Seaside Trip Recap 2019 | Seaside Travel Guide

If you followed along on Instagram, you know that we spent the end of June in our beloved Seaside, and if you’ve followed along for a while, you know that it’s our family vacation spot every year. In recent years 30A has really gained popularity, so I was astonished by the amount of messages I got requesting a recap post about our time there this year. I have two posts about Seaside already on my blog (see THIS ONE for a trip with friends and THIS ONE for a single family vacay recap). Those posts are pretty in-depth, BUT since things are always changing, I thought that I’d also write a new Seaside Travel Guide recap post about this most recent trip as well!

This year we went with my side of the family (my parents, sister, brother-in-law and their 3 kids….so 11 people total). When we have this many people, we always rent a house in Watercolor (a nearly 1,000 home community that sort of arches around Seaside proper. Our home this year was so pretty and decorated in a farmhouse style that my was neutral and relaxing. See the rental HERE. It had 3 interior queen rooms, a 4 bunk room, 3 full baths + 1/2 bath and then a queen room + bath carriage house. I loved the interior screened porch and the beautiful kitchen. I also really really liked the location. It was easy to get to 395, easy to get to the Watercolor bridge (that takes you to Seaside) and it was within walking distance to the new Camp Watercolor. Staying in Watercolor grants you access to access to their 9 pools, tennis courts and other amenities–which will come in handy if you have littles. Camp Watercolor was just completed this Spring and it was AMAZING. There’s a small kids pool (with a slide), bigger kid pool (with a bigger slide), and a lazy river. There’s also a full service bar and restaurant, along with things like complimentary towels. It was a HUGE asset to us this year. See photos of it HERE.

Here’s a very amateur graphic to give you a visual. The 365 pin was our rental.

If you need more info on where to stay, I feel like 360Blue really does have the best portfolio of rentals. There are some amazingly beautiful homes in the Seaside, Watercolor area—the design and interior details will knock your socks off.

This year we stayed Saturday to Saturday (you’ll find many rentals in the area require a week’s commitment during the busy season). We decided to fly and took a 6am flight out of DFW to Panama City…whew that was an early wake up call…and it shows below lol. Since we paid for 4 seats, each person took a carryon and from there we checked one bag, a carseat bag and golf clubs.

My Stripe Dress (Amazon, Under $20) | My Hat | My Shoes | My Carryon | The Girls’ Shoes

We flew Delta and I’ll just pass on what a great experience we had! The plane was brand new and SO nice. It made the flight 100X easier to have access to tons of shows, movies, and entertainment—without ever having to pull out the ipads. In my bag I had lots of pre-portioned snacks, water bottles for each gal that we filled up in the terminal and lollipops for the end of the flight. It went well.

Lawson’s Paw Patrol Headphones

We ended up getting there before everyone else (they drove in from Louisiana), so we headed straight to the Donut Hole in Rosemary Beach for a lunch. It’s a total tourist spot, but we really do like their food. Their pancakes are beyond good and they have yard games and rocking chairs outside for the kids. Try to go at off hours or else there’s always a long wait. We picked up the golf cart rental on the way in (a must have in my opinion) and checked into our house. Once everyone got there we took the golf cart into Seaside and had a very casual dinner at Pickles. Another total tourist spot, but always on our list. Their fried pickles really are YUM. They also had a teenage girl singing acoustic on the patio and Landry was enamored watching her—it was so cute!

I was so excited to wear this set from Amazon, and used it a ton during the trip. Great to throw on after a long day at the pool or beach and great to wear in the mornings drinking coffee.

My Hoodie | My Shorts (both Amazon Finds)

Here was my swim situation for day one. EVERY SINGLE THING IS AMAZON!!!! Coverup, shoes, swimsuit, hat and beach bag—legit the entire get up with cost you under $75!

Embroidered Coverup (Amazon Find) | Lips Pool Shoes (Amazon Find)  | My Hat | Pool Bag | Ruffle 2 pc Swim (Amazon Find)

I’ve also been asked a lot how I protect my skin in the sun and this is what I like to call my “SPF Dream Team.” I’ve been using this facial sunscreen for years and it’s proven to be amazing and does exactly what it says it does. Protects from the sun, doesn’t break you out and helps keep hyper-pigmentation at bay. Buy it on Amazon HERE. I’ve also really liked this tinted moisturizer. It’s SPF and moisture rich and gives decent coverage. REALLY liked it for vacation wear.

Full Coverage SPF Moisturizer | Facial Sunscreen | Sunscreen that I use for the girls

The first day there we decided to spend at Camp Watercolor. We explored the pools and all enjoyed the slides….and the frozen cocktails. They were SO good! I only dried my hair once that whole week and it felt great! I experimented with lots of ponytail hairstyles and this one was probably my favorite. So easy to do, but the key is really pulling it out and fluffing it to make it look full. I also didn’t really wear any jewelry during the trip, but kept THESE STUDS in the entire time and really like them!

Embroidered Coverup $22 | Stud Earrings

Walking home before naptime. Daddy stealin’ kisses!

Lawson’s Suit (Target find)

Here were the other suits that I packed. I truly did liked them all, but the ric rac one is probably a slight favorite because I loved the feminine details and fit of the top. The one of left is Athleta and I liked the SUPER supportive top and the awesome print. The one to right is Amazon and while I liked the print, it could fit a little better up top.

