

Havana Beach Bar & Grill offers upscale dining in a setting that recalls Old Havana’s legendary bar El Floridita.Great Southern Cafe is a popular brunch spot that draws lines of hungry patrons thanks to its central location in Seaside.Bud & Alley’s is the classic sunset destination for Seaside crowds enjoying smoked tuna dip with a view.The Daytrader Tiki Bar and Restaurant is a new Seaside cocktail bar with inventive, tongue-in-cheek drinks and a small food menu.

Frost Bites sells shaved ice and custard treats from an Airstream trailer in Seaside.Chiringo is a two-level Grayton Beach restaurant with a slice of ocean view and veggie bowls.is a regional chain with its original location in Grayton Beach, serving Stumptown coffee and fresh pastries. Pecan Jacks is a small Panhandle-area ice cream and praline chain with a Santa Rosa Beach parlor.Goatfeathers is a nostalgic restaurant and fish market that families have been visiting for generations.This guide takes you on a short, summery road trip that heads east along a section of 30A, and also highlights free beach access points, as an increasing number of beaches in the region are private or require payment for entry. The appeal for many visitors is the pick-your-paradise aspect, with communities with scruffy charm like Grayton Beach just down the road from perfectly polished Seaside. This area has long been a beloved vacation spot for Southerners who drive each summer to swim in clear turquoise waters, play in powder-white sand and then slap a 30A bumper sticker on their cars. Route 98 and passes a series of small towns of differing character, all with beautiful beaches. Running 24 miles through a stretch of the Panhandle of northwestern Florida, roughly between Destin and Panama City Beach, is State Road 30A. She spent her childhood summers vacationing along State Road 30A and has previously reported from the Florida Panhandle region for The New York Times. Shannon Sims is a regular contributor to New York Times Travel.
