Seagrove Villas Motel Final Photos and Memories

By SoWal Staff, 08/31/12

The historic Seagrove Villas Motel has welcomed SoWal beach lovers for over 60 years, but the doors have closed and the neon sign dimmed for the final time.

All that will remains are the memories of so many beach lovers who have stayed at the motel and villas over the years. Thankfully, a few of the cottages on the north side of Scenic 30A will remain as shops. Perhaps to some a sad reminder of sunny days gone by when they visited the motel as part of "Old Florida".

Since 1952, the Seagrove Villas were a popular South Walton getaway, and in many ways a reflection of real estate development in our area. The mom-and-pop motel started as a summer retreat with two concrete-block duplex cottages in the middle of nowhere. And what a magical nowhere it was back then -- a 30-foot bluff right on the Gulf along a pristine stretch of the Panhandle beach, halfway between Panama City and Fort Walton, in the still-unincorporated town of Seagrove. It was even marketed at the time with the clever catch phrase “where nature did its best.”

Click here to read more of the SoWal story from May 2010 about the history of the Seagrove Villas Motel.

Click here for a discussion about Seagrove Villas Motel.

Comments

Submitted by Hans Lhotzky on 08/13/12.

It was a gret place for the time and had a regular set of snowbirds visiiting. Our four years there, from 1995 on were made very pleasant by the mmanager Mary Ann Cofer,...wherever she may be right now.

Submitted by Vanessa on 08/14/12.

My Family and I really enjoyed staying at this place!!!! We are very Sad to see it go!!!

Submitted by Wellborn's on 08/14/12.

My extended family rented the entire group of villas in 1967 and had a family reunion. I was 6 years old. Wow have things changed.

Submitted by Danielle Garrett on 08/16/12.

This breaks my heart! I am grateful for the memories. I've searched for something even remotely similar on 30-A to no avail. This place was truly special.

Submitted by SoWal Visitor on 09/18/12.

I realize the Motor Courts are in the middle of busy Seaside, but they feel a world away from everything when you're sitting in the courtyard. I think Cottage Rental Agency rents them. They've been updated fairly recently and are adorable. If you want a motor court hotel experience on 30-A this is the place to try.

Submitted by Beth Riley on 08/16/12.

We passed this motel so many times over the years and wondered what it was like. Thankfully, we finally stayed there in May 2012. It was so wonderful to step outside our bedroom onto a clear, unobstructed view of that gorgeous turquoise water. All we had to do was sit and enjoy or just take the few steps down the bluff to be right on the water. Obviously, it was not like the luxury condos or expensive beach homes inside but it was clean, had great AC and again - had the best view on 30-A. And for us - that's what it's all about!

Submitted by Kathy Wells on 08/16/12.

We had 9 great years and several trips in-between our summer vacations there. I sure will miss it. So many memories made there. :(

Submitted by SoWal Visitor on 08/16/12.

It is a very sad day in the hearts of so many to see this place go. It has memories so deep imbedded in our hearts and souls. Pops and Memaw Flowers, Linda and AL, Woody and Emery and Betsey Elikns , the Flower's families list of grandchildren gave us all many wonderful memories and filled our bellies with great meals.
The beginning Seagrove 4th of July parade, when only one trophy was given and it was held at the Seagrove Villas Restaurant for the year with your picture for all to see. It was the fight each year to hold the honored trophy.
The meals that Emery would whip up in the kitchen while I sat in the corner and was one of his many dishwashers over the years. My mother was one of the waitresses and the place was simple, but the food was delicious!
A few years later my father-in-law would catch a load of fresh mullet from the gulf and we would go up and trade the load of fish for credit for meals in the restaurant. It was a gathering place for locals and lucky tourist who stumble upon the place . The reservation schedule was always tight. Mrs. Flowers had a chart laid out on the counter with names written in pencil and some in ink. Families came every summer like clock work, others just stumbled upon and many were turned away due to always being full. Mrs. Flowers would work hard to shift things around to make room if possible. The flowers were the only place to rent an unbrella and chairs for many years. The only gas station on 30-A was the village market and the closes place to get a bag of ice or beer. The closest real grocery store was the IGA in Santa Rosa Beach or Kelly's IGA in Freeport. If it was the 4th of July, locals knew to load up on ice, because Seagrove would be sold out by 10am and the water would be at a trickle if any due to the overload of people in town. AL bought an ice machine and put me to work filling backs and stocking the coolers to prepare for the new adventure in the ice business. Things were simple and people enjoyed it that way.