Left: Swim Top | Swim Bottom | Sunnies
Middle: Swim Top | Matching Bottom | Skirt | Bow Flipflops | Hat | Sunnies
Right: Swim Top | Swim Bottoms | Sunnies | Headband

Day three we headed to the beach! We were a little bummed because the water was super dangerous. I’d never ever seen anything like it, it was SO choppy and lots of visible pulls. There was a double red flag out so we just dipped our toes in and played in the sand. The girls, however, looked SO cute in their matching suits. The cutie to the left is my niece Annie—her and Landry are only 3 days apart and are BFFs.

Matching Swimsuits

Swimsuits 

That night we got ready early and were headed to dinner by 4:45. For large parties during busy season it’s best to aim to eat around 5, otherwise it will be hours of waiting. We decided to try Stinky’s Fish Camp in Santa Rosa Beach (about a 15 minute drive east along 30A). It was started by a guy from Louisiana and I’ve heard rave reviews about the food so we decided to give it a whirl. Even getting there at 5, there was an hour and a half wait, so we walked around, fed the turtles and listened to live music. It went by fairly fast and it was so worth it because the food was AMAZING! I HIGHLY recommend it! You could also stop at Blue Mountain Creamery on the way back, but be prepared for a wait there too 😉

I LOVED these comfy matching dresses for the girls, obviously I plan to match them until they refuse.

My Top | My Shorts | My Shoes | The Girls’ Dresses | Dan’s Shirt ($15 Amazon Find) | Dan’s Shorts | Dan’s Flipflops

I had the 3 course meal at bottom 😉

The next day we went back to Camp Watercolor and did the pool and slides. We also ate lunch there and it was SO delicious! For dinner we did burgers, fries and lots of fresh veggies and headed to the town square for their kids night entertainment. Fun fact, during busy season there’s almost always something going on in the Seaside square. It’s a fun place to gather and the girls LOVE playing and running around. You can see their full list of events HERE.

The Girls’ Skorts (Similar on Amazon) | My Dress | My Hat | My Flip Flops | Sunnies

While the girls were doing the aforementioned running around the playing the adults were sipping on frozen beverages from the new b.f.f. bar next to Great Southern in the Square! The Frose was amazing and the Pina Colada was a VERY close second. Warning, they are not cheap and also very potent 😉

One night we decided to go crabbing. It was a massive fail. At least my little fam is so cute—I can’t even handle them.

My Romper | My Hat | Dan’s Tee | Dan’s Shorts

FINALLY A GOOD BEACH DAY!!!! This is Seaside water—both in how calm it is and in this beautiful color! There were two beautiful sandbars really close in so we played out in the calm water, hunted for shells and even saw a sting ray. The girls lasted over 3 hours and didn’t want to leave. It was my ideal beach day and filled my mama heart up making those memories with them.

Lawson’s Suit | My Suit | My Skirt | Sunnies | My Hat | Landry’s Swimsuit | Initial Hat

I love these people so much

Lawson’s Suit | Set of Headbands from Amazon under $10

Lawson LOVED the golf cart and usually work up before 7, so Dan and I grabbed coffee and took her riding around the community each morning. After much contemplation, I decided that this is my dream house. If you know these people can you ask if they will adopt me? lol.

This was our last beach dat. Lawson rocking her Amazon get up at the pool!

Lawson’s Hat | Lawson’s Swimsuit (Under $10)

While the girls napped on our last full day there, I met up with my friend Jami of 30A Mama to record an episode for her podcast! We talked about blogging, business, motherhood and nearly everything in between. I was SO nervous, but really liked the way that ihe episode came out. I’d love for you to listen to it! Find it HERE.

I hung back the last night and the guys took the big kids to watch Mary Poppins on the big screen in the square. They had a blast!

Outfit for a day of traveling back!

My Graphic Tee | My Skirt (under $20) | My Shoes

Things to think about:

To get to 30A, you can fly into VPS or ECP.

If you have littles and need to rent gear, contact Linda at Crib Connection. They deliver and pick up any and all kid gear, including cribs. Pack crib sheets.

Make a grocery list ahead of time, with everything you need to cook in, etc. The grocery store is a Publix and is right out of Watercolor on 395. We did salads for lunch, Hawaiian Roll Sandwiches for the kids, Steaks, Burgers, Taco Night, and lots of fresh fruit and veggies.

Amazon Prime anything that you can, you’ll save a TON of money. Any pantry items, sunscreen, waters, drinks, papertowels, plates, laundry soap, hand soap, etc.

Bring or Prime Medicine for kids. There’s no Walgreens or 24 hour place and the grocery store closes at 10. We ended up having to drive to a Walmart in Destin for Bendryl for Lawson at midnight one night because of a nasty reaction to mosquito bites, so lesson learned. Bring Benadryl and Motrin for sure.

Our Favorites:

The Great Southern
Seagrove Market
Stinky’s Fish Camp
George’s (in Alys Beach)
Amavida Coffee
Pizza by the Sea
The Donut Hole
Heavenly Ice Cream
Caliza (in Alys Beach)

Haven’t been but have heard great things:

The Perfect Pig
The Bay
Pescado (in Rosemary)
Goatfeathers
FOOW

Must Shop:

The Seaside Style (a sweatshirt or t-shirt is a must)
Duckies (the girls always want a souvenir)
Cabana by Seaside Style

See another Seaside Travel Guide favorites in THIS POST.