Seaside, Florida — A Perfectly Pastel Beach Town

Adventurous Kate contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I will earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks!

Seaside Florida is one of the most remarkable places I’ve visited in the Sunshine State, and one that I won’t be forgetting anytime soon. From the retro mid-century pastel homes to the soft sand and verdant waves of the Emerald Coast, this oceanside favorite is the cat’s pajamas (or should I say the dog’s swimsuit?).

Seaside is a tiny town on the Florida panhandle, about an hour from Panama City Beach and encircled by forest. I had no idea it even existed until meeting a lady in Mississippi who recommended it, telling me it was wonderful. She sighed so deeply and emphatically that I knew I had to check the place out for itself.

After leaving Route 98, I drove through several miles of dense forest before emerging into a street straight out of a sitcom from the 1950s. Large houses held court on each side of the street, hues of pink or blue or yellow with white trim and geometric designs, each hemmed in by white picket fences.

“This is nice,” I murmured.

Aerial view of Seaside, Florida showing beachfront homes, a white sandy beach, and emerald waters.
An aerial shot of Seaside Florida, via Shutterstock.

Bike paths emerged along the beach. Groups of teenagers, older couples, and young families whizzed by on old-fashioned bicycles. At this point, restaurants began to pop up now and again, along with Airstream trailer food trucks. The houses were now smaller, brighter, compact little marvels of design. Wispy clouds streaked the periwinkle sky.

“This is… really nice,” I said, dumbfounded.

Seaside’s perfect pastel bungalows stunned me; they were almost too good to be true. The beaches were brilliant, as soft as sugar edging against bright turquoise Gulf of Mexico; the location was isolated, surrounded by pine forests on all sides.

I loved my time in the town of Seaside, and I especially love sharing it with other people. Are you thinking of visiting? You should! I’ll take you on a journey through this sun-drenched town that is sure to be a lovely trip you’ll never forget.

A pastel pink house in Seaside, Florida with several balconies.
A green bungalow surrounded by small palm trees with a white picket fence.
A triangular blue and gray wooden building on the edge of the beach.

History of Seaside and Its Cultural Significance

Seaside Florida, an unincorporated community in Walton Country on the Florida panhandle, was originally a plot of private land bought by J.S. Smolian in 1946 as a private retreat for his family.

In 1976, Smolian deeded the land to his grandson Robert Davis, who decided to open Seaside to the world. In 1981, Davis, his wife, and a team of architects began the process of creating a master-planned community centered around its architecture.

This is how the movement of New Urbanism became a reality, focusing on user-friendly livable spaces in regard to its urban planning implementations. This includes factors such as short walking distances between houses and establishments. In short, Seaside has many of the benefits of living in a city, like walkable neighborhoods, while still being a small coastal town.

At times this pristinely planned town seems more like a movie prop than an actual town. It felt oddly familiar, and when I realized that this was actually Seahaven, the too-good-to-be-true in The Truman Show, suddenly everything made sense. Of course Seaside was the main filming location for The Truman Show! Nowhere else in the US would come close.

Today the homes of Seaside are a mishmash of Modern, Victorian, Neoclassical, and Deconstructive architecture blending together beautifully — and there are strict ordinances permitting which styles of houses can be built here.

A beachfront restaurant called the Shrimp Shack near Seaside, Florida.

Best Things to Do in Seaside Florida

Seaside is made to tap into the carefree energy of childhood’s long and epic summers. Ice cream cones, pleasant bike rides, and beaming smiles along the coastal shores — this town is literally designed to create magical memories.

If you’re feeling stumped on where to begin in this peaceful town, take a look at a few of the top activity options to get you started on your journey in Seaside:

People lying in beach chairs on the beach in Seaside, Florida, underneath blue umbrellas.

Visit One of the Beautiful Beaches

One thing is for sure — the white sands of Seaside’s beaches are one of this area’s biggest draws. Being located along the pristine Emerald Coast, you can expect soft white sand that’s easy to sink your feet into and clear turquoise-emerald water at Seaside’s gorgeous beaches.

The main beach in Seaside is actually private access. You’ll either have to be a resident or be staying at a vacation rental or hotel in Seaside in order to get access to this beach, which is blocked off by sand dunes and a gate. Another option is booking an umbrella and lounge chair at the Coleman Beach Pavilion through Cabana Man.

