The Latest Stories from SoWal.com

Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, a top rated destination on Florida's Gulf Coast, is offering rounds of golf for just $40 at all 3 of its public championship golf courses. Read more... We'd love to hear what you think...you can comment here or on the story page. Feel free to share on your site, blog, facebook, or any other site.

Architect Walter Chatham designed this special beach home in Seaside. It's been featured on the cover of Architectural Record as “House of the Year", and was awarded the prestigious “Award of Excellence” by the American Institute of Architects. The home has also been featured on the covers of Thirty-A Review, Florida Architecture, Houston magazine, and six major books on outdoor Florida architecture.The award-winning structure consists of two pavilions flanking either side of a central heated pool, with a central 40-foot tower. Utilizing movable panels and multiple doorways, the house opens to the outdoors in a big way.According to Chatham, “the house functions best with all doors open, blurring the distinction between indoor and outdoor living.”The house features three queen bedrooms on the entry level. Each of these bedrooms has an LCD TV with Apple TV, side chairs, bedside tables and lamps. One of the queens has a private bathroom with shower. The other two queen bedrooms each have their own private sink and toilet, but share a tub/shower and dressing area between them. On the second floor, a fourth room functions as an office / bedroom. It has a loft with two twins reached by a rolling library style ladder. This loft is not for children under the age of 6 or is also not suitable for the elderly or persons with mobility issues. Each of the loft beds has its own TV. The built-in desk and shelving offer an opportunity to study, work or read. Also in this room is a unique yacht style bathroom with overhead rain shower and pedestal sink. The home is filled with modern art and eclectic yet comfortable furniture.The home has a multi-media center with Sirius XM satellite radio, satellite FM radio, wireless internet and an iPad controller system for the lighting, sound systems, outdoor cameras, air conditioning and pool systems. The small yet functional kitchen has a Viking gas range, Sub-Zero frig, dishwasher and microwave. The living area has a sofa with queen futon style fold-out bed, side chairs, lounger couch and a soon to be installed 60” LED TV. The dining area has a large round table which seats six. Laundry room has front loading washer and dryer (located in one of the queen bedrooms).A dramatic glass bridge over a glass tiled Koi pool leads to the front of the home. A Bisazza glass tiled private heated pool sits in the center of the home, with fountains and a swim jet. The pool has two loungers and three seat cushions for guest comfort. A front marble dining table seating eight flanks a Viking outdoor gas grill. The magnificent tower features a multi-person hot tub, LCD TV, outdoor sink and breakfast table. The tower overlooks the gulf and the town of Seaside.Vacation rental guests in Seaside have access to 3 pools, 6 tennis courts, croquet courts and a private fitness center. You’ll also find ample opportunity for biking, hiking and swimming. When staying in our homes in Seaside you are within walking distance of many restaurants and retail establishments.Chatham House is part of the Sunburst Luxury Collection, a high service and amenity segment within Sunburst Beach Vacations that provides a luxury resort experience with all of the benefits...privacy, space and freedom...of a private home. Read more... We'd love to hear what you think...you can comment here or on the story page. Feel free to share on your site, blog, facebook, or any other site.

Local Catch Bar & Grill has been going strong and gaining popularity since opening nine months ago and there are no signs of slowing down. Read more... We'd love to hear what you think...you can comment here or on the story page. Feel free to share on your site, blog, facebook, or any other site.

What a year 2012 was for us at Marie’s Bistro. To start, we expanded the place tripling our original size, including a Full Bar and an area for nightly entertainment! Read more... We'd love to hear what you think...you can comment here or on the story page. Feel free to share on your site, blog, facebook, or any other site.

Kristen Baggett and Brian “Big Country” Peterson are two fun-loving SoWal locals who met three years ago at La Botana in Seagrove while out with friends. Read more... We'd love to hear what you think...you can comment here or on the story page. Feel free to share on your site, blog, facebook, or any other site.

We were sad to see Smiling Fish at Gulf Place close recently after a great run of 13 years. A lot of good times and great food were had on the corner of Scenic 30A and 393. Read more... We'd love to hear what you think...you can comment here or on the story page. Feel free to share on your site, blog, facebook, or any other site.

If you’ve ever driven down Scenic 30A through Seaside, then chances are you've seen one or more of the Seaside pavilions. They are beautiful and enticing. Read more... We'd love to hear what you think...you can comment here or on the story page. Feel free to share on your site, blog, facebook, or any other site.

Kent Mundy delights in showing people the part of South Walton most can’t even imagine. Mundy is owner and operator of Wetland Wilderness Tours, a one-man, one-boat tour company that exp Read more... We'd love to hear what you think...you can comment here or on the story page. Feel free to share on your site, blog, facebook, or any other site.

