The Cottages of Camp Creek

[beckster]

Hi everyone,
After staying in Seaside for a few years, we're trying something new and have rented a house at The Cottages of Camp Creek (a great deal!) in Seacrest. We're not as familiar with this section of beach and are expecting it to look different due to the storm damage. I've looked at the most recently posted pictures. Does anyone know if any of the pictures were taken from the area of The Cottages of Camp Creek?
We'll be there next weekend and are so excited to be headed back to our favorite beach!
Thanks for your help!

[gotothebeachmom]

Hi everyone,
After staying in Seaside for a few years, we're trying something new and have rented a house at The Cottages of Camp Creek (a great deal!) in Seacrest. We're not as familiar with this section of beach and are expecting it to look different due to the storm damage. I've looked at the most recently posted pictures. Does anyone know if any of the pictures were taken from the area of The Cottages of Camp Creek?
We'll be there next weekend and are so excited to be headed back to our favorite beach!
Thanks for your help!

We are in Seacrest Beach North. Our guests are delighted with the beach. Miss Paula, who is a very informed poster has a place in Camp Creek. Do a search for her posts. I think all is fine, but Paula would have the 411. :D

Have a great week! :clap_1:

[beckster]

Thank you for the information. I'll do some more looking around.

[gotothebeachmom]

Thank you for the information. I'll do some more looking around.
Sorry, I found Paula's info for you.

Re: Seacrest Beach - Arlene damage?
I just checked with our association president and he said our beach walk over at Seacrest (not the Seacrest beach development resort) did just fine. That's good because we just had it built after Ivan last November!
__________________
Paula

Thanks Paula, for all your great posts! :clap_1:

Beckster,

:welcome:

[Paula]

Dear Beckster:

Yes, we have two cottages at the Cottages at Camp Creek -- Ahhh The Good Life and Key Lime Cottage. I called the guests who were at the cottage right after Arlene, and they said all as fine. I also called our Association president and asked about the path to the beach and the boardwalk (which was just rebuilt after Ivan in November) and he said it held up beautifully. As for the beach, I believe you'll be as happy there as anywhere else. It's a small beach in terms of width, but it's also less crowded than most beaches because we don't have really big communities in the area so the beach and beach access serve fewer people. I saw a photo I believe on this discussion board (it would be the same beach as Blue Tide at Seacrest) and it looks like the sand near the ocean is white and fine, then there is some of the black peat near the dunes, and perhaps some of the dunes (that were just rebuilt) lost a few feet at their foundation. If you took photos near the water and several feet back, you would have the same white sand/emerald green water look and feel that you expect of the beaches along here. There typically is a small natural stream just about 2 inches deep that goes from the dune to the left of the beach access to the ocean which is great if you have children. They like to build sandcastles along the stream. You may see one house about 3 hourses from the right of the beach access that has the edge of the porch still hanging a few feet over the edge of the dune since Ivan -- gives you a sense of how high up the water went during Ivan last year (it was still like that when I was there early in May).

We have an 11 year old and 13 year old and their favorite things to do are to take a bucket and catch frogs near the pool in the morning (then name them and let them go), swim in the pool, go to the beach and build sandcastles, do puzzles and play games, go to Angelinas for lunch on Mondays - Friday when they have specials, go to The Red Bar, go to the dollar store in Panama City Beach (there are plenty of them) to shop for gifts (we bring them there because they can shop for about an hour and get it out of their system and not cost us much at all -- I bring a book to read when the're there), go to Thomas's donuts (inexpensive and old-fashioned not-good-for-you-at-all kind) in Panama City Beach (but remember the roads will be crowded and it may not be worth the trip). We also like to take a trip to Grayton Beach State Park (about 10 miles from the cottages) because it costs about $5.00/car for the day and there are bathrooms, picnic tables, grills, showers, changing rooms, etc. and you can see what the coastline looked like before people built beach front buildings. Deer Lake state park is awesome and worth a trip (about 1-2 miles from the cottages), but it's hard to stay there all day because of the lack of convenient bathrooms. Seaside (about 6 miles from the cottages) has the free concerts, movies, and plays in the evenings. Rosemary Beach now has free concerts, sandcastle building lessons, and movies as well, so check their website to see what's going on. The Cottages at Camp Creek are a short walk across the street to the beach, 200 yards or about a 4 minute walk. Very easy and quick to get back and forth.