However, there are a couple of excellent public access beaches nearby. One of those is Seagrove Beach, which is just a 10-minute walk or a short bike ride from the center of Seaside. This free beach is the perfect spot to settle down with a good book to pass the afternoon in a sunny daze, or go for a dip in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Two other beaches that offer free public access are Grayton Dunes Beach and Santa Clara Regional Beach. Both of these beaches are a five-minute drive or a short bike ride away from Seaside.

Stroll Seaside’s Cute Town Center

Seaside has a compact, walkable town center with plenty of things to do. One of my favorite spots is Sundog Books, a wonderful independent bookstore that has been in the area for over 30 years. It’s the perfect place to pick up your next great vacation read.

Upstairs, don’t miss Central Square Records, a funky music store with a large collection of vinyls and CDs, as well as band T-shirts and other band-related merch.

If you’re looking for somewhere to eat in Seaside, the Great Southern Cafe is a delicious choice. This Southern cooking restaurant is open all day, but their breakfast (which is served from 8 AM until 10:45 AM) is the real standout. With Southern staples like biscuits and gravy and cheese grits on the menu, this is the perfect place to fuel up with a hearty meal before a day at the beach.

Explore the Art Galleries and Cultural Events

Another of the top things to do in Seaside is exploring the vibrant art and culture scene in this remarkable place. There are several chic art galleries and boutiques in Seaside, including Fusion Art Glass, where you can find unique, colorful hand-blown glass pieces for your home.

You’ll also find trendy boutiques and eclectic shops where you can browse for not-so-typical souvenirs from Seaside.

The Seaside Amphitheater, another nearby attraction in the heart of the town, is a wonderful stop if you’re looking to listen to some live music. This is where most of the top cultural events take place in Seaside, from outdoor concerts to live theatre. It’s also a great spot to throw down a picnic blanket and laze the day away. 

Visit Modica Market

A collection of tasty nibbles is tucked away in the central square of Seaside. One particularly worth visiting is Modica Market, a gourmet shop with great food to please any tastebud. Many locals stop by here for their morning coffee and some light bites.

With various lunch and dinner specials throughout the week, this is an excellent place to pick up healthy and fresh grab-and-go meals if you don’t want to sit down at a restaurant.

An Airstream trailer that has been converted into a food truck with chalkboard signs advertising juices and smoothies.

Eat at a Food Truck

Why have regular food trucks when you could have shiny Airstream trailers instead? A favorite local pastime that brings a vintage edge to an average sunny day, the food trucks operating out of old-school Airstream trailers are the ultimate delicious experience in Seaside. 

Airstream Row is located along Highway 30A right between the center of town and the beach. There are plenty of choices, from green juices to hot dogs to Florida’s favorite dessert, key lime pie.

Don’t miss the frozen custard at Frost Bites or a classic grilled cheese sandwich at The Melt Down. This is another good option for lunch if you don’t want to have a sit-down meal at a restaurant.

Visit the Seaside Farmers Market

If you’re looking for a fun activity on a Tuesday or Saturday morning, this bi-weekly farmers market is an excellent way to try and purchase locally-made items.

This free event takes place in the Seaside Amphitheater and offers an abundance of various goodies, such as baked goods and organic eggs, to take home with you. Get your fixings for your next breakfast here — and don’t forget Florida oranges.

Rent a Bicycle

One of the best ways to explore Seaside and the surrounding area is by bike. Car traffic along Highway 30A can be pretty bad, so sometimes traveling by bike is actually faster than driving! There is a 19-mile designated bike path along 30A, so you don’t have to worry about sharing the road with cars.

There are tons of bike rental shops along 30A, including several in Seaside. You can expect to pay around $25 to $30 for a single-day bicycle rental, with discounts available for additional days. Depending on which rental company you use, you might also be able to book your bike rentals in advance and get free delivery and pickup to wherever you’re staying.

Clear turquoise-blue waves lapping gently onto a sandy shore in Seaside, Florida.

Take a Trip to Grayton Beach State Park

While this park might be technically located just outside town, Grayton Beach State Park is the perfect place to connect with nature while visiting Seaside. Whether you’re looking to delve into some wildlife watching or are excited to travel through these wondrous plains on a bike, you’ll have an ample supply of outdoor activities to choose from. 

If you’re looking for a unique experience, be sure to add seeing the coastal dune lakes to your itinerary. A coastal dune lake is a shallow and irregularly shaped lake that shares an intermittent connection with saltwater and freshwater. These lakes are only found in select countries across the globe, many of them in Walton County. With three of these lake types situated in the park, you’ll be able to enjoy this rare natural wonder. 

