General discussion & info about South Walton, Florida.

All About SoWal

Advertise or find a business, discuss business.

Business & Services

Jobs

Festivals, classes, gatherings, activities.

Events & Music

Food & Dining

Marketplace

property, realtors, builders, development, infrastructure ...

Real Estate

Long Term Rentals

Vacation Rentals

SoWal Lounge

TooFarTampa

SoWal Insider

TooFunny!! I actually never went to the ACL Club (not cool enough -- also didn't turn 21 until '92 and then I left for California for several years) but heard a lot about Deloris Telescope. They were THE band. In fact when you mentioned their name I had forgotten they were just local until you brought up the ACL Club! Ha! I grew up in St. Pete, graduated hs in '88, went off to UF and then Calif. till '95; been back in the area for almost all of the past decade.  :eek: What's your story? We probably knew some of the same people. :popcorn:

TooFunny!! I actually never went to the ACL Club (not cool enough -- also didn&#039;t turn 21 until &#039;92 and then I left for California for several years) but heard a lot about Deloris Telescope. They were THE band. In fact when you mentioned their name I had forgotten they were just local until you brought up the ACL Club! Ha! I grew up in St. Pete, graduated hs in &#039;88, went off to UF and then Calif. till &#039;95; been back in the area for almost all of the past decade.  😱 What&#039;s your story? We probably knew some of the same people. :popcorn:

ktschris

Beach Fanatic

:floor: I don't think we knew the same people if you didn't turn 21 until 92. I got married at 27 in 90. I moved to the St. Pete area in 86. My dad was opening up a Funny Bone inside Hamlins Landing, I think in Indian Rocks Beach. I lived there for a while, then moved to Maderia Beach. And of course, since I was a transplant, I had to do my time at Trader Publications AND Val-Pak Coupons. I think it's a state law  :lol:  Anyway, lived their until 91 then moved back to STL.

Those boys were something to see live. I'll never forget, we saw them at Janus Landing one time where Stevie (the bass player) played the last half of their set with his pants around his ankles!  :floor:

:floor: I don&#039;t think we knew the same people if you didn&#039;t turn 21 until 92. I got married at 27 in 90. I moved to the St. Pete area in 86. My dad was opening up a Funny Bone inside Hamlins Landing, I think in Indian Rocks Beach. I lived there for a while, then moved to Maderia Beach. And of course, since I was a transplant, I had to do my time at Trader Publications AND Val-Pak Coupons. I think it&#039;s a state law :lol: Anyway, lived their until 91 then moved back to STL. 
 
Those boys were something to see live. I&#039;ll never forget, we saw them at Janus Landing one time where Stevie (the bass player) played the last half of their set with his pants around his ankles! :floor:

[QUOTE=ktschris]:floor: I don't think we knew the same people if you didn't turn 21 until 92. I got married at 27 in 90. I moved to the St. Pete area in 86. My dad was opening up a Funny Bone inside Hamlins Landing, I think in Indian Rocks Beach. I lived there for a while, then moved to Maderia Beach. And of course, since I was a transplant, I had to do my time at Trader Publications AND Val-Pak Coupons. I think it's a state law  :lol:  Anyway, lived their until 91 then moved back to STL.[/QUOTE]

I didn't know transplants actually went back home!  :blink:  :floor: 

No offense, ktschris, because you are one of the people we would like to have down here but ... I wish some others would follow your example! And as a native, I can say that. It's getting too crowded down here. The STL is a nice, classy city. (You have Bob Costas, we have George Steinbrenner and Hulk Hogan.) Now I am thinking about your town and craving some of the famous Ted Drewes custard -- pistachio. MMMMmmmmmmm....

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="ktschris">:floor: I don&#039;t think we knew the same people if you didn&#039;t turn 21 until 92. I got married at 27 in 90. I moved to the St. Pete area in 86. My dad was opening up a Funny Bone inside Hamlins Landing, I think in Indian Rocks Beach. I lived there for a while, then moved to Maderia Beach. And of course, since I was a transplant, I had to do my time at Trader Publications AND Val-Pak Coupons. I think it&#039;s a state law :lol: Anyway, lived their until 91 then moved back to STL.</blockquote> 
I didn&#039;t know transplants actually went back home! :blink: :floor: 
 
No offense, ktschris, because you are one of the people we would like to have down here but ... I wish some others would follow your example! And as a native, I can say that. It&#039;s getting too crowded down here. The STL is a nice, classy city. (You have Bob Costas, we have George Steinbrenner and Hulk Hogan.) Now I am thinking about your town and craving some of the famous Ted Drewes custard -- pistachio. MMMMmmmmmmm....