We love our small community (in large part, because it's small). It's fresh and new, is nestled in the natural environment of the coast (oak shrubs and other native plants/trees), mostly one story cottages (nice because you get a great view of the stars at night from the hot tub and pool) with about 6 large cottages in the back and about 6 large ones in the front, has a large pool for the number of people who use it, and you're likely to meet other nice people vacationing with and without children when you're there, as well as some friendly people who don't rent their cottages. Each cottage has a large porch that tends to be nicely furnished for relaxing. Most have grills as well. There is a small private yard in front of each porch that gives you a sense of privacy and space, as well as two car private parking for each cottage right next to the back door of the cottage. Again, we love it -- very lovely and convenient (of course, we're quite biased as I'm sure everyone is when they talk about their own places/communities).

Just let me know if you have any more questions. We'll be there in mid July and again in August. Can't wait to get there. Wish we could get there more often.

Best,
Paula

[Paula]

I just found this statement on another post on another thread from today, so you can put your mind at ease for sure:

"The beach in Seacrest/Camp Creek/Watersound was amazing yesterday. Bright green warm water, but crystal clear. Lots of shells, and periodically you would pass little groups of people lazing in their private little beach worlds. Worth every penny I ever earned, in my view, just to be able to be there yesterday."

Best,
Paula

[beckster]

Paula,
Thank you so much for the information. You went above and beyond!!!
I've made notes on the restaurants and parks you recommended. We'll be there for a week and will have time to check it out. We love going to Seaside and the surrounding area so much and were so sad to hear about all the beach damage, but it sounds like it's making a comeback. I've got 2 five year olds who will love the stream for sure!
Thank you for your kind response!

[Paula]

Beckster:

You are most welcome. You will find the Cottages at Camp Creek to be perfect for families with young children because it is a small and very manageable community, the pool is fenced in all around, the parking is very convenient, and the porches and little yard in front of the cottages create a "natural" boundary for your young children to play in. You are also likely to meet other people because you'll know that anyone you see in the community is staying there because we don't have shops, restaurants, etc. Just cottages, pool, hot tub, a little driveway/road that circles around the cottages so people can get to their cottage (and kids ride their bikes/scooters on this road), and a beach across the street. I find it extremely relaxing.

Just let me know if you have any more questions.

Best,
Paula

[seagrovelover]

Paula....you are making me want to leave right now :wub:

[kathydwells]

Paula....you are amking me want to leave right now :wub:

It won't be long and we will be there.......5 days and counting. :clap_1:

[Paula]

Me, too. I want to be there as soon as I can (but it won't be until mid-July). That's why I spend time on this discussion board. I can at least dream about our cottages and the area even if I'm not there!

As for dining, if you don't want to dine out and don't want to cook, a great strategy is to get take-out either at some of the take-out places in Seagrove (4 miles away) or go to Publix and get ready-made food. It's less expensive than going out (and it makes it easier than a restaurant often is with young children -- and it's really nice to eat on the porch or at the beach,especially at sunset. I believe Bruno's pizza delivers to the Cottages at Camp Creek as well. Just remember that the entrance gate closes at 6:00 PM so someone has to let them in!

sigh... not only do I want to be there, but now I'm hungry, too!

[beckster]

I know what you mean as far as "I can't wait!" goes. We booked this earlier this year and have thought about it every day. After you've been once, it's hard to vacation elsewhere. We live in Houston and have beaches close by, but they don't compare in anyway. One word: BROWN!

[seagrovelover]

Beckster......I agree with you, once you go to South Walton beaches nothing else seems good enough!!!! we love it there so much and count the days down from the day we book.:cool: I hope you have a wonderful trip :biggrin:

[Shar]

I came across this site in my last minute "mad dash" search to find out about grocery stores, things to do, etc., for our trip to The Cottages at Camp Creek. We will be there for a week beginning June 25. While we plan to just sit and enjoy the beach and pool, because we are toting 3 kids, we'd like to venture out a bit so--

Since it appears some of you are returnees and some are regulars . . . can you help me out with a few questions:

-Is there a good place to go snorkeling near by with "good stuff" to see? kayaking?
-how far of a walk is it to the beach from The Cottages?
-any family friendly restaurants--maybe with music in the afternoon/evenings?
-any special "to-dos", suggestions for kids (9 year old boy and 13 year old girl) (relatively inexpensive)
-I've heard there is a Publix nearby that is a great grocery store. Any suggestions for takeout/delivery as well
-Any other suggestions, comments, etc. for "to-dos" or "to-sees" would be greatly appreciated.

