Topsail Hill Preserve State Park on the western end of Scenic 30A should be at the top of your must do list. No visit to South Walton is complete without seeing our masterpiece of a park, where wild coastal forest and serene dune lakes meet the glorious Gulf.
The DeFuniak Springs Sprint Triathlon will take place Saturday, May 4. Beginning at 7AM, the triathlon will start with with a 600 yard swim in the second most round lake in the world, followed by 16 mile bike ride into the scenic country, followed by a 5k around the lake through historic Victorian style homes surrounding the lake.
You've finally arrived at the beach! You’ve loaded up on groceries, enjoyed your first sunset, and now you're ready for fun and excitement in South Walton! Our latest SoWal List cuts to the chase about where to rent what and who delivers the goods.
There are lots of places that sell lots of bikes, but Big Daddy’s Bike Shop remains at the top of the hill.
They’ve been in business here in SoWal on Scenic 30A in Blue Mountain Beach at the top of the hill (literally and figuratively) for 21 years now for a reason: They simply have set the gold standard for bicycle sales, rentals, and maintenance.
These guys. They’re chomping at the bit to hit the trail….and here I am holding up the show to take a picture of the gang.
We're gathered at Big Daddy’s Bike Shop to head out on the weekly mountain bike ride through nearby Point Washington State Forest. I'm along for the ride and looking forward to the venture.
On the east side of South Walton just east of Inlet Beach, turn off Highway 98 and through the gate of Camp Helen State Park and be amazed how fast you go from freeway frenzy to total tranquility.
Want to know what there is to do in South Walton? Our 26-mile stretch of pristine coastline is filled with the aroma of clean salt air and the fresh scent of deep pine forests, and is interwoven with the unique charm of many idyllic beach communities. Whatever your preference, from beachside cottages to world-class resorts, you’ll find it here along Scenic 30A. Explore the sugar-white sands and emerald green waters of top-rated beaches, the woods and marshlands where endangered plants, animals and exotic birds thrive … you'll love our unspoiled nature.
Grayton Beach State Park has showcased the best natural environment South Walton has to offer for nearly 50 years.
The park encompasses 2,200 acres of pristine rolling dunes along the Gulf and Western Lake, and a magnificent coastal forest habitat with unusual scrub oaks and magnolias twisted by winds and time. Western Lake is the centerpiece of the park, one of our rare, freshwater coastal dune lakes.
There’s no better way to get up close and personal with South Walton's beauty and charm than to pedal along our paved 18-mile bike path. It winds past rare coastal dune lakes, stellar state parks, massive dunes, and through several charming SoWal beach towns. Biking in SoWal is a perfect family activity, an ideal way to get some exercise, and a whole lot of fun.
South Walton is beautiful in ways that challenge the imagination. Word has gotten out about our sleepy collection of sophisticated-yet-casual communities whose prominent allure is the pristine white-sand beach and its complement – the glistening emerald-hued Gulf. While the shore whets travelers’ appetites, it’s what’s off the beach that may be most deserving of our attention.