Another amazing activity to embark on is traveling through one of the four trails available in the park. This is where you’ll trek through a coastal forest and enjoy some stunning views of the surrounding seaside areas.

Grayton Beach State Park is a five-minute drive or a short bike ride away from the center of Seaside.

Grab a Drink and Relax

What better way to toast the day away in style than with a cocktail in hand while enjoying an ocean view from a rooftop bar? This beach town has an array of hopping hubs to visit and enjoy a drink (or three) while the sun sets over the tranquil waters of Seaside.

One of these rooftop bars by the beach is Bud & Alley’s Roof Deck Bar, where fun meets alcohol-infused libations. Order the Key Lime Martini or Bud & Alley’s Rum Punch to get your buzz on during happy hour while you watch the sunset.

Near this bar, you’ll find one of the historical staples of this small town. The Seaside Post Office is sure to be one of the most delightful postal buildings you’ll ever lay eyes on. Since its construction in 1985, the whitewashed building has been a treasure of this community.

Close-up view of a white picket fence with palm trees and tropical plants in the background.

Visit Neighboring Beach Towns

While Seaside has a variety of fun and popular attractions to keep you busy, you can always drive or bike a few miles to visit the nearby towns of 30A. Seaside is located roughly in the middle of Scenic Highway 30A, a 24-mile stretch of about a dozen picturesque beach towns along the Gulf Coast.

With the larger towns of Panama City Beach and Destin on either end, this scenic stretch of 30A is known for its quiet, small-town charm compared to the many high-rise condos, chain restaurants, and tourist attractions like mini-golf and amusement parks that you’ll find in PCB and Destin.

Here are the best towns along 30A that you can easily visit on a short drive or bike ride from Seaside:

Rosemary Beach – Just eight miles from Seaside, Rosemary Beach is another gorgeous planned community with stylish Dutch Caribbean architecture. Pescado is an amazing rooftop restaurant for dinner where you can get fresh seafood, or enjoy Spanish tapas at La Crema. For breakfast, The Donut Hole is a cult favorite.

Alys Beach – Right next to Rosemary Beach, Alys Beach is a high-end beachfront community with whitewashed architecture. If you want to splurge on a nice dinner, George’s at Alys Beach is a great option. For delicious smoothies and healthy bites, Raw & Juicy is another excellent choice.

Grayton Beach – Grayton Beach is a little hippie enclave just 2.5 miles from Seaside. This laidback town is filled with art galleries and cool spots like The Red Bar, which has amazing live music.

Blue Mountain Beach – Just beyond Grayton Beach, Blue Mountain Beach is another great place to visit if you’re looking for a slice of solitude. With dazzling sand dunes and a beautiful beach, this calm town is also worth a visit. Stop by Blue Mountain Bakery to pick up a sweet treat before you leave.

Destin – This is the furthest town from Seaside on the list (a 45-minute drive), but it’s still worth a mention. This lively beach town has tons of shopping, restaurants, activities, and nightlife. Destin is where you can do exciting activities like a sunset dolphin cruise or parasailing over the Gulf of Mexico.

People relaxing on the beach in Seaside, Florida, some in beach chairs and some playing in the sand.

Best Time to Visit Seaside Florida

I love visiting Florida during the spring months, and Seaside is no exception. The season of spring (from March to May) is the perfect time to visit Seaside for amazing weather along the Emerald Coast. It’s a great time of year for both sunbathing and swimming.

However, spring break is a very crowded time of the year in Seaside, and this usually stretches from mid-March through mid-April after Easter. Late spring (such as the month of May before Memorial Day) is the sweet spot if you want to have great weather and fewer crowds.

What about other times of the year? Winter can be a lovely time to visit Seaside, but temperatures might not be quite warm enough for swimming. It can get surprisingly cold along the Florida panhandle, especially from November through February. However, if you don’t mind chillier weather, Seaside is lovely around Christmas!

Summer can also be fun, but get ready for high humidity and daily rain showers. Busy weeks in summer include the first week of July and the last week of August before Labor Day.

Fall is another good time to visit Seaside for fewer crowds, and it’s still pretty warm in September and October. However, this is hurricane season and you might encounter heavier rain and storms during fall.

How to Get to Seaside Florida

What’s the best way to get to Seaside? The two closest airports are Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport in Destin and Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport in Panama City. Both airports are located about 35 miles from Seaside.

Although both airports are fairly small, they both welcome nonstop flights from many cities in the US — although Destin is better connected with flights from more cities. I’d recommend pricing out flights for both airports to see which one offers the better deal, since they’re approximately equidistant from Seaside.

