Why You Should Visit South Walton, FL

South Walton is a gem on Florida’s Emerald Coast. With 16 beach neighborhoods, multitudes of great restaurants, outdoors adventures, and a vibrant art scene, there are tons of things to do. If you’re staying in one of our rentals located in South Walton or just decided to visit for the day, here are some must-do things.  

Beaches
South Walton has sixteen beach neighborhoods. They all showcase the beautiful landscape, have cute beach houses, and delicious restaurants. While they’re all similar, each has a different vibe. Here are the sixteen neighborhoods, but if you want more information, check out Visit South Walton’s website.  
-Miramar Beach
-Seascape
-Sandestin
-Dune Allen
-Gulf Place
-Santa Rosa Beach
-Blue Mountain
-Grayton Beach
-WaterColor
-Seaside
-Seagrove
-WaterSound
-Seacrest
-Alys Beach
-Rosemary Beach
-Inlet Beach

Dining
South Walton’s dining is some of the best around. With locally sourced food, fresh caught seafood, and award winning (AAA rated) world class dining, the restaurants here are definitely worth the hype. Listed below are just a few of the best restaurants this area has to offer. 

-Cowgirl Kitchen Market & Cafe 
-Christiano’s Italian Restaurant 
-Marlin Grill- Fine Steaks, Seafoods, and Spirits  
-Amavida Coffee and Tea  
-La Crema Tapas and Chocolate  
-Edward’s Fine Food and Wine  

Outdoors
South Walton has plenty of preserved land that showcases Natural Floridian beauty with miles of trails and beaches.

-Topsail Hill Preserve State Park
One of the most pristine parks in the area, Topsail Hill features 14 plant communities and sand dunes. This park has 1600 acres of bald cypress swamps and nature trails that wind through dune lakes and sand dunes. Topsail Hill also has over 200 campsite and 3.2 miles of secluded beach.
7525 W. Scenic Highway 30A, Santa Rosa Beach

Grayton Beach State Park
This park features trails that wind around small ponds and pine flatwoods. The Flatwoods Trail and Western Lake are two of natural trails the park offers. Western Lake is also an ideal spot for paddleboarding and kayaking. This park also features plenty of camping space and a boat ramp. Grayton Beach State Park has been honored as the “Best Beach in the U.S.” by Dr. Stephen Leatherman  and ranked as a top 4 beach in the USA in 2017. 
357 Main Park Road, Grayton Beach


Point Washington State Forest
This forest includes 27 miles of trails of all difficulty levels through coastal scrub, swamplands, longleaf pine flatwoods, and wet prairie. There are four campsites where visitors can stay the night. This park is also home to many threatened or endangered species such as the gopher tortoise, flatwoods salamander, and white-topped pitcher plants.

US-98, Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459

Arts and Culture
In South Walton, creativity meets laidback beach life. South Walton features over 20 local galleries and studios. For more information, check out our blog dedicated just to this area’s art scene or visit South Walton’s website.  

Activities
-Yolo Board and Bike 
-Florida Boy Adventures  
-Ride on Surf School  
-Windswept Dunes Golf Club  

Photo credit: visitsouthwalton.com 

Published on Monday, October 15, 2018