audie

fartblossom

ktschris - do you like living in stl ? my uncle and his wife moved there right out of college umpteen years ago and haven't looked back ... seemed like an ok place when we visited, just too big for me .

ktschris - do you like living in stl ? my uncle and his wife moved there right out of college umpteen years ago and haven&#039;t looked back ... seemed like an ok place when we visited, just too big for me .

seagrovelover

little sugar

STL rocks baby!!!! it's great because anytime you want to get away there are so many lakes (lake of the ozarks the biggest) and tons of things to do here...it's endless. Ktschris and I live very close to each other, more like in the "country" but we always love a good trip to the city, you should come visit!!!!! :clap_1:

STL rocks baby!!!! it&#039;s great because anytime you want to get away there are so many lakes (lake of the ozarks the biggest) and tons of things to do here...it&#039;s endless. Ktschris and I live very close to each other, more like in the &quot;country&quot; but we always love a good trip to the city, you should come visit!!!!! :clap_1:

This is probably a longer answer than you wanted, but here goes:

My husband and I got married when we lived in Florida. After a year, we knew we would be buying a house and starting a family soon. Not to sound like SHELLY, but even back then, it was obvious to us, that we would not be able to afford the kind of house in the location we wanted (the beach) So we decided to move. I couldn't image having kids without my family close by, so STL won.

Audie, I really do enjoy St. Louis. It really isn't that big of a city. It is broken down into many different compartments. Within the city, you have Dog Town - Germans, Bevo Area - Dutch, The Hill - Italians, etc. So they are like little cities within. Over the years these "lines" have blurred, but the "cities" are still there. You will find a bar or "tavern" on every corner. You know you have found a STL native when you ask for directions and they say, "Sure, go past The Haven make a left, when you get to the Back Door, make a right and it's 3 streets past McGurks!" Then you have North County and South County. No one from South County could ever think of a reason to go to North County and vice versa.

If you meet someone in STL and you want to know ANYTHING about them, you just need to ask one question: Where did you go to High School? With their answer you've got all the information you need to know :)

Forest Park is STL answer to Central Park. History lesson, it is larger than Central Park and was the site of the 1904 Worlds Fair. Many of the buildings build for the fair are still standing and in use today. We have a world-class zoo here and our art museum is amazing. Both FREE.

St. Louisans are very loyal fans. I know you don't need me to labor on about our Cardinals, but its fun to be a Cards fan! Not to mention we are home to both the Bowling Hall of Fame, and the Dog Museum :)

Best of all, we are a 10 hour drive to almost anywhere we want to go. The  mountains, the east coast, THE BEACH!

So a long story short, you guys should come up sometime...it is a lot of fun, we could head to Gus' for some pretzels, go catch a game then hit the Hill for some unbelievable eats!  :clap_1:

This is probably a longer answer than you wanted, but here goes: 
 
My husband and I got married when we lived in Florida. After a year, we knew we would be buying a house and starting a family soon. Not to sound like SHELLY, but even back then, it was obvious to us, that we would not be able to afford the kind of house in the location we wanted (the beach) So we decided to move. I couldn&#039;t image having kids without my family close by, so STL won. 
 
Audie, I really do enjoy St. Louis. It really isn&#039;t that big of a city. It is broken down into many different compartments. Within the city, you have Dog Town - Germans, Bevo Area - Dutch, The Hill - Italians, etc. So they are like little cities within. Over the years these &quot;lines&quot; have blurred, but the &quot;cities&quot; are still there. You will find a bar or &quot;tavern&quot; on every corner. You know you have found a STL native when you ask for directions and they say, &quot;Sure, go past The Haven make a left, when you get to the Back Door, make a right and it&#039;s 3 streets past McGurks!&quot; Then you have North County and South County. No one from South County could ever think of a reason to go to North County and vice versa. 
 
If you meet someone in STL and you want to know ANYTHING about them, you just need to ask one question: Where did you go to High School? With their answer you&#039;ve got all the information you need to know 🙂 
 
Forest Park is STL answer to Central Park. History lesson, it is larger than Central Park and was the site of the 1904 Worlds Fair. Many of the buildings build for the fair are still standing and in use today. We have a world-class zoo here and our art museum is amazing. Both FREE. 
 
St. Louisans are very loyal fans. I know you don&#039;t need me to labor on about our Cardinals, but its fun to be a Cards fan! Not to mention we are home to both the Bowling Hall of Fame, and the Dog Museum 🙂 
 
Best of all, we are a 10 hour drive to almost anywhere we want to go. The mountains, the east coast, THE BEACH! 
 
So a long story short, you guys should come up sometime...it is a lot of fun, we could head to Gus&#039; for some pretzels, go catch a game then hit the Hill for some unbelievable eats! :clap_1:

we stayed in the hotel at union station, went to a blues hockey game (we are huge hockey fans)and had dinner one night at mike shannons.  we would love to do it again, if we do i will contact you !

Please do! Shannon's is great, they moved closer to both Savis (where the blues play) and the new stadium!  :clap_1: 

Hey, wait...hockey seasons over!

Please do! Shannon&#039;s is great, they moved closer to both Savis (where the blues play) and the new stadium! :clap_1: 
 
Hey, wait...hockey seasons over!

[QUOTE=ktschris]Please do! Shannon's is great, they moved closer to both Savis (where the blues play) and the new stadium!  :clap_1: 

Hey, wait...hockey seasons over![/QUOTE]

I've only been once or twice, and it's been years ... traveling has been so hard since I had my first child. So glad I got to a lot of places in my 20s. Just came back from my best friend's house; she is an STL native and went to the Catholic school that Mary Englebreit went to; can't remember the name. What does that say exactly? She is a great and smart person, I know that much!  :clap_1:

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="ktschris">Please do! Shannon&#039;s is great, they moved closer to both Savis (where the blues play) and the new stadium! :clap_1: 
 
Hey, wait...hockey seasons over!</blockquote> 
I&#039;ve only been once or twice, and it&#039;s been years ... traveling has been so hard since I had my first child. So glad I got to a lot of places in my 20s. Just came back from my best friend&#039;s house; she is an STL native and went to the Catholic school that Mary Englebreit went to; can&#039;t remember the name. What does that say exactly? She is a great and smart person, I know that much! :clap_1:

Wow! She is a very smart girl!! Visitation is a very tough school, I would love it if my daughter would get in there. But seeing how she is just finishing Kindergarden this year I won't put the pressure on.....yet  :lol:

Wow! She is a very smart girl!! Visitation is a very tough school, I would love it if my daughter would get in there. But seeing how she is just finishing Kindergarden this year I won&#039;t put the pressure on.....yet  :lol:

:oops: I mean Kindergarten, fingers moving faster than my head again.

Mary Englebreit is on our walk of fame. STL has one just like LA. It's in a really eclectic neighborhood in U City and has quite an impressive list of names.  :clap_1:

:oops: I mean Kindergarten, fingers moving faster than my head again. 
 
Mary Englebreit is on our walk of fame. STL has one just like LA. It&#039;s in a really eclectic neighborhood in U City and has quite an impressive list of names. :clap_1:

[QUOTE=ktschris]Wow! She is a very smart girl!! Visitation is a very tough school, I would love it if my daughter would get in there. But seeing how she is just finishing Kindergarden this year I won't put the pressure on.....yet  :lol:[/QUOTE]

Yes, you nailed it, she is awesome. She and her sister both went there. Brainiacs. But cool.  :cool: 

It's funny, I don't know how it is there but down here we have several excellent private schools, and you have to get the kids in at PreK or kindergarten at the very latest if you want to be sure the space is available.  :shock: Can't imagine how competitive it is in say NYC (I know it has to be worse in the biggest cities) but I do know my son spent WAY more time in his PreK evaluation than any college counselor would ever spend on his college application. Scary. We went down that road and have some very specific reasons we are glad we did, but there are a lot of reasons not to.

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="ktschris">Wow! She is a very smart girl!! Visitation is a very tough school, I would love it if my daughter would get in there. But seeing how she is just finishing Kindergarden this year I won&#039;t put the pressure on.....yet :lol:</blockquote> 
Yes, you nailed it, she is awesome. She and her sister both went there. Brainiacs. But cool. :cool: 
 
It&#039;s funny, I don&#039;t know how it is there but down here we have several excellent private schools, and you have to get the kids in at PreK or kindergarten at the very latest if you want to be sure the space is available. :shock: Can&#039;t imagine how competitive it is in say NYC (I know it has to be worse in the biggest cities) but I do know my son spent WAY more time in his PreK evaluation than any college counselor would ever spend on his college application. Scary. We went down that road and have some very specific reasons we are glad we did, but there are a lot of reasons not to.

[QUOTE=ktschris]:oops: I mean Kindergarten, fingers moving faster than my head again.

