvin and the 30A blog posts by Studio McGee. You can find them linked below, with so many great recommendations and even more detailed explanations of the 30A area:
