tell me about Seagrove Beach

[arkiegirl]

Tell me all about Seagrove Beach. We are only familiar with Destin and have not even been down 30-A.

Tell me about the eating places--any "fast food" places near by? Is there a major name grocery store?

The place we are looking at is across 30-a from the gulf--who is that to cross with kids and lots of stuff?

tell me, tell me--sell me on this place

[beachmouse]

In terms of fast food, you won't find McDonalds and the like, but there are a good number of places where you can grab a reasonably quick bite.

There's a Publix in Watercolor for general grocery needs, and some smaller specialty grocers like Modica Market in Seaside and For the Health of It in Blue Mountain Beach.

[wrobert]

Tell me all about Seagrove Beach. We are only familiar with Destin and have not even been down 30-A.

Tell me about the eating places--any "fast food" places near by? Is there a major name grocery store?

The place we are looking at is across 30-a from the gulf--who is that to cross with kids and lots of stuff?

tell me, tell me--sell me on this place

We got these huge blue signs to tell you where to go as well as lighted flashy crosswalks to get you across the street.

[sowalgayboi]

Actually the flashing crosswalks are only in Dune Allen.

As for Seagrove there is no fast food. However there is Flip-Flops Grill, Cocoon's Deli, Yianni's Seagrove Grill, Amavida, Bruno's Pizza, Pizza by the Sea, Angelina's, and Boardwalk Cafe. All are open for lunch and reasonably priced.

[Beach Runner]

I love Seagrove. It's in the middle of 30-A corridor, so you don't have to drive too far to anything. It's close to Seaside but not as congested (except at the 395/30-A intersection in the summer, but off 30-A it's not congested), doesn't have the limited amount of beachfront properties that Watercolor does (most places in Watercolor are just too far to walk to the beach). I like the beach better than Grayton because you don't have to walk so far to get from the beginning of the sand to the water (that's a hike!). Eastern Lake in Seagrove has a nice outflow for kids to play in (as does Grayton), but it's not congested like Grayton and, again, not as long of a walk to the water.

Crossing 30-A: well, that's something you have to be careful about no matter where you stay in the area. But there are plenty of places south of 30-A, especially in the Eastern Lake Road area of Seaside (my neighborhood). It's all south of 30-A.

Seagrove has a Publix, plus a Tom Thumb if you really want to pick up a few grocery items fast.

Fast food doesn't exist on 30-A, but there is food that is fast. My feeling is that there's too much fast food at home; when I'm on vacation, I want something different.

Breakfast: we usually eat cereal at home, but we also like Amavida Coffee in Seagrove, Modica in Seaside (not too congested at breakfast time), and especially Hibiscus Café in Grayton -- like I said, nothing on 30-A is too far from Seagrove.

Brunch: Love the endless champagne brunch at Fire in Grayton, and like the brunch at Great Southern in Seaside.

Lunch: Seagrove Market Café, Flip-Flops, Bruno's pizza buffet, Cocoon's for sandwiches and prepared salads, etc., Red Bar in Grayton, Wild Olives in Rosemary.

Pizza: Bruno's, Pizza By The Sea, Angelina's, then there's our favorite, Amoré at Gulf Place -- again Seagrove is in the middle geographically so even that isn't too far.

Dinner: Any lunch or pizza place. There's a Goatfeathers in Seagrove for picking up fresh seafood and grilling an easy dinner at home. Then if you want to splurge, in Seagrove we have Café 30-A , plus not far from Bud & Alley's in Seaside or Borago in Grayton.

I prefer Seagrove to any area along 30-A after staying on many occasions all along 30-A while we were building our home.

[HYDROSTAN]

We got these huge blue signs to tell you where to go as well as lighted flashy crosswalks to get you across the street.
Hey WGOP- I was supposed to say that.:floor:

[HYDROSTAN]

We got these huge blue signs to tell you where to go as well as lighted flashy crosswalks to get you across the street.
Hey WGOP- I was supposed to say that.:floor:

[up4golf]

make sure you stay near a public beach access, private beach access could be an issue if you are not gulf front. ask who you will be renting from about that.

[Beach Runner]

make sure you stay near a public beach access, private beach access could be an issue if you are not gulf front. ask who you will be renting from about that.
That's not totally true. We have a private beach access and a beach that anyone renting in our neighborhood can use, regardless of if they are staying beachfront or not.

And beach access should be a question for any area along the Highway 30-A corridor, not just Seagrove.

We stopped staying in Destin because we got tired of staying at high-density condos, having to fight for a lounge chair near the pool, and then having the pool closed 5 days out of 7 because a kid pooped in the pool (this happened the last two times we were in Destin, and we never went back). We decided we wanted to rent a house with a private pool, found one in Seagrove (we had never heard of Seagrove actually), and now we own a home with a private pool there.

[waterst1]

Didn't you try to sell your house and private pool last year?

[sowalgayboi]

make sure you stay near a public beach access, private beach access could be an issue if you are not gulf front. ask who you will be renting from about that.

Seagrove doesn't have the problems that other areas have.