Mary Englebreit is on our walk of fame. STL has one just like LA. It's in a really eclectic neighborhood in U City and has quite an impressive list of names.  :clap_1:[/QUOTE]

We have a Road of Shame. Anyone who has ever been to Tampa and driven down Dale Mabry knows what I mean ... all those strip clubs! Now that my kindergartener can read, I don't drive that way in the minivan anymore.  :blink: Otherwise I love where we live. Most of the time.  :biggrin:

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="ktschris">:oops: I mean Kindergarten, fingers moving faster than my head again. 
 
Mary Englebreit is on our walk of fame. STL has one just like LA. It&#039;s in a really eclectic neighborhood in U City and has quite an impressive list of names. :clap_1:</blockquote> 
We have a Road of Shame. Anyone who has ever been to Tampa and driven down Dale Mabry knows what I mean ... all those strip clubs! Now that my kindergartener can read, I don&#039;t drive that way in the minivan anymore. :blink: Otherwise I love where we live. Most of the time. 😀

we have, ummm let's see, ummmm nothing ! there is one area of town where you can go watch men pick up hookers and buy drugs. we call it the whorto instead of the ghetto.  and we also keep a close eye on the sex offenders web site to make sure no one we know is on there - we recently found someone tho that we knew at work !  that's about it for the excitement in my town .

we have, ummm let&#039;s see, ummmm nothing ! there is one area of town where you can go watch men pick up hookers and buy drugs. we call it the whorto instead of the ghetto.  and we also keep a close eye on the sex offenders web site to make sure no one we know is on there - we recently found someone tho that we knew at work !  that&#039;s about it for the excitement in my town .

There are a lot of private schools here in STL. I would say 98% of them are Catholic, and if you didn't attend a Catholic grade school, your chances of getting into one of the high schools are slim to none. It's very competitive. You have to start "selecting" your schools in 7th grade. You can apply to 3 and tuition to some of them or more then what I paid for college back in the day! My husband and I decided with my first, that the Catholic system was how we were going to go. Our parish is on the small side, but growing every year. There is something comforting about knowing everyone in school. We know that we have sacrificed some of the "extras" that would come with public schools, but once into the high school years, hopefully it will even out.

There are a lot of private schools here in STL. I would say 98% of them are Catholic, and if you didn&#039;t attend a Catholic grade school, your chances of getting into one of the high schools are slim to none. It&#039;s very competitive. You have to start &quot;selecting&quot; your schools in 7th grade. You can apply to 3 and tuition to some of them or more then what I paid for college back in the day! My husband and I decided with my first, that the Catholic system was how we were going to go. Our parish is on the small side, but growing every year. There is something comforting about knowing everyone in school. We know that we have sacrificed some of the &quot;extras&quot; that would come with public schools, but once into the high school years, hopefully it will even out.

[QUOTE=TooFarTampa]We have a Road of Shame. Anyone who has ever been to Tampa and driven down Dale Mabry knows what I mean ... all those strip clubs! Now that my kindergartener can read, I don't drive that way in the minivan anymore.  :blink: Otherwise I love where we live. Most of the time.  :biggrin:[/QUOTE]
Deloris T. had a song about Dale Mabry. Was not very flattering -- but a good song.

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="TooFarTampa">We have a Road of Shame. Anyone who has ever been to Tampa and driven down Dale Mabry knows what I mean ... all those strip clubs! Now that my kindergartener can read, I don&#039;t drive that way in the minivan anymore. :blink: Otherwise I love where we live. Most of the time. 😀</blockquote>Deloris T. had a song about Dale Mabry. Was not very flattering -- but a good song.

Oh yeah, and my husband has visited some of those "bottle clubs" back in the 80's. But he told me he always just fell asleep because it was so late and he was tired  :floor:

Oh yeah, and my husband has visited some of those &quot;bottle clubs&quot; back in the 80&#039;s. But he told me he always just fell asleep because it was so late and he was tired  :floor:

[QUOTE=audie]we have, ummm let's see, ummmm nothing ! there is one area of town where you can go watch men pick up hookers and buy drugs. we call it the whorto instead of the ghetto.  and we also keep a close eye on the sex offenders web site to make sure no one we know is on there - we recently found someone tho that we knew at work !  [B]that's about it for the excitement in my town [/B] .[/QUOTE]

You forgot to mention the occasional workplace shootings.  :blink:

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="audie">we have, ummm let&#039;s see, ummmm nothing ! there is one area of town where you can go watch men pick up hookers and buy drugs. we call it the whorto instead of the ghetto. and we also keep a close eye on the sex offenders web site to make sure no one we know is on there - we recently found someone tho that we knew at work ! that&#039;s about it for the excitement in my town .</blockquote> 
You forgot to mention the occasional workplace shootings. :blink:

[QUOTE=ktschris]Oh yeah, and my husband has visited some of those "bottle clubs" back in the 80's. But he told me he always just fell asleep because it was so late and he was tired  :floor:[/QUOTE]

 :floor: When mine wants to get me fired up he tells me he and his friends are going out to the Mons.  :pissed: Of course when he does go out they just go to some bar instead and play Golden Tee.  :floor:

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="ktschris">Oh yeah, and my husband has visited some of those &quot;bottle clubs&quot; back in the 80&#039;s. But he told me he always just fell asleep because it was so late and he was tired :floor:</blockquote> 
 :floor: When mine wants to get me fired up he tells me he and his friends are going out to the Mons. :pissed: Of course when he does go out they just go to some bar instead and play Golden Tee. :floor:

I'm not sure if we are in the same age group, but was wondering if you were in the bay area late 80's early 90's. I was really bored at work this morning and started playing around and ran across my favorite live band ever. Deloris Telescope. Crazy guys, we used to go see them every weekend at the ACL Club on Central. Anyway, just wanted to know if you've heard of them.

I&#039;m not sure if we are in the same age group, but was wondering if you were in the bay area late 80&#039;s early 90&#039;s. I was really bored at work this morning and started playing around and ran across my favorite live band ever. Deloris Telescope. Crazy guys, we used to go see them every weekend at the ACL Club on Central. Anyway, just wanted to know if you&#039;ve heard of them.

TooFarTampa...

Grayton BeachCam

Dune Allen BeachCam

Seagrove Beach SkyCam

Inlet BeachCam

Miramar BeachCam Majestic Sun

Santa Rosa BeachCam

Walton County Fair

Queens of the Tiles: Mahjong at Ovide

Live Music @ Fish Out of Water

Cars of 30A At Alys Beach: Event Highlights & Photo Gallery

Sixth annual Run Watersound At Watersound Town Center October 24, 2026

Support Our Parks: The 2026 Friends of Camp Helen Pumpkin Patch Is Open

Annual Events and Festivals in South Walton

International Coastal Cleanup Day Was A Success In South Walton

Merchants Of Alys Beach Announce New Dining & Shopping Options

No beachcams yet

More cams

Include enough context for a reply on the first pass: who you are, what this is about, and anything time-sensitive we should know.

Write a clear note and we will route it fast

SoWal Contact Form

What helps the SoWal team reply on the first pass

Use these links when your request already has a clear destination.

Prefer a direct route before you write?

Use this when you are not sure where your request belongs and need the SoWal team to route it.

Questions, corrections, and quick help

Share newsworthy updates, corrections, community tips, or photography that can improve SoWal coverage.

Story tips, local leads, and photos

Reach the team for business visibility, partnership planning, or other commercial opportunities.

Listings, sponsorships, and business requests

Use this path for media coordination, press follow-ups, or requests that need a communications contact.

Press outreach and interview requests

Tell us what you need and how to reach you.

Send your note here and the SoWal team will route it appropriately.

Choose the quickest route for your message

Forum account areas

Log in to view member profile, alerts, messages, watched content, bookmarks, preferences, and staff tools.

Member-only forum areas use your SoWal forum account.

Use your forum username or email to post, reply, follow threads, and manage your account.

Log in to the forum

Log in to the SoWal forum

Find people and visit their public forum profiles.

Members

Enter the six-digit code sent to {email}.

Check your email

Join the conversation

Welcome to SoWal

Sign in to SoWal

Signature preview

Ads support our local stories, BeachCams, and community guides. If you use an ad blocker, allow SoWal, then check again.

Help keep SoWal local

Your feedback helps us make SoWal better.

How was this story?

Get local stories, events, and South Walton highlights in your inbox.

Stay close to the coast

Choose whether SoWal may use optional cookies. Necessary cookies keep the site working.

Your privacy, your choice

Site navigation

Submenu

Bite-sized stories, curated itineraries, and community events delivered to your inbox on the regular.

TooFarTampa...

Latest conversations

Write a reply

Cars of 30A At Alys Beach: Event Highlights & Photo Gallery

Sixth annual Run Watersound At Watersound Town Center October 24, 2026

Support Our Parks: The 2026 Friends of Camp Helen Pumpkin Patch Is Open

Annual Events and Festivals in South Walton