We spent the kids’ spring break in 30A Florida near Alys/Rosemary Beach and can definitely say it is a spot worth coming back to! 30A is a strip of highway dotted with uniquely adorable beach towns. We rented a townhouse in the Prominence neighborhood, which is located in Watersound between Alys/Rosemary and Watercolor/Seaside. This neighborhood has The Big Chill, which has a few cute shops and restaurants and hosts family-friendly activities like movies and live music. It’s also close to a state park beach that you can get into for a small fee.
Food is so much a part of what makes a vacation fun for us, I thought I’d share the restaurants we tried broken out by neighborhood. The seafood and citrus juices are so good down here. I think I had a margarita everywhere we went. No regrets.
Rosemary Beach
This area was my favorite. I absolutely loved all the shops and I could have spent the whole day strolling the neighborhoods while looking at all the beautiful homes. The beach is private, so you cannot access this beach unless you are staying at a hotel or an Airbnb in Rosemary.
Where we ate:
La Crema Tapas & Chocolate // Dinner
- We ate here for dinner one night after shopping and strolling through Rosemary Beach. It is right on the main path. The food was so good! We ordered a bunch of dishes for the table and shared them. I had a fantastic margarita. Would make a great date night location. Highly recommend!
The Sugar Shak // Ice Cream
- Took the kids here for ice cream when they started to get restless one afternoon. The inside is a little dark and overstuffed, but the ice cream was good! We sat in the grassy courtyard near the (super cute) post office while they ate it.
3rd Cup // Coffee
- Perfect for grabbing a quick cup of coffee to-go
Seaside
This beach town had a more casual feel. It has a permanent fixture of food trucks with a few shops and restaurants nearby. We were able to access a public beach in this area. The beaches are picturesque beyond words! Grab a seaside sweatshirt while you’re in the area.
Where we ate:
Black Bear Bread Co. // Breakfast or Lunch
- Super cute (but tiny!) restaurant with yummy breakfast food. I wanted to order so many things on their menu, including one of everything in their case full of pastries. I had the avocado tartine with an egg on top. Ryne had the sausage biscuit with egg and cheese. Both were so good! The French toast had a little bit too much *stuff* on it for the kids, so it was not their favorite.
The Great Southern Café // Dinner
- This restaurant is on every list of where to eat in the area. If I’m being completely honest, it was not worth the hype in my opinion. Our dinners were mediocre at best. There were tons of food trucks across the street that looked and smelled amazing. In the end, I wished we had gone there.
Alys Beach
This area is full of beautiful white buildings, but less shops and restaurants (for now). Much of the area is still being built. The beach is also private here with no access for the public.
Where we ate:
Fonville Press // Breakfast
- We ate at this casual breakfast spot twice. Their cinnamon roll and outdoor patio were a big hit for the kids. They also have an adorable bar area that would be great to sit at if you go without kids.
George’s At Alys Beach // Dinner
- This upscale, cottage-style restaurant is famous in this area and it was our favorite meal of the trip. Ryne had their Salt & Pepper Shrimp. I can’t remember what I had to eat, but again I loved my margarita. Pro tip- make reservations. There was a line out the door before it even opened.
Raw & Juicy // Breakfast or Lunch
- This is a great spot to grab a quick smoothie or snack. This incredible kids’ area is tucked behind the restaurant with swings and climbing areas. We stopped in one afternoon for a quick snack and a rest on their shady front patio.
If I’m being honest, there wasn’t enough to do in Prominence for me, but we fell in love with Rosemary Beach. If we come to this area for vacation again, we would likely stay at The Pearl in Rosemary Beach. Prominence offered us space, but we had to drive everywhere we wanted to go. Fortunately, Rosemary, Alys, Seaside, and Watercolor are so close together they were easy to drive to and you could probably even bike between them without kids.