[Beach Runner]

Didn't you try to sell your house and private pool last year?
Bad timing. That's not a reflection on Seagrove. Didn't know the market would tank right as we put it on the market. It is now off the market.

Our plan is to downsize so that we no longer need to rent. I'm sick of dealing with renters' damage, and I want to be able to leave our personal stuff out so we don't have to pack it away (like $100 knives that renters would put in the dishwasher and ruin, clothes and makeup in the closets and bathrooms so we don't have to pack when we come down, food in the refrigerator and the pantry), and also be able to stay there all summer when school is out if I want to.

[seaside2]

My advice:
Get south of 30A, especially if you are going to be there during the vacation season. Lots of traffic on 30A.
Get beachfront if you possibly can.
forget a place with a pool. The Gulf is just too good to fool with a pool. Lots of pools inland at peoples houses, etc. The beach is what it is all about.
BR had a great list of places to eat. See the dining thread on here. It'll tell you the story.
Seagrove is a very good place to be, in my not so humble opinion.
You do need to see Grayton, etc.

[jdarg]

I think volumes have been written about each beach on 30A. Try the search option- it should keep you occupied for at least a week!

[Beach Runner]

We use the pool more than the beach. It's so refreshing to take a dip in the pool after sweating at the beach and being covered in sand. It's especially nice to have the pool when the seaweed arrives.

Hubby gets bored at the beach. He likes to be working. At the pool he can be close to his laptop. Also we can put the TV outside and watch football games or other sports events while we're in the pool.

IMO if you're in SoWal, you have to visit Grayton. We like to eat at Hisbiscus, Red Bar, and Borago in Grayton at least once when we're in town.

[kathydwells]

I :wub:Seagrove Beach. :wave:

Now, would someone please clear up something for me? I have been wanting to ask this question for a while, but did not want to see like a big dumbo. Sometimes I am directionally challenged, so when people say "South of 30-A" isn't that the beach? I mean in my mind you can't go "South of 30-A, just East and West"....so what am I missing?

[jdarg]

I :wub:Seagrove Beach. :wave:

Now, would someone please clear up something for me? I have been wanting to ask this question for a while, but did not want to see like a big dumbo. Sometimes I am directionally challenged, so when people say "South of 30-A" isn't that the beach? I mean in my mind you can't go "South of 30-A, just East and West"....so what am I missing?

The Villas are south of 30A.:biggrin::clap:

"South of 30-A" means you don't have to cross 30-A to go to the beach.

[seaside2]

30-A goes sort of east and west, and yes, "South of 30-A" means you do not have to cross it to get to the beach.


Now if I can just get Ms Seaside to figure out the directions to the grocery store!!:bang:

[kathydwells]

The Villas are south of 30A.:biggrin::clap:

"South of 30-A" means you don't have to cross 30-A to go to the beach.

I thought that is what was meant...so I am not as challenged as I thought I was. ;-) Thank you friend, for setting me straight. :wave:

30-A goes sort of east and west, and yes, "South of 30-A" means you do not have to cross it to get to the beach.


Now if I can just get Ms Seaside to figure out the directions to the grocery store!!:bang:

Thank you as well. Do you know the directions to the grocery store? Perhaps, you could do Ms. Seaside a favor and get groceries for HER! ;-):wave:

[Beach Runner]

BR had a great list of places to eat.
OOPS! I forgot the Taco Bar at Seaside. That's some great fast food! Good for lunch, dinner, a snack, or drinks. By "or" I mean the "inclusive or.":biggrin:

[seaside2]

Do you know the directions to the grocery store? Perhaps, you could do Ms. Seaside a favor and get groceries for HER! ;-):wave:[/quote]


OK, Let's visualize this:

I come home with a bunch of sacks of stuff from Schnucks and say

" Hi honey, I'm home and I brought you a lot of stuff to cook"

And she says

"BITE ME!!!"

Looks like an expensive trip to the store to me. :rofl::floor::funn:

[ktschris]

Do you know the directions to the grocery store? Perhaps, you could do Ms. Seaside a favor and get groceries for HER! ;-):wave:


OK, Let's visualize this:

I come home with a bunch of sacks of stuff from Schnucks and say

" Hi honey, I'm home and I brought you a lot of stuff to cook"

And she says

"BITE ME!!!"

Looks like an expensive trip to the store to me. :rofl::floor::funn:[/quote]

You must be from St. Louis :cool:

[STL Don]

My advice:
Get south of 30A, especially if you are going to be there during the vacation season. Lots of traffic on 30A.
Get beachfront if you possibly can.
forget a place with a pool. The Gulf is just too good to fool with a pool. Lots of pools inland at peoples houses, etc. The beach is what it is all about.
BR had a great list of places to eat. See the dining thread on here. It'll tell you the story.
Seagrove is a very good place to be, in my not so humble opinion.
You do need to see Grayton, etc.

My daughters insist on having access to a pool during the summer because for them it is the best way to cool off.

[scooterbug44]

Seagrove Beach is the anti-Destin! Great food at non-chain restaurants, family friendly, much less traffic and crowding.