Submitted by SoWal Visitor on 08/17/12.

We have stayed there for over 15 years, and are VERY sad that it lost the battle to real estate. It was a true gem on the Florida coast and will be missed.

Submitted by admin on 08/18/12.

Thanks for your comments - it means a lot to us to hear your stories and preserve some of the memories and love for the Seagrove Villas.

Submitted by Paul & Jean Amick on 08/21/12.

We have many fond memories of vacations at Seagrove Villas. It really did represent "A Step Back in Time." We're left with the pictures, the memories, and a treasured coffee mug.

Submitted by toni bragg eberflus on 08/21/12.

I am truly heartbroken to say the least. A few years back, I drove down to Florida looking for a place to stay in an effort to regroup following aggressive chemotherapy and radiation. The people there went out of their way to make my stay comfortable and therapeutic. I had the time of my life. What started out as a one week visit turned into a several month stay. I am so very sorry to hear of its closing....what a waste....I am so sorry they lost their battle to real estate. It took me back to a simpler time. I doubt there is anything else on 30-A to compare.

Submitted by SoWal Visitor on 08/28/12.

The Browns will always remember this wonderful spot, Nikki and the rest of the crew made us welcomed always. We came between 1991 ans 2001 until we bought our Brown Eyed Girl beach house in Summers Edge. I loved taking my son across to the diner in the early mornings for pancakes. Great memories!!! -Josh, Kathy & Nicholas Brown, Dunwoody, GA

Submitted by William Clark on 08/28/12.

My family and I vacationed at Seagrove for what must have been 10 to 12 years in the 70's and early 80's. Looking at the photographs above really took me back... I remember the pool with the long sidewalk leading to it, the long set of steps down to the beautiful beach, the long, lonely drive out to the middle of nowhere along 30A (what a difference from today), the Seagrove restaurant (crab claws and bacon-wrapped shrimp!), the Flowers family, seeing some of the same families every summer, and so many other great memories. I can remember walking to the beach at certain times of the day and not seeing a soul in either direction. There weren't 100 channels of TV in those days, so you spent all your time on the beach, in the pool, fishing, or playing games. You could safely cross 30A with no fear of even seeing vehicles. We caught fish and crabs right in the surf and had them for dinner. We found driftwood, shells and sand dollars galore. The cabins were simple, but were much like home. I've driven by many times in the past 20 years and seen the many changes along 30A, but was always so happy to see that Seagrove had survived. Very sorry to see it go. A very precious part of my memories as a child. God bless!

William Clark, Thomasville, Georgia

Submitted by Vicki Brown on 08/30/12.

I started going to Seagrove in the 1970s. After I got married Seagrove Villas was always our place.
Mr and mrs. Flowers granddaughter would baby sit my daughter Hannah for us to go out.
And Hannah thought the Fourth of July parade was for her birthday.

We found sand dollars got sunburned and spent some of our best times ever with my husband's mother and his late father.

When the Flowers sold out and the owners began developing the green area we moved down the beach to Grayton but we will always have fond memories of Seagrove Villas.

Submitted by Connie Ohm on 08/30/12.

I'm soooo sad :( my family and I just loved the Seagrove Villas! We loved kicking back in the hammocks and the grass huts added that island feel. It was like a little Heaven on Earth. We lucked out and got to stay in the front villa that had a private hot tub for two weeks! Oh what a blessing that was! I remember sitting in the hot tub at night and the wind would blow and the air was filled with the smell of the ocean and Jasmine. We had such a relaxing fun time and our kids still say it will always be their favorite vacation! I loved the Tropical hand painted murals that were on all of the walls! We will forever cherish our memories there and our beautiful photographs! Now I must get out my box of puffs.... no make that two! :( We will miss Seagrove Villas! Thanks so much for the memories! The Ohm Family from Columbus Ohio

Submitted by Bill H on 09/11/12.

