Family Circle names Seaside as a 'Best Destination' for Families

[Gwen Break]

Family Circle Magazine just named Seaside as one of Florida's best destinations for families!

Best Florida Destinations for Families

"Award-winning beaches, spectacular sunsets, wild rides: the sunshine state has it all. Here are our picks for the best family hot spots in Florida.

By Ellen Parlapiano



Why We Love It
This adorable town along the panhandle's Emerald Coast has sugar-white sand, sherbet-colored cottages and an old-fashioned main street and a village green for gatherings. Take a kayak tour or a stand-up paddleboard lesson with a naturalist on a rare coastal dune lake; when conditions are right you can row straight into the Gulf (walcoecotours.com). Seaside's Airstream snack trailers sell smoothies, seafood and barbecue box lunches—yummy fuel for pedaling the bike paths along scenic Highway 30. The outdoor amphitheater hosts evening concerts, plays and movies.


Where to Stay
Rent a cottage with a homey porch—each one unique—and private access to community pools and the beach; from $234 for units that sleep four (cottagerentalagency.com). For a blast from the past, stay in the vintage 1950s-style Seaside Motor Courts. The old-school motel rooms have new-age amenities, like flatscreens, DVD players and complimentary Wi-Fi; nightly rates from $150 (cottagerentalagency.com).

[SoWal Buff]

Do you love or [not love] Seaside and why?

[PC]

Do you love or [not love] Seaside and why?

Wife and I stayed at WC every yr from 2002-2009, love the area, however it has now become overcrowded in that area and we now try to avoid seaside. It is just to small an area for all the people that try to crowd in there now. The TDC advertising of SW hasn't helped any in that regard either. I guess if its all about $$ then I am sure it is doing great, but for couples/families who want to go there for a relaxing vacation anymore will have to go somewhere else.

[JoBu]

Each of the past 12 years, our family has called Seaside 'home' for our annual vacation. Up until the last few years, we've gone in May before the bulk of the crowds get there. Now, because of kindergarten and dance recitals, we vacation in June and July. Came down last year in July and it was very crowded, especially at night. The beaches weren't too crowded, but the chair set-ups were closer together than what i remember when we came in May. Luck had it that the setups next to us were no-shows most of the week.

This year we're coming down in June for a week of rest and renewal. Last August i was diagnoised with cancer and have spent the Fall\Winter hooked to a chemo IV or under a radiation machine. When I finished my treatments in January, we rented a house in Seaside so we could enjoy another chance at living. And so we shall enjoy Seaside again - hopefully for many, many years to come. Crowds and all.

I can't say that i'm thrilled with the changes that i've seen in Seaside over the years, especially the 'downtown' area. I liked Seaside better before the upscale buildings, condos and shops sprang up. And seeing concept drawings of what the downtown area may look like in years to come, i'm hopeful that transition will take years and years to develop. I enjoy the hometown-ness of Seaside, not the commercial aspect as much. But as long as the ice cream shop stays open for my kids and Modica's continues to serve those wonderful pastries for breakfast, and B&A has cold beer, we'll be fine.


For a family who wants to stay in a place that you really don't have to get back in the car for anything, I feel Seaside is a great place. The beach is usually well maintained; the crowds do make for good 'people watching' and the price for rentals seems to deter those who are just looking for a vacation place to party. If there is a negative about Seaside, i'd say it would be the crowds. But one negative in an ocean of positives can certainly be minimized with patience. After my cancer battle, I'm trying to appreciate the good things in life more and more while not worrying so much about the minor distractions. So it may take longer for my kids to get an ice cream cone due to the crowds...the important thing is that i'm still here, alive and able to stand in line with my kids to get an ice cream cone.

See ya'll June 16th.

[Beach Runner]

Do you love or [not love] Seaside and why?

We love to visit Seaside except during Atlanta spring break (which is my spring break). We love all it has to offer -- shopping, restaurants, and bars. In particular, we love Modica, Pizza Bar, Taco Bar, Bud & Alley's rooftop bar, Barefoot BBQ, Dawson's, Sundog Books, Great Southern, Pizitz, The Rep, Perspicacity, ..., heck, I should just list everything.

[bluecat]

JoBu, lucky you, you know what is important in life. Life is to not sweat the small stuff,what's behind is just that. So here's hoping your summer is everything you want it to be.