Celebrities Buying Homes In South Walton on 30A

[Ectoplasm]

Did he have lemon juice running down his leg?

The Lemon Song

 

[Big George]

I assume you have the owners permission to place pictures of his house?

Who cares it’s Andean !

 

[RobG]

I

I have been amused over the years about rumors of Johnny Depp, Michael Jackson, Michael Jordan. And real stories - Sheryl Crow, Michael McDonald, etc.

Saw this on Tally . com - Nice quote from Dave at the end.


Once a part of the “Redneck Riviera,” the south Walton County strip along state road 30A has traded its jean shorts for designer labels, though pickup trucks remain in style.

Welcome to “Nashville South,” a once quiet, isolated 26-mile stretch of the Panhandle between Destin and Panama City that has transformed into a vacation capital for the South’s rich and famous.

Among those who frequent the area: country music stars Faith Hill, Kenney Chesney and Luke Bryan; actors Sandra Bullock, Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn; NFL stars Tony Romo and Eli Manning; and even presidential candidate Mike Huckabee and Republican political consultant Karl Rove. Some — like Bryan, Huckabee and Rove — have vacation homes here.

Just don’t expect them to make a big deal about it: They’re not here to be seen.

“The celebrities who come here are very off the radar when they are here. They come with their kids, they wear flip-flops, and they relax at the beach,” said Jessica Standley, president of Rosemary Beach Cottage Rental Co. Cottages — if you can call a 4,400 square foot home with six bathrooms that — in the resort community rent for up to $28,000 a week.

Standley recalled seeing Hill wearing a baseball cap and riding a bicycle through the area.

It wasn’t always like this. When Dave Rauschkolb opened Bud & Alleys bar and restaurant in 1986, the area was largely undeveloped. Other Floridians in more upscale areas like Miami and Palm Beach derisively called the Panhandle the Redneck Riviera, a banner many in the area wore with pride.

“We had the advantage of being among the last stretches of Florida beach to be developed, and we learned lessons from Destin, Panama City and other places,” he said.

The area enacted stringent building codes that restricted building heights and kept condominiums out.

The high-end residential development began in the mid-1980s with construction of the quaint beachside village of Seaside, home to Raushkolb’s bar. The designed community features multistory pastel beach cottages, bike paths, parks and open-air boutiques. Its serene setting made it the perfect locale for the 1998 Jim Carrey movie “The Truman Show.”

Other planned resort communities followed, each featuring a unique design style with multimillion-dollar homes and breathtaking ocean views catering to wealthy Southerners.

Development really took off about a decade ago, and property values in south Walton have jumped more than 50 percent since then. Beachfront homes for sale on 30A routinely go for more than $1 million, according to real estate website Zillow.

Most celebrities don’t want to talk about their love of the area. Representatives for singer Dierks Bentley, chef Emeril Lagasse, Bryan and others all declined to make their clients available when contacted by The Associated Press.

One celebrity who would talk is musician John Oates, half of the duo Hall and Oates. He frequents the annual 30A Songwriters Festival, where acts such as Graham Nash, Indigo Girls and Leon Russell performed in January. In years past, Sheryl Crow was known to stop into the Red Bar in Grayton Beach and preform a song or two.

“It is a great place to hangout. It has a very chill atmosphere,” said Oates, who is working on a television project exploring American roots music scenes across the country.

Rauschkolb, the bar owner, said many visitors try to compare the area to more famous celebrity gathering spots in California or New York. “I don’t know if ‘Southern Hollywood’ is the right description or ‘Southern Hamptons’ or what. I just call it Paradise,” he said.

I can’t wait til Kanye gets a spot on Alys

 

[James Bentwood]

Heard yesterday Faith Hill and Tim McGraw bought in Alys Beach. I think his dad Tug McGraw owns (or owned) a home in Rosemary Beach.

Three-time Grammy Award winner Tim McGraw, the son of former major league reliever Tug McGraw, is a country music superstar who has sold over 40 million albums. Eleven of his album have debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard country album chart and he has had 21 hit No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot Country 100 chart. He and his wife Faith Hill won Grammy Awards in 2001 and 2006 for their duos "Let's Make Love" and "Like We Never Loved At All".

Audrey Faith McGraw known professionally as Faith Hill, is an American singer, actress and record producer. She is one of the most successful country music artists of all time, having sold more than 40 million albums worldwide. Hill's first two albums, Take Me as I Am (1993) and It Matters to Me (1995), were major successes and placed a combined three number ones on Billboard's country charts.

 

[Teresa]

Saw Luke Bryan's house is for sale in Inlet Beach.

Luke Bryan Lists Secluded Florida Beachfront Home For $18 Million

Country music star Luke Bryan is selling his $18M Gulf-front home after extensive renovations.

www.forbes.com

 

[Matt J]

Heard yesterday Faith Hill and Tim McGraw bought in Alys Beach. I think his dad Tug McGraw owns (or owned) a home in Rosemary Beach.

I seriously doubt this, Alys doesn't market to celebrities nor do they want an endless parade of tourists wandering around property trying to locate celebrities homes.

 

[bob bob]

I seriously doubt this, Alys doesn't market to celebrities nor do they want an endless parade of tourists wandering around property trying to locate celebrities homes.

They may not market to celebrities but they wouldn't turn them away. And it would make more sales which is the business they are in.

 

[Matt J]

Sorry I don't mean to be dismissive, but just the other day I heard someone make the following statement:

"You should see if your concrete block beach bungalow is an Ed Walline design as it could be worth a lot of money"

If you've lived here any amount of time you know why this statement is insanely stupid.

 

[Matt J]

They may not market to celebrities but they wouldn't turn them away. And it would make more sales which is the business they are in.

If it is true whoever "leaked" won't be employed very shortly.

 

[Caruso]

celebrity fixation (obsession) is a weird hobby