Seaside
Author: Will Estell
Perhaps the shirts available in the Seaside stores say it best; “Nothing except Seaside is just like Seaside.” This quaint beach town, located about halfway down Scenic Highway 30A, was established in 1981 and has spawned hundreds of copy-cat communities around the world – none of which seem to have captured the true essence of what made the original what it is today. Seaside is about simplicity meeting modernism in a way that I’ve never seen any place be able to imitate. It really is home to wood floors and sandy feet, yet it is still a haven for the well-heeled affluent who want to get away from their gated homes, Porsche SUVs, and six-figure salaries and just relax at the beach.
With small town charm, vibrant but simple architecture, an outdoor amphitheater, a nationally acclaimed arts festival, and great eateries like Bud & Alley’s, Great Southern Café, Crush, Pickles, and Beachside BBQ, I believe it to be one of the best places to visit anywhere. That’s probably just what you’d expect from a town that wrote the rules for New Urbanism, and where the picture-perfect pastel homes and picket fences played stars alongside Jim Carrey in 1998 hit film, The Truman Show. Above-and-beyond that however, there’s so much more to Seaside than what myself or any other writer can put into words. It’s a beach town, much like all of the South Walton communities that you literally have to experience for yourself to truly understand why there is nothing else like it. Now call or visit the town’s primary vacation home provider, Cottage Rental Agency, located in Seaside’s town center, and discover it for yourself.