This will be our first time staying at Camp Creek and are very excited about it!

Thanks for your help!
-Shar

[RiverOtter]

I can help with some of your questions. There are severa threads on the boards that would answer most all of your questions.

Check out the restaurant thread - most all restaurants are kid friendly. Only the very expensive ones like Fish Out Of Water, Cafe 30A are not so kid friendly, however we take our then 6&8 yr olds in Cafe 30A as long as they are armed with Gameboys :biggrin:

Take the kids to Grayton beach and they can play in Western lake and the Gulf. This if free.

We take ours to Big Kahuna's in Destin for the waterpark. Go early!

2 Publix within easy driving distance with great take out food.

[Paula]

We own two cottages at the Cottages at Camp Creek and have two children, ages 11 and 13. It's an extremely family-friendly community. The beach is just across the street. You go to the front of the entrance of the cottages, cross the street, turn left and walk past about 2-3 houses and take the beach access to the beach. It's about 200 yards/5 minute walk. Very easy. It's easy to carry beach chairs and a cooler on wheels. The pool is very big and it serves a small community so that is very nice. If your rental doesn't leave beach/pool stuff, then you may want to bring some air mattresses for the pool because they can be pricey right on 30A (although they may be cheaper at the supermarkets).

A typical day for our family is:

I get up early because I like to and I sit on the porch with a cup of tea and scone or something and read until the kids and my husband wake up. The porches are great.

When our kids wake up, they loike to go right to the pool and look for frogs and put them in buckets, name them, show them to us, then let them go. (early morning)

We go to the beach in the morning when it's a bit cooler than in the afternoon. There is a little stream from the dune to the water that the kids build sandcastles around. The adults bring beach chairs and read.

For lunch, We eat lunch back at the cottage (we sometimes get ready-made food from Public, about 4 miles from the cottage) or we eat out. We prefer to eat out during lunch because it's cheaper than eating out at dinner. We go to Angelina's during the weekdays for an inexpensive lunch special (e.g., $4.99) or pizza from Brunos (which we hear has a great lunch buffet special but we haven't tried that) or lunch at Red Bar, or fried oysters at Seagrove market or Hurricanes at Seaside. Also, the kids don't like to sit in restaurants long so we sometimes order a take-out meal and then complement it with our own grocery store bought cans of soda pop and dessert (to save money) and eat it at home or at the beach or at a park or on the green at Seaside. I've heard there's quite a bit of construction going on at Seaside now, so I don't know how inviting it will be this year, but it's worth finding out. Most of the cottages also have outdoor grills.

Bruno's pizza at Seagrove delivers but remember that the entrance gate closes at 6:00 so you'll have to go let them in.

We sometimes take the kids to the dollar store in panama city beach (there are lots of them) so they can spend about $2-$5.00 and be entertained buying souveiners (sp?) for quite a while. Bring a book so you don't get bored. We typically do this in the morning and go to Thomas's donuts on the way to the dollar store. A tasty, cheap breakfast (it's kind of a dive but we love it).

We go to Seaside in the evenings for concerts and outdoor musics. This year, I've heard Rosemary beach (which is closer) has them, too. I also hear they have sandcastle building classes during the week. The SoWal calendar may have this information. Bring a blanket and just sit on the lawn. Our kids like to get ice cream at Seaside, but it can be pricey. The beach at Seaside behind Roly Poly sandwiches is a public beach.

We watch the sunset from the Cottages at Camp Creek beach area just about every night. We bring home-made ice cream sundaes in throw-away containers. You can also bring food and drink to the beach but not in glass containers and be sure to clean up afterwards.

We used to catch tiny crabs at night at the beach, but we haven't done it in a while because it's not good for the turtles to use lights at the beach. I think it's OK if you use a red light flashlight. Bring a bucket to keep the crabs in.

When it's dark, we like to float in the pool and watch the stars come out. Since most of the cottages at Camp Creek are one story, you get a great view of the sky. When it's cooler, we sit in the hot tub and watch the stars come out.

We usually do a puzzle as a family when we're there (500 pieces is a good size for a week at the beach) or play games (Outburst Junior is a fun easy-to-learn game for all ages and even your new friends and neighbors will want to play).

