We fell in love with the area this summer during our first visit. We plan to return next summer. What are good & bad times to vist? Thank you.
Best & bad times to visit sowal
- Thread starter mom24browneyes
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There are no "bad" times though there are busy and slower times. The best times in SoWal, IMO, are Sept. thru December. The weather is wonderful during that time of year.
There are no bad times. But it's more relaxing if you are there anytime other than spring break, June, and July. Fall is the best. We even like winter there because it's enjoyable walking on the beach in a sweatshirt. If you visit in January, be prepared for some restaurant closures and early closing times for those that are open. We actually like it then. The week after Christmas to New Year's is really fun.
The best times depend on what you want. If you have kids and want them to find other kids, then the official spring and summer breaks are perfect (You would want to find a place that doesn't require much driving and has everything your family needs, though, because traffic can be very busy and not worth the hassle of trying to get around much). If you want to be in the area when it's very quiet, then the August-Memorial day period is best. If cost matters, then November 1 through end of February would be the least expensive - very low rental rates compared to the rest of Florida because it's off-season, yet great weather (especially if you're a northerner and escaping the cold weather), great restaurants (most are open when we're here), quiet, great sunsets (as always, no traffic problems. August is our favorite time to go with kids because because it is quiet and the pool and ocean are still warm. October has beautiful monarch butterflies migrating south through SoWal. That week between Christmas and New years is fun because the Seaside concert on NY Eve is great (I don't know if there are concerts at Rosemary and Alys Beach as well - if so, we'd probably try Alys for a chance this year). Watching the fireworks along the shore on NY Eve at midnight is beautiful. Winter has a lot of events - seeing red wine festival, seaside garage sale, and more. Just check the event calendar here on SoWal.com to see what some of the events are. Visiting in May before summer break starts around Memorial Day is like visiting in the summer except it's quiet and the rental rates are less expensive. We'll be visiting SoWal more often starting this year because we're no empty nesters. We bought our cottages in SoWal almost 10 years ago to enjoy with the kids until they went off to college and then to spend time in as adults as retirement approaches. Mission accomplished!
Paula gives great advice above.
I visited Santa Rosa Beach in late July 2011: crowded, extremely humid (for me), ocean/pool temps like bathwater, and tons of disgusting seaweed/"June grass"
For the first time this year, my family and I visited in mid-October - wow, what a difference: warm (but not hot), much less humidity, refreshing water temps (high 70's), clear water, great rental rates, and much less crowded (lunch at The Red Bar with no wait)
If at all possible, we will always go in the Fall
I visited Santa Rosa Beach in late July 2011: crowded, extremely humid (for me), ocean/pool temps like bathwater, and tons of disgusting seaweed/"June grass"
For the first time this year, my family and I visited in mid-October - wow, what a difference: warm (but not hot), much less humidity, refreshing water temps (high 70's), clear water, great rental rates, and much less crowded (lunch at The Red Bar with no wait)
If at all possible, we will always go in the Fall
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We were in Seaside the second week of this past October, my previous SoWal trips have been in March and April. Both times had great weather but the October trip really stood out because it was less busy and the butterflies, OMG I've never seen anything like it--hundreds and hundreds of them flittering by all day, I saw at least 10 different species. It was magical.
At dusk the giant, awesome dragonflies came out and there were hundreds of them too, flying all above the dune walkovers. Spectacular. I love creepy crawlies (bugs, snakes, etc--at least the non biting kind) so this really was paradise for me. The water was still warm and we had a great time swimming--it was too cold to do that during my spring trips although we still enjoyed sitting on the beach. We had tons of fun finding different crustaceans in the water and on the beach--awesome hermit crabs, ghost crabs (tiny!), and lady crabs.
Highly recommend October!
At dusk the giant, awesome dragonflies came out and there were hundreds of them too, flying all above the dune walkovers. Spectacular. I love creepy crawlies (bugs, snakes, etc--at least the non biting kind) so this really was paradise for me. The water was still warm and we had a great time swimming--it was too cold to do that during my spring trips although we still enjoyed sitting on the beach. We had tons of fun finding different crustaceans in the water and on the beach--awesome hermit crabs, ghost crabs (tiny!), and lady crabs.
Highly recommend October!