Sandestin resident Leah Speer, along with Katrina Epp of Rifle, Colorado, are the authors of Must. Have. Wine. A Toast to Motherhood. The book, just released yesterday, is already ranked #2 on Amazon's Hot New Releases in Motherhood. Along with that glass of wine, we often find comfort in knowing other moms are going through the same things we are. Must. Have. Wine. A Toast to Motherhood, is a collection of relatable stories by everyday moms assuring that none of us are perfect and we’re all in this crazy race together. Must. Have. Wine. It’s a modern moms’ mantra, no matter what type of day we’re having; when we’ve come to the end of our rope, had the best day ever, or simply just want to unwind. With savvy wit and a healthy dose of reality, Must.Have.Wine. A Toast to Motherhood. takes you on the emotional journey we all experience as mothers, while gracefully offering advice and an aura of camaraderie. “Our goal in writing this book is to make you feel good about being the best mom you can be. There is no perfect.” Leah Speer, who lives in Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort continues, “What I really like about the book is we designed it so the chapters are highlighted by an emotion associated with motherhood.” To join the community of wine loving moms, go to www.must-have-wine.com.

Win this amazing Christmas mixed-media piece by artist Mary Hong from SoWal.com and our partner Beau Interiors. It's a colorful 10”x20” creation valued at $295. Read more... We'd love to hear what you think...you can comment here or on the story page. Feel free to share on your site, blog, facebook, or any other site.

Who doesn't need a South Walton beach break? Read more... We'd love to hear what you think...you can comment here or on the story page. Feel free to share on your site, blog, facebook, or any other site.

Alaqua Animal Refuge recently received 5 new wooden benches constructed and donated by area Eagle Scout Troop 562. Read more... We'd love to hear what you think...you can comment here or on the story page. Feel free to share on your site, blog, facebook, or any other site.

While shopping for your holiday goodies this year – and keeping it local we hope – keep in mind we have many local musicians and bands that offer great stocking stuffers. Treat you Read more... We'd love to hear what you think...you can comment here or on the story page. Feel free to share on your site, blog, facebook, or any other site.

Today is my sweet Caroline’s birthday who attends college in Tuscaloosa. Read more... We'd love to hear what you think...you can comment here or on the story page. Feel free to share on your site, blog, facebook, or any other site.

Boy, some great weather for December but not many folks in the fishing mood. Read more... We'd love to hear what you think...you can comment here or on the story page. Feel free to share on your site, blog, facebook, or any other site.

Buddha Lounge is a hip, sophisticated sushi spot that serves up original and fresh creations. Read more... We'd love to hear what you think...you can comment here or on the story page. Feel free to share on your site, blog, facebook, or any other site.

In this SoWal Photo of the Day it's easy to see what South Walton is part of a stretch of panhandle beaches known as the Emerald Coast! Read more... We'd love to hear what you think...you can comment here or on the story page. Feel free to share on your site, blog, facebook, or any other site.

South Walton's coastal dunle lakes are amazing places to canoe for an up close look at the dune ecosystem's amazing plants and animals. Learn More: Coastal Dune Lakes of South Walton County Read more... We'd love to hear what you think...you can comment here or on the story page. Feel free to share on your site, blog, facebook, or any other site.