We love big Kahunas but have only gone in August when it's not busy. Expensive (e.g., $25 ticket) and the lines may be long for the water rides at peak times. It's fantastic in August when there are no lines.

We go to Grayton Beach State Park which is wonderful and $5.00 car. You can stay there all day because they have bathrooms, showers, grills, picnic tables. It's a state park so you get to see how gorgeous the dunes are when there are no buildings on them -- what the area looked like before all the development.

Deer Lake State Park is great but the lack of bathrooms (just an outhouse or two quite a distance from the beach) makes it hard to stay long. But well worth seeing -- I've never seen anything like the Deer Lake area ever. Gorgeous.

There's a video store in Seagrove in case the kids or adults want to watch a movie or two.

Hope this is helpful. Just email me if you want more information. We LOVE it there and can't wait to get there ourselves in July (and again in August, November, New Years, late February, April...)

[Shar]

Thanks for all your help and suggestions! I have printed your suggestions to take with us.

The ages of my kids are rather spread out but it sounds like we will ALL have a good time --my stepson (9) will have fun with the frogs, my stepdaughter (13) will have fun just laying in the sun and enjoying the pool/beach and my 7 month old will have fun doing just about anything!!! It'll be her first time on the beach, so I am curious to see her reaction to the sand, etc.!

The kids have already conned us into Big Kahuna's and I guess I'll just keep my fingers crossed that it's bearable!

Thanks again for your help!

-Shar

[Paula]

Shar:

If you go to the big Kahuna's I recommend going real early. I bet it gets very crowded and driving along 98 during the peak summer months could take a while. You can find their website online and you may be able to get discount coupons. We've only been there off-peak times and loved it.

As for your 13 year old, my daughter has been reading The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants books (before the movie came out) and she and her friends love the series. I'll bet it's good beach reading.

Have a great time and let me know if you have any more questions. We can't wait for our next trip to the cottages...remember that the sunsets are wonderful...

Paula

[RiverOtter]

The kids have already conned us into Big Kahuna's and I guess I'll just keep my fingers crossed that it's bearable!

Thanks again for your help!

-Shar

Please, GO EARLY! You will have a great time. :cool:

[Shar]

Thanks for the advice. I will rally the troops early for the Big Kahuna trip--maybe that'll make it bearable (yeah, right)!! --checking the website now for (hopefully) discount tickets!

Thanks again--I'll be signing off soon. In exactly 23 minutes I officially start vacation!!! Woooooooohoooooooooooooooo!

[aquaticbiology]

Is there a good place to go snorkeling near by with "good stuff" to see

The best (and sorta safe) wild place for kids to go snokeling (provided they can swim, etc.) is the bay side jetties at St. Andrews State Park in PCB. They can see all sorts of really cool wild sea animals and fish if they're careful. There is no lifeguard or containment. If you're worried about them being swept out to sea or grabbing something stinging, biting or burning (which is very possible in the wild) then take them to the petting area at Gulf World in Ft. Walton. It's a bit worn, but still has the best petting exibits around, besides those at Gulf Specimen Company in Panacea (about a 100+ mile drive one way) which we helped stock.

[gr8mom]

About how many houses are there in Cottages at Camp Creek? Is there still construction going on? Everyone's description of it makes me want to go - too bad we already took our vacation this year :blink:

[Camp Creek Lou]

There are 22 cottages and 12 multi-story homes.

Only one building in the back remains under construction (hurry up!).

L.

[luvthebeach]

There are 22 cottages and 12 multi-story homes.

Only one building in the back remains under construction (hurry up!).

L.

Any idea who the builder/realtor is? :idontno:

[Camp Creek Kid]

The house under construction is being custom built and not for sale. The house next door is for sale though listed through Emerald Waters realty.

[luvthebeach]

Thanks! Those cottages are so cute....love the Key West style.

[gr8mom]

Did someone say that the area is gated and the gate is closed at 6pm? I would guess there would be very little traffic through the neighborhood since it is so small. We've always stayed at Carillon Beach - the construction there is the only thing that irritates me ;-) I have to be very sure of my decision to change locations next year or my husband will not bring me the next time :laughing1

[Paula]

For those of you wondering what it's like at the Cottages at Camp Creek, we're at the Cottages at Camp Creek now for this week. We have two cottages here and LOVE the area because it is very family friendly. The community is gated, although the gates are closing after 6:00 PM this summer (I don't know the exact time). You then have to use a code to get in. It's a very quiet community anyway, even when the gates are open because there's no reason to come here unless you are living/renting here since we have no stores, there's no road to take you anywhere but around the cottages, and it's not a tourist spot. Just 36 pastel-colored one story cottages (with large sitting porches) or so and about 6 larger homes in the front and about 6 in the back. There's a large pool/hot tub in the middle. The landscaping is primarily native plants which is nice and lush. I don't know the exact % of land that has to be kept native, but I believe it's about 40% (don't quote me on that) so you see a lot of green.