You can also drive to Seaside, but given its remote location on the Florida panhandle, it might be further than you expect from other popular Florida destinations. For example, it’s a 6.5-hour drive from Orlando and a whopping 9.5-hour drive from Miami! The closest major city is actually Atlanta, Georgia which is 5.5 hours away.

You don’t need a car in Seaside. It’s possible to take an Uber or Lyft to and from the airport, and then get around solely on foot or by bicycle once you get to Seaside. However, having a car is helpful if you want to visit destinations further away.

A white beach bungalow with a white picket fence next to the street sign for West Ruskin Street in Seaside, Florida.

Where to Stay in Seaside Florida

Seaside is all about the pastel bungalows, and one of the lovely things about vacationing in Seaside is staying in one of these charming little houses. This is definitely a rental town, and the majority of accommodation options are vacation rental homes, not hotels.

I love this little gray bungalow, just a two-minute walk from the beach.

This white house with a blue door is across from the beach and so adorable.

This three-bedroom pink house makes a terrific option for a family.

More of a hotel person? If you are looking for hotels, WaterColor Inn & Resort is a very popular place to stay in Seaside. Located just a five-minute walk from the center of town, this hotel offers direct beach views, private beach access, and amenities like a swimming pool and tennis courts.See all Seaside Florida rentals here.

Elsewhere along 30A, The Pearl Hotel is a spectacular luxury boutique hotel in Rosemary Beach, while the 30-A Inn and Suites in Santa Rosa Beach is a more affordable mid-range option for your vacation.

Some teenagers playing volleyball on the beach in Seaside, Florida, sand dunes behind them.

The Takeaway

As I spent more time in Seaside, it struck me that this town was the most immaculate place I had ever seen in Florida. Everything was neat, clean, well-organized, and perfectly designed to a certain aesthetic.

Bicycles dominated the green. While most appeared to be rentals, these weren’t rundown rental bicycles, nor were they hardcore mountain bikes. Instead, the bikes here were simple, retro, shining bastions of chrome and burnished teal.

And in the very center of town, believe it or not, were the nicest porta-potties that I’ve ever seen. Huge porta-potties with multiple stalls inside and running water — the kind of porta-potties you could theoretically provide at a wedding.

You know what wasn’t there? Beer t-shirts. Plastic flip-flops. Tribal armband tattoos, or any tattoos, for the most part. Old, worn, or stained clothing. Unkempt hair or facial hair. You’d see any of these in abundance at any beach in America, not just the South.

Soon it became clear that this was a wealthy town filled with wealthy people on vacation. Older couples had perfectly coiffed hair; men wore crisp button-downs and leather boat shoes; women wore jeweled sandals and oversized sunglasses. Kids were clad in polo shirts and designer mini-me dresses.

That said, if lots of money was being spent in this place, lots went into keeping it looking its best. There wasn’t a single piece of trash on the ground in Seaside, nor a single drop of paint out of place on the houses. Each building told a story.

A pink building with purple trim and white balconies in Seaside, Florida.

I’ve spent a lot of my travels in laid-back beach towns around the globe where you can snack on squid on a stick, or get a $5 massage, or dine on fish tacos prepared in front of you, or watch the sunset from a weathered wooden chair with a cheap beer in your hand.

Places that weren’t fancy, but were a lot of fun, and friendly. Places where the lines between locals and visitors were deliciously blurred and where you could briefly feel like a part of the local community. Scruffy, lovable beach towns filled with scruffy, lovable people.

Seaside could not be more unlike these places. But Seaside did something very few places have been able to do: it lifted me into an enchanted dream world.

By the time I was feasting on key lime pie topped with whipped cream I had declared myself a Florida person and was plotting how I could return someday, maybe for a week or so.

In Seaside, I would spend the week doing nothing but sitting in the sunshine, taking lazy bike rides, and smiling at the beauty of everything around me. And perhaps it would get a bit boring or redundant after then, but for a week, that would be a welcome sojourn to Pleasantville.

I hope this inspired you to visit Seaside for yourself. And if we cross paths there, I’ll greet you as Jim Carrey did: “And in case I don’t see you, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!”

More on Florida:

How to Plan Your First Visit to Disney World as an Adult

Ultimate Guide to Solo Female Travel in the Florida Keys

Best of the Florida Keys and Key West in the Summer

Miami is Nice, So I’ll Say It Twice

See all Florida posts here.

Have you been to Seaside? Does it look like your kind of place? Share away!