The Beach Vacation Blog » News & Events

Digital Graffiti in Alys Beach

Garrett Realty Services — Mon, 14 May 2012 19:38:34 +0000

Without further ado Alys Beach announces the 25 digital artist finalists who will display their art at the Fifth Annual Digital Graffiti Festival and compete for $10,000 in cash prizes! This juried festival awards prizes in various categories and judged by a panel of art and industry experts. There were hundreds of submissions from artists from around the world eager to have their work displayed on the famous white walls of Alys Beach.

Digital Graffiti is the world’s first projection art festival and draws over one thousand spectators from around the world. Growing in number each year Alys Beach expands the festival for 2012. For two days guests can enjoy this one-of-a-kind event!

Friday, June 8^th, the Gallery Stroll is presented which allows guests to interact with the artists in a salon-style setting. The Caliza Restaurant will be taking a limited number of reservations for dinner and a cash bar at the Caliza Pool will be offered. The festival continues on Saturday, June 9^th at Fonville Press on the Red Carpet with VIE Magazine. Festival gates open for a show like no other! The evening ends with Caliza Pool’s traditional pool party where you will hear all winners announced.

Digital Graffiti is an event you do not want to miss! Visit Alys Beach June 8^th-9^th for the festival of the year! Tickets are on sale and can be purchased by visiting www.digitalgraffiti.com

Reservations, call Garrett Realty for your accommodations @ 1-800-537-5387

Art & Music by the Sea ~ ArtsQuest 2012

Garrett Realty Services — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 21:46:00 +0000

ArtsQuest Fine Arts & Music is back for the 24^th year at Seaside! From May 11^th through the 13^th you can enjoy 3 days of live music and over 130 international artists filling downtown Seaside with intriguing exhibits. The Merchants of Seaside will provide delicious food and beverage options as well as kid activities to make this an event for the whole family.

ArtsQuest introduces a new event to this year’s festival, “Songs on the Lawn”. Recently heard at the 30A Songwriters Festival, ArtsQuest presents David Ryan Harris and Michelle Malone to return to South Walton for a one night performance. The concert will take place outdoors at Ruskin Park and is a ticketed event.

All proceeds benefit the CAA and tickets can be purchased by visiting www.ticketalternative.com/Events/18152.aspx

ArtsQuest celebrates Mother’s Day Weekend with the “World’s Greatest Mom Contest”. Tell us why you have the greatest mom in the world and she could win a trip to ArtsQuest Mother’s Day Weekend! Go to www.artsquestflorida.com for more information.

Bring your mom and the whole family down to Seaside this Mother’s Day Weekend. Enjoy fine art and live music right on the breathtaking beaches of the Emerald Coast!

Celebrating 25 Years!!!

Garrett Realty Services — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 14:16:13 +0000

Garrett Realty Services

Celebrates 25 Years of Success in SouthWalton,Florida

It all started back on April 1^st of 1987, when real estate brokers Marie Garrett and Julia Arthur established their company onScenic Highway 30A. Their goal was simple: to provide top-notch real estate and property management services to the South Walton area.

“Our mantra has always been to treat our guest vacationers as extended family members, rather than just customers” says Marie Garrett. “So while we’ve spent the past 25 years building our business to now over 300 vacation rental properties, we’ve never stopped viewing our guests that way.”

Garrett Realty Services offers a full suite of real estate, vacation rental and property management services. Based inSeagrove Beach,Florida– a beautiful beach community located between Destin andPanama CityBeach– Garrett also services surrounding 30A locations, such asSeaside,SeacrestBeach,Santa RosaBeachandInletBeach.

“Now that we’ve reached 25 years of business, I think we all feel a sense of accomplishment and pride in our company” continues Marie Garrett. “When we first started,SeagroveBeachwas a tiny, unknown spot on the beach. Now we’ve seen it grow into a very popular destination with vacationers. And while sometimes we miss the old days, we’re grateful to have had the opportunity to meet so many new ‘extended family’ members who have vacationed with us throughout the years.”

About Garrett Realty Services, Inc:

Garrett Realty Services is a property management and real estate sales company. They are committed to friendly, knowledgeable and personalized property and vacation rental

management services. For more information, visit their website at www.GarrettRealty.com.