Restaurant Fire at Gulf Place is pretty large and rather clubby. There’s a bar/lounge just as you enter, with tables for dining and several large screen TVs. A turn to the left will take you into the main dining area, with a high ceiling, polished wood tables, and walls decorated with framed paintings. The color scheme tends toward the flame palette—browns, reds, burnished copper, set off by earth tones and comfortably dim lighting that highlights the glassware. There are also outdoor tables. Jazz and world-beat music plays at a modest level, and everything feels relaxed and welcoming. I, my wife and the Tiny Diner had dinner at Fire on a recent weeknight. The TD is in the beginning steps of BA (Binkies Anonymous), and we actually forgot to pack a backup emergency pacifier in her travel bag. That, and hunger, were making her more querulous than normal. We hoped she would behave herself for the meal.The hostess made all of us comfortable in a corner table, with a high chair for TD, whose crossness gave way to the interest she always shows in new surroundings. Our server Ryan took a friendly shine to my daughter. TD in turn gave him a smile. I think she thought he was cute. We took a look at the menu. Ryan advised us that several items were not available that evening (fortunately nothing we missed). Fire offers appetizers, small plates, salads, a soup of the day, and main course choices of beef, pork, fish, duck and shellfish. It’s not a lengthy list, but each item is imaginatively prepared, with some intriguing garnishes, sauces and sides.We started with a dip trio. Fire offers a choice of six dips—apricot habanero, olive tapenade, spicy boiled peanut hummus, caramelized onion cheddar, blue cheese cranberry pistachio, and pimento cheese. We chose the first three. I had the apricot habanero to myself (too much pepper for my wife), and wasn’t sure about the hummus—I have yet to acquire a taste for boiled peanuts—but I needn’t have worried. If you think you don’t like boiled peanuts, this may be for you. All three dips were distinctively flavorful, and there was plenty for sharing. Baby lettuce, baby carrots, grilled pita and flour tortilla chips are there to scoop with. The TD didn’t eat much dip, but she gnawed on the pita.Other starters are soup, roast beet, mixed greens and oyster and spinach salads, Gulf seafood three ways (smoked snapper dip, fried grouper cheeks and shrimp remoulade), and mussels with a fennel garlic and white wine sauce. Small plates include an heirloom tomato stack, grilled flatiron steak, and butternut squash and blue crab agnolotti (a kind of ravioli). My wife called the crispy skin cured duck breast, which left me to choose from a braised short rib “pot roast,” grilled black grouper with chickpeas, pan seared skin-on red snapper, a sweet tea brined “airline chicken” with cornbread dressing, New York strip steak with sweet potato “risotto,” shrimp puttanesca with a mascarpone polenta cake, and a doublecut pork chop with fried pork belly mac and cheese. I thought hard about the pot roast, and someday I must try mac and cheese with pork belly, but red snapper won out. The duck was served sliced into bites, with a mound of sweet and tangy red cabbage and a white bean, truffle and duck confit casserole. There was duck crackling scattered over it all, and the skin had a sweet/hot crunch from the Tabasco-honey glaze. It was everything a duck should be. My snapper was by no means a secondbest. The fish (also with crispy skin) sat on a bed of sliced fingerling potatoes with leeks, and was topped with a relish of crabmeat and bits of mirliton. There was a flavorful snapper broth that soaked right into the squares of cornbread that came with the meal. We got TD to try some cornbread, but she concentrated on tortilla chips, and chewing the occasional non-toxic crayon. Desserts that night were apple cobbler, chocolate ganache blackout cake, a white chocolate mascarpone cannoli and the house specialty, sticky toffee cake. We got the latter. Be advised, it’s easily enough to share. The brick of cake is served very warm, with creme caramel and toasted pecans. It doesn’t need anything else, not even whipped cream. It made me think of the stuff people eat in the novels of Charles Dickens—the ones with happy endings.There’s a lot of great stuff going on at Fire. It’s friendly, elegantly cozy, efficiently run and the food is worth repeat visits. Courtesy, The Beachcomber Read more... We'd love to hear what you think...you can comment here or on the story page. Feel free to share on your site, blog, facebook, or any other site.

The temperatures are dropping. The sun is setting over the Gulf. And best of all, most of the tourists have migrated north for the winter. It’s time to celebrate our own favorite SoWal Season. Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Kwanzaa, Festivus or even Christmas… nothing says “The Holidays” like a SoWal giveaway. Whether it’s a three-night stay in a luxurious beach condo or an autographed copy of 30A Style, the definitive coffee-table book on the gracious homes of South Walton, everybody loves a winner. Click here to enter! We'll choose a random winner on Friday, Dec. 14, 2012. The 192-page book is filled with engaging words and colorful images highlighting classic Florida cottages and contemporary homes in the historic communities and New Urbanist towns of Scenic Highway 30A. The winner will receive an autographed copy of the popular book, now in its third printing. ____________ Order your copy today! Lynn Nesmith, author of 30A Style, is a Carolina native who now calls SoWal home. Lynn's career includes stints with Architecture Magazine and Southern Living. She's been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Better Homes & Gardens, Traditional Home, House Beautiful, Architectural Record and Coastal Living. Lynn currently lives in Seagrove and writes from an office perched in a third-story tower with a glimpse of the Gulf of Mexico.

Savannah Bartleson is a Varsity Cheerleader from South Walton High School in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. Read more... We'd love to hear what you think...you can comment here or on the story page. Feel free to share on your site, blog, facebook, or any other site.

“Say the Word” Poetry Group is celebrating this Winter Solstice in a very unique way at the Hidden Lantern in Rosemary Beach. Read more... We'd love to hear what you think...you can comment here or on the story page. Feel free to share on your site, blog, facebook, or any other site.

Sandestin, a top rated destination on Florida’s Gulf Coast, has always been known as a special destination for the holidays with its many events, activities for all ages and proximity to Read more... We'd love to hear what you think...you can comment here or on the story page. Feel free to share on your site, blog, facebook, or any other site.

Nick’s on the Bay is famous for having the freshest seafood around. They get all of their mullet, crab, shrimp, and flounder right out of the Choctawhatchee Bay. Read more... We'd love to hear what you think...you can comment here or on the story page. Feel free to share on your site, blog, facebook, or any other site.

Don't miss Canadian musicians and co-founders of animal rescue group, Ladybird Animal Sanctuary, as they head south this Friday night, December 7th at 7:30pm, to share their music for the good Read more... We'd love to hear what you think...you can comment here or on the story page. Feel free to share on your site, blog, facebook, or any other site.