We have a cottage on the beach just 3 down from the Seaqgrove Villas (used to be 2 houses) that my family bought in the late 60's. We've been going ever since and spent weeks there every summer. My best friend, my brothers and my cousins all grew up there every summer. The Flowers were always the best and the restaurant a great place for food and company. We met plenty of visitors from the motel some of who bought property or were regular guests for many years. We ate many a meal at the Wheelhouse and enjoyed them all.
The beach was so much bigger and uncrowded back then, the days longer and the nights relaxed and mild. There was no traffic anywhere and you could walk for miles on the beach without ever feeling crowded and some days without seeing a soul. Fishing was easy and no one ever bothered to harass you for a license, tell you not to drink a beer or look down on you for being a "local" (or not). The biggest and most prestigous house on the beach was the sand castle you built that day and the nearest "party place" was the old wooden store at Grayton.
When Seaside came in we all knew it was the begining of the end and I, for one, will always treasure the way it was. No land grabbing, overinflated, hyper expensive ,packed togethger "bungalows", no fighting over a parking space , no $10 hot dogs and no crowds of snobs trying to outspend each other at ridiculously priced out-of-place eateries and bars. And no idiotic "entertainment tax" , left wing "Seaside Times" propaganda sheets, no high sherrif turtle patrols running you off your own land and Seagrove Beach was a blissful state of mind not a cheap t-shirt or a "poor neighbor" to glitz-ville.
We can only hope another condo, high-rise or other monstrosity of greed doesn't appear next to our cottage but who knows ? One thing is for sure, the beach and the ocean are still there and still just as gorgeous as ever. We can never again walk down the sidewalk that used to connect all the houses next to the Villas to meet friends or chat with the guests, never have a grouper sandwich at the Wheelhouse restaurant or just spend a lazy uncrowded day on the beach but we will always remember those days fondly and maybe somewhere another place will be found like the Villas and Seagrove Beach. But.. don't ask me where and if you know, keep it a secret.

Submitted by SoWal Visitor on 05/08/13.

The area sounds so nice.....I'm looking for a place right on the beach for about a week if we can get our time away....and it doesn't cost to much...

Submitted by SoWal Visitor on 09/22/12.

My Wife I and I fell in love all over again, every Vacation, in those old cottages.. We raised our Boys there, Summer after Summer. For years it was all that we could afford. It broke our hearts, today, doing a drive-by for old times sake, only to see the already leveled grounds. If ever there was a an old-Florida icon that should have somehow been preserved, this would surely have been it.

Submitted by Cookie on 10/19/12.

My entire family is so sad to see this place go! We had several extended family vacations there. We usually rented 3-4 units and even if the place was full it seemed that we had the beach and pool to ourselves! This is where I got engaged in 2003! It is heartbreaking to see it go, but thankful we got to experience it at all!

Submitted by SoWal Visitor on 11/20/12.

I was trying to book a room at Seagrove Villas for our family vacation and couldn't find a company that sells it. Finally I realized it doesn't exist anymore...How sad, how very very sad...:(
All that left are great memories and pictures from 10 years ago...

Submitted by SoWal Visitor on 01/20/13.

Honestly, my favorite place on earth for the last 20 years--comfy, unpretentious, affordable, and a drop-dead gorgeous ocean-front access & view. It was too good to be true. So many great memories!

Submitted by Samantha M on 01/26/13.

So sad to read this! My husband and I stayed at the Seagrove Villas in Aug 2008 and were married on the beach right below our top floor room. The grounds were clean, quiet, steps from the sand, and our stay was perfect. We had hoped to stay there again for our 5th anniversary! My husband stayed there in the 90's when he lived in Pensacola. I guess we will just have to make do with our wonderful memories! What a treasure we all enjoyed!

Submitted by SoWal Visitor on 02/13/13.

This makes me sick. We missed going to Seagrove Villas last year due to both of our children's weddings. We decided last night to book a room for a week this spring. It has been our place for years. So relaxing and non-chaotic. My husband would drive around the world not to have to go through Destin. This was our very favorite place to vacation and unwind. I want to cry. What great memories we have made at Sea Grove Villas. There is nothing else like it. We won't be coming to the area anymore due to the congestion and rat race. A Shame.
MG

Submitted by SoWal Visitor Donna Wingfield on 03/15/13.

One of my favorite places in the world. I am just still sick I saw all this happening last spring when I went to make reservation. Got on site to see if anythiing has been built in its place. I can't seem to find any place to compare. If any one knows of anything been built in its place, please pass it on. After 7 years of staying at Seagrove Villia's, still grieving.