Spring to the Beaches of South Walton ~ Visit South Walton

Garrett Realty Services — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 16:29:09 +0000

This year the first day of spring lands on Tuesday, March 20^th. That means you have exactly 13 weeks and 1 day before the summer heat. The Beaches of South Walton have a calendar full of exciting events to keep you busy outdoors every day this spring!

Music fills the air from March through May in Rosemary, Seaside, and Alys Beach. Spring concerts are offered at 6:00pm every Wednesday and Thursday night. Bring your blanket, beach chair, and a bottle of wine and enjoy the sounds of talented musicians under the stars. For the movie buff, every Friday at 7:30pm take in a spring flick on the green lawn at the Seaside Amphitheatre. All spring concerts and movies are free and open to the public!

This time of year the Beaches of South Walton are famous for hosting our favorite annual events! Digital Graffiti at Alys Beach is the world’s first projection art festival, with artists using the latest technologies to project their original works onto the town’s famous white walls. This event draws over 3,000 guests to its now 2-day event in June!

Seaside hosts the 24^th Annual ArtsQuest and Music Festival. Over 130 international artists fill downtown Seaside with inspiring exhibits. A weekend of live music, artist workshops, KidZone activities, and fabulous fare can be had by all in the month of May!

The 26^th Annual Sandestin Wine Festival takes place in April. Unique wine events over a 4 day period include wine seminars, dinners, auctions, and tastings of over 600 domestic and international wines. Live music, gourmet food, and a never ending supply of wine makes this event a South Walton favorite!

Escape to The Beaches of South Walton this year and experience spring at its best! Come , Visit South Walton, today!

Call Garrett Realty Services @ 1-800-537-5387 for reservations.

www.Artsquestflorida.com www.digitalgraffiti.com www.sandestinwinefestival.com

30-A Wine Festival

Garrett Realty Services — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 21:12:05 +0000

The 30-A Wine Festival is an exclusive 2-day wine event debuting in March. Location: Alys Beach Amphitheater.

This weekend celebration is limited to only 150 ticket holders. All proceeds will go to the Children’s Volunteer Health Network (CVHN).

The 30-A Wine Festival will deliver a weekend of wine and recreation! On Saturday you can meet the Wine Makers as you nibble on food perfectly paired with wine and enjoy live music playing in the back ground. The Grand Tasting is held in the late afternoon along with food prepared by your favorite 30A restaurants such as: Café Thirty-A, Caliza Restaurant at Alys Beach and Borago, just to name a few. The festivities continue on Sunday with a champagne brunch!

Be the first to peruse this plush event! Spend the weekend on 30-A, March 3-4, and give your support to an important cause.

For a vacation rental, call Garrett Realty Serivces @ 1-800-537-5387.

Article from FLORIDA Travel + Life

Garrett Realty Services — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 04:57:54 +0000

What It’s Like to Live Along … Highway 30A

Ever dream of living in a beach town? Escape the rat race with a hot property along Scenic Highway 30A in Northwest Florida.

by Mike Ragsdale | Photography Tom Tavee

Enlarge Photo

Only a few resort communities possess an entirely original vibe. Northwest Florida’s Scenic Highway 30A — or just 30A, as residents call it — is such a place. This meandering 19-mile stretch of panhandle road, tucked between Destin and Panama City, is actually a string of small beach towns. Deliberately arranged fixtures — from a grove of live oaks to a promon- tory overlooking the Gulf of Mexico — are what set 30A apart. The latter-day history of 30A begins in 1979, when Robert Davis inherited an 80-acre par- cel of white-sand beachfront and turned the remote scrub into a new kind of coastal oasis. The town he built is Seaside; the movement is New Urbanism.

It entails designing traditional enclaves intended to create an enhanced sense of place. Sidewalks, bike paths and old-fashioned white picket fences (no two patterns are alike) make Seaside a walkable and architecturally compelling town. Seaside fostered an innovative impulse that is the germ of 30A’s identity. Planned communities modeled after Seaside quickly sprouted.

Stroll the shaded boardwalks of Rosemary Beach and you’ll think you’ve strayed into Charleston. Just down the road lies the bleach-white enclave of the Mediterranean Alys Beach. WaterColor is a wonderland of parks and Old Florida-style homes. Spectacular architecture embodies the 30A life- style as much as the emerald-green water. Traditional designs in muted pastels