Here's a typical vacation day: Today, the kids spent the morning at the pool, then we went to Angelinas for lunch, then we stopped by the Lakewood Beach Access (exactly 3.8 miles from the cottage), then back to the pool, then out to the Inlet beach access (exactly 2.6 miles from the cottage) and the kids had a fantastic time in the ocean (although the ramp to the beach is in pretty bad shape and I don't know if it's officially open to the public). I spend the early morning and late evening on the porch reading (it's too hot to sit outside during the daytime unless you're near water). Tomorrow we'll do the same thing, although we'll look for a different beach access (probably Grayton Beach State Park that costs about $4.00 car and I believe their bathrooms are open and the beach is wonderful -- haven't seen it since Dennis, though) and off to the Red Bar for lunch. It's easy to get very lazy around here...

We had planned to get to Seaside or Rosemary beach for outside concerts/movies, but everyone gets tired from the pool/beach and lazy so we haven't gone out at night other than to go to the pool to watch the stars come out (one of the nice things about having a lot of one-story cottages is that you can really see the stars because there aren't buildings blocking the view).

Cleary, I love this place... When the beach access is back, I'll get back to my routine of taking my tea and a book to the beach in the early morning hours and we'll all head for the beach again to watch the sunset in the evening (these are our traditions that we're not doing this trip because we don't have the beach walkover across the street right now due to Dennis -- but it will be built again though I don't know when).

If you have any specific questions, feel free to email me through this site.

Hope this helps for those of you who wanted to know more.

[Camp Creek Kid]

And if you are a good neighbor, Paula will bring you delicious chocolates from Michigan. Kurt--she has some for you too!

Thanks Paula! :wub:

[wetwilly]

Very cute community and cottages. Sounds great. Anyone know if any are for resale or the prices? Paula or someone that is a realtor out there want to send me any listings?

TIA. :cool:

[Paula]

And if you are a good neighbor, Paula will bring you delicious chocolates from Michigan. Kurt--she has some for you too!

Thanks Paula! :wub:

You're most welcome, Camp Creek Kid. I hope you got to taste a few before your little ones ate them all...

The nice thing about these communities along 30A is that people look out for each other. It was wonderful that several people in our community of the Cottages at Camp Creek contacted me in Michigan before/during/after Dennis in one way or another to give me information -- how to get the cottages boarded up, letting me know all was well when Dennis was over, letting me know the pool was up and running so we could tell our upcoming renters this, and just generally being good neighbors. It clearly takes a village to create a special beach community...

And it seems that each time I come here from Michigan, I bring more and more hand-made Michigan chocolates because there are more and more people to share them with!

I may switch to bringing Zingerman's famous coffee cakes from Ann Arbor in the future (they're harder to pack, though...).

[Paula]

Very cute community and cottages. Sounds great. Anyone know if any are for resale or the prices? Paula or someone that is a realtor out there want to send me any listings?

TIA. :cool:

Thanks. One of the large, 3-story homes is for sale now for about $950. I don't know how much the 2 or 3 bedroom one story cottages would go for now. There hasn't been one for sale since October and I don't know what that went for. I think there are some realtors on this site (though I don't know who they are) who may be able to answer your questions.

I'd say about half (give or take) of the cottages here rent out to guests and the rest are owned by people who use the cottages just for themselves and their families and friends. When Alys Beach is up and running, we'll be about 1/4 - 1/3 mile away from what we expect to be some nice restaurants, shopping, ice cream shops, and coffee shops -- we're probably a few years away from that, but time passes very quickly (I can't believe we've had our place here almost 2 1/2 years already!). Right now, we get our ice cream at the Villages of South Walton near Seacrest Beach and Rosemary Beach (just found their Carvel Ice-Cream shop). Not as crowded at all as Seaside, yet just as nice. We went two days ago, yesterday, and we'll go today as well.