Few condos, lots of single family houses, old gnarly scrub oak trees, uncrowded beaches (and no private beach buttheads so far), and close to many great places to visit.

I would verify just how close the house is to a beach access/30A, but most places are a short walk from the beach (and some have rooftop towers perfect for a sunset drink w/ an ocean view) and are close to the multiuse path that runs the length of 30A and is great for biking, jogging, etc.

You will also be a short drive/bike from many 30A communities that show outdoor movies, concerts, and have cute shops.

[tsutcli]

The only thing I would caution you about if you rent North of 30-a (you have to cross 30-a to get to the beach ) is to NOT rent anywhere where you have to use the public access across from Tom Thumb. The traffic around there is terrible from cars going to the grocery and for gas. It's the only gas station on that end of 30-a in Seagrove so you know it is busy at all hours.

[seaside2]

OK, Let's visualize this:

I come home with a bunch of sacks of stuff from Schnucks and say

" Hi honey, I'm home and I brought you a lot of stuff to cook"

And she says

"BITE ME!!!"

Looks like an expensive trip to the store to me. :rofl::floor::funn:

You must be from St. Louis :cool:[/quote]

Naw, they bought out the Sessel's chain from albertson here in the Memphis area.

Do like St. Louis though

[Beach Runner]

Last year one of my friends asked me about her daughter and some sorority sisters at Georgia Tech renting at Beachwood Villas where the crossover to the beach is right at Tom Thumb. I told her as long as the girls were very careful about crossing at Tom Thumb, it would be fine. I think that if you have a rental where the crossover is at that intersection, the ethical thing to do is to warn your guests to be careful at that intersection. In the case to which I refer, it didn't deprive anyone at Beachwood of a rental. And the girls will be back because they liked it there -- great location for the price.

BTW hubby and I always stop for pedestrians trying to cross Highway 30-A. It's somewhat of a mantra for us.

[sowalgayboi]

OOPS! I forgot the Taco Bar at Seaside. That's some great fast food! Good for lunch, dinner, a snack, or drinks. By "or" I mean the "inclusive or.":biggrin:

You didn't forget, Seaside isn't Seagrove. ;-)

My daughters insist on having access to a pool during the summer because for them it is the best way to cool off.

The issue with the pool that I have discovered is that parents go on vacation too. What I mean by this is that with a pool right at the house the parents can relax in the morning and enjoy their breakfast and the kids can go play in the pool. Even though I don't have kids, I have a neice and have experienced plenty of 6 o'clock mornings thinking it was an Earthquake when she was jumping on the bed ready to go to the beach. Seriously, 4 years old and she was in bathing suit and covered in suntan lotion. Of course she still can't tie her shoes. :idontno::roll:

[Beach Runner]

Seaside and Seagrove are contiguous. So they are zero miles apart. And actually Watercolor used to advertise itself as being in Seagrove. So the question is, where does Seagrove start and end? My point is that Seagrove is so centrally located on 30-A that it is convenient to all of the previously mentioned commercial developments.

[Andy A.]

All areas in SoWal are beautiful but I am biased toward Blue Mt. Beach. Once again, may I suggest you research Bella Vita, Adagio and Sea Bluff. All have pools and access to the beach. Rentals at Sea Bluff are very reasonable, comparatively speaking. It is a much better area IMO but as I said I'm biased.

[sowalgayboi]

Seaside and Seagrove are contiguous. So they are zero miles apart. And actually Watercolor used to advertise itself as being in Seagrove. So the question is, where does Seagrove start and end? My point is that Seagrove is so centrally located on 30-A that it is convenient to all of the previously mentioned commercial developments.

Follow the big blue signs. :funn:

Seriously though I would consider Seagrove from just East of Seaside all the way to the Western Edge of WaterSound.

[Beach Runner]

Follow the big blue signs. :funn:

Seriously though I would consider Seagrove from just East of Seaside all the way to the Western Edge of WaterSound.
Hey, don't follow the big blue sign that you see when driving south on 395 just before 30-A. You'd crash into the house at that intersection because it says that Seagrove is straight ahead. :yikes:

I think you're right on the east/west boundaries of Seagrove.

[sowalgayboi]

Hey, don't follow the big blue sign that you see when driving south on 395 just before 30-A. You'd crash into the house at that intersection because it says that Seagrove is straight ahead. :yikes:

I think you're right on the east/west boundaries of Seagrove.

This one still boggles my mind since I consider Seagrove to run North to Suzanne Drive. The funny thing is that you are "in" Seagrove and the "way finding signs" are still directing you South to someone's living room. :funn:

[DuneLaker]

Glad you are coming to our area. Exactly where Seagrove is located can be debated. It is on 30A and I think near latitude 30. Walton County only has three incorporated cities, all north of the bay. They are DeFuniak Springs, Freeport and Paxton. Our communities in SoWal have somewhat fuzzy borders. Some have old plats that could be considered a basis for their borders. The newer resorts have plats that indicate their borders.