The Best of Santa Rosa Beach

Enjoy The Best of Santa Rosa Beach!  Founded in 1910, Santa Rosa Beach, also called South Walton,  has a rich history. This long-standing vacation destination remains a hotspot for visitors years later — in fact, Santa Rosa Beach was recently named as one of Travel + Leisure’s Top 5 Favorite Towns in America.  Santa Rosa Beach’s sugar-white sand and turquoise water draw in vacationers from around the world; retreats like Point Washington State Forest attract those searching for an all-natural escape. Delicious dining, boutique shopping, and family-friendly attractions round out this lively beach neighborhood.  Continue to read out Santa Rosa Beach Tourism guide, to get everything you need to know to plan your next vacation here.

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Santa Rosa Beach Weather – When to Visit

The best time to visit Santa Rosa Beach is between mid-September and October when both spring breakers and family vacationers have departed the city, leaving the beaches, attractions and restaurants devoid of peak season crowds. The weather is still moderate this time of year, and the risk of hurricanes wanes, too. The late fall and winter months of November through February are considered low season, with dropping temperatures and room rates. Heavy crowds of students and families swarm the city and its beaches in peak season’s early spring and summer to take advantage of the prime beach weather.

Best  Santa Rosa Beach Area Beaches

Seaside Beach

From sun-bleached sand and soothing surfs to charming walking paths and cool Gulf breezes, Seaside Beach is an idyllic adventure.  Enjoy an exhilarating day or romantic evening on the beach, or enjoy a leisurely stroll on Seaside Beach.

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Dune Allen Beach

On the far west end of Santa Rosa Beach is Dune Allen Beach.  Dune Allen is definitely one of the more secluded beaches and stretches down to Gulf Place on the east end, an entertainment complex with pubs, dining, shopping, and events. Ed Walline public beach access across from Gulf Place offers free parking, public restrooms, and a beach ramp that is ADA accessible.

Blue Mountain Beach

This beach neighborhood draws its name from the blue lupine flowers that sway in the coastal breeze and the fact that the area is home to South Walton’s highest elevation.  The water is clear and cool, and the view of the “Blue Mountains” from the gulf is a site to be remembered long after your trip is done.

Grayton Beach

Located along the Gulf of Mexico between Pensacola and Panama City, Grayton Beach is home to a designated Blue Wave Beach and Grayton Beach State Park. The park is a 400-acre sliver of paradise featuring pristine sugar-sand beaches, a rare coastal dune lake and a wealth of nature. Its nature trail winds through a salt marsh, steep dunes and a coastal forest thick with twisted scrub oaks and magnolias.

WaterColor Beach

The resort community of WaterColor has grown into an entire beach community featuring southern nature and hospitality at its finest! Golf, bike, or rent a paddleboard and ease your way into the many inlets, creeks, and beach and bay accesses of the 30A area. Watercolor Inn & Resort is of course a world-class resort, with lodging options for a family getaway, romantic rendezvous, or a major event like a wedding or reunion.

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Best Santa Rosa Beach Restaurants

Café Thirty-A  $31 – 50

Café Thirty-A is a casual fine-dining restaurant featuring grilled & fire-roasted seafood, organic meats & poultry, wood-oven pizza, vegetarian fare & hedonistic, “architectural” desserts. The menu changes daily according to availability of ingredients. Fine wines & cocktails including a creative menu of the “best martinis in the area” complement the meal.  Telephone:  850-502-5001  Web:  Café Thirty-A.

Basmati’s Asian Cuisine  $11 – 30

They specialize in Asian-inspired Classical Cuisine and Sushi.  Creative use of Asian influences to fresh, local seafood, beef, lamb and duck.  As well as, the areas best sushi, rolled to order using only the freshest of seafood and vegetables.  They are a small, intimate fine dining restaurant featuring an interesting, but affordable wine list, with a full bar featuring a creative Martini Menu.  Telephone:  850-267-3028  Web:  Basmati’s Asian Cuisine.

Trebeaché  $31 – 60

From the creative team that brought you great restaurants such as Stinky’s Fish Camp and The Lakeplace, they proudly present Trebeaché- South Walton and 30A’s newest, exceptional restaurant and event venue. Perfectly located in the heart of Blue Mountain Beach, Trebeaché boasts an elegant yet resort casual restaurant offering a menu featuring classic to contemporary fare with a variety of ethnic flares.  Telephone:  850-937-7793 Web:  Trebeaché.

Chanticleer Eatery  $11 – 30

Chanticleer specializes in fresh, made from scratch, real good food!  They bake all of their breads fresh in house, smoke their own meat, make their sauces and utilize the best quality ingredients possible. At lunch they serve: amazing sandwiches and salads, pasta, chops and some down south good cooking like shrimp & grits, chicken & rice and jambalaya! Don’t leave without getting some dessert.  Their cookies and key lime pie are their specialty!  Telephone:  850-213-9065  Web:  Chanticleer Eatery.

The Red Bar  $11 – 30

The Red Bar is South Walton’s most popular indoor destination. It’s the place for fun with friends and family while taking in all of the eclectic decor, listening to great live music and enjoying great food and cocktails.  The simple but varied menu includes pasta with crawfish and shrimp, panné chicken and mashed potatoes, stuffed eggplant, crab cakes and fish of the day. Oh, and don’t forget about the salad – it is the best anywhere on the Emerald Coast!  Telephone:  850-231-1008  Web:  The Red Bar.

Best Santa Rosa Beach Bars & Nightlife

The Red Bar – My Personal Favorite!

The Red Bar is South Walton’s most popular indoor destination. It’s the place for fun with friends and family while taking in all of the eclectic decor, listening to great live music and enjoying great food and cocktails.  The Red Bar Jazz Band plays almost nightly during dinner. The party gets cranked up a notch after the dinner crowd thins, creating a more funky atmosphere. Don’t be surprised to spot celebrities here late at night. But please be cool, everybody just wants to chill at The Red Bar.  Telephone:  850-231-1008  Web:  The Red Bar.

Surf Hut

This brand new, open air restaurant is located directly on the beautiful Gulf of Mexico and is the place to be all year long!  The Surf Hut has a menu that goes far beyond your typical ‘beach fare’, with a little added surfer flare to a cuisine that includes Seafood, Oysters and St. Louis Style BBQ.  They’ve got a custom game area on the beach where you can grab a game of corn hole while you watch the waves and sip a delicious signature frozen libation from our full bar!  Telephone:  850-460-7750  Web:  Surf Hut.

Louis Louis

Louis Louis is very similar to The Red Bar, in decor and menu, but also has it’s own distinguished attributes.  The family strives to deliver a fantastic meal, in a unique atmosphere, with great service.  You can come to Louis Louis on a first date, to celebrate an occasion, or right after a fun day at the beach.  They look forward to taking care of you, whether it is your first time with them, or whether you have become a regular customer.  Telephone:  850-267-1500  Web:  Louis Louis.

Hurricane Oyster Bar

Hurricane Oyster Bar & Grill is a 30A original–Offering menu selections inspired by the Gulf Coast, Caribbean Islands, New Orleans and the Low Country. They are the perfect spot to grab an affordable meal for lunch or dinner. Their food, happy hour and atmosphere cannot be beat.  Telephone:  850-231-0787  Web:  Hurricane Oyster Bar.

Local Catch Bar & Grill

Local Catch Bar & Grill is located on the beautiful 30A serves the in coastal cuisine while adding a southern twist.  Telephone:  850-622-2022  Web:  Local Catch Bar & Grill.

Best Santa Rosa Beach Area Hotels