The Guide To South Walton Beaches | Scenic Highway 30A | Emerald Coast Of Florida
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   What’s New In SoWal

Artist Justin Gaffrey had the prime spot at the 2008 Artsquest at Baytowne Wharf. The SoWal 2005 “Artist of the Year,” Gaffrey taught himself how to paint by exploring new techniques utilized by some of his favored artists including Van Gogh and Monet. By combining some of these methods with his own unique style, Gaffrey has created his own artistic voice. His immersion in creative thought and depth of imagination has allowed Gaffrey to create emotional, brilliant works as individual as his surroundings. Justin Gaffrey’s works can be viewed in the folk art room of Gaffrey Art Gallery, located in Blue Mountain Beach. For information, call 850-267-0228. Justin says, “When I started painting I wanted to create my own style. I would visit galleries around the country and see many styles of art overlapping each other, all blurring into the same thing over and over. Every once in a while I would run across a painter or sculpture that would really inspire me because it would be something that had never been done or that I had never seen before.” more...

SoWal Note Cards now available
in singles and packs of 12 or 24.

South Walton Montessori Academy moves to Point Washington from Rosemary Beach. Renovations and additions will be taking place over the Summer so the new campus will be ready for students in the Fall. Many people will know the former residence of Peter & Susan Horn (Artisan Builders). It's right at the entrance to Eden State Gardens. more...

April 2008 Real Estate Sales Summary - Many people having been impatiently waiting for the market to swing upward. Many others have been hoping the prices will continue to dip downward. Buyers and sellers get excited about different things. The national news tends to be based on people who bought in 2004 and 2005, while forgetting how exciting it must be a buyer right now. Interest rates continue to be at historical lows, and many real estate prices are also at recent lows. more...

A Florida beach resort town will host a unique festival on Labor Day weekend. “Digital Graffiti at Alys Beach” was created to celebrate and promote the world’s most talented and innovative digital artists. But the event has a very unusual twist. “We’re inviting digital artists from around the world to project their original artwork onto our town’s famous white walls,” said Kelli Arnold, Alys Beach’s Events Coordinator. “Our entire town will literally become their blank canvas.” more...

Has the SoWal market hit bottom? A little insider data for you non-Realtors. In all of South Walton, including Miramar Beach, the recent pending sales are as follows, for homes, townhomes, and condos, combined. more...
2007
Sep - $48.5 million
Oct - $45.4 million
Nov - $52.6 million
Dec - $39.3 million
2008
Jan - $40.7 million
Feb - $88.8 million
Mar - $84.3 million

Sting Rays Spotted In Eastern Lake (baby leopard ray photo by Ryno)
It is always very cool to see ocean life when you least expect it. Here is a small leopard ray (that I have never seen before) that we found while snorkeling on the 2nd sandbar last summer! It was a cute little guy. I brought him in to show people on the beach and released him back...more

Saltwater Fishing Report - The weather and the fish have finally decided it's full on Spring. I have run 13 days out of the past 2 weeks and the catches have just been getting better and better right along with the weather. Day before yesterday was a trip I won't forget anytime soon. A couple of cobia season regulars with some buddies from Louisiana that want to fill the box with bottom fish and then find a cobia or 2. We were in the middle of a snapper rally 1st thing in the morning with the bull sharks stealing most of our biggest fish. One of my crew gets a big bite and after 10 minutes is convinced he has a shark. I had watched the bite and said it sure didn't act like a shark when it hit. After a 2o minute fight with the angler wearing down and the crew wanting to cut of the "shark" the fish finally came up to the top where we could see what it was. What a fish! A huge cobia that wasn't really tired yet. more...

Hot Topic - Big Blue Signs on Scenic 30A - Poll: What do you think of the new blue signs being installed on 30A? Update -the signs are being replaced...more...

Save Our Beaches - In a place that it celebrated around the world for its sugar-white beaches, it has become apparent that we are neglecting our most precious amenity that is of utmost importance to our local economy. As a resident of Miramar Beach for the past six years (and having lived along the Emerald Coast since 1984), I have sat back and watched with disgust every year as our beaches suffer from the ignorance and blatant disrespect of our visiting neighbors and/or careless locals...more

My first experience with public/private beach issue - I took the kids out late this afternoon/early evening to the beach access at Dune Allen. Everyone had left, including the lifeguard. We were playing in the sand right in front of the access saw over to the left (when facing the Gulf) a man come out of his house and walk about halfway out to shore & pound a sign into the sand with a bucket. There was already a sign facing Dune Allen on his "property" (AKA the beach) that it was private property...more

SoWal in the Beach Breeze/DeFuniak Herald - Just received our Beach Breeze! SoWal. com is featured on the front page of the "People, Places, Things" section...more

What is SoWal? (SO-WALL) - the Florida panhandle beach communities of South Walton County on the Emerald Coast - from east to west: Inlet Beach, Rosemary Beach, Seacrest, Alys Beach, WaterSound Beach, Camp Creek, Seagrove Beach, Seaside, WaterColor, Grayton Beach, Blue Mountain Beach, Santa Rosa Beach, Dune Allen, Sandestin, Miramar Beach, Seascape - When you’ve said SoWal, you’ve said it all ! Directly east is Panama City Beach, and directly west is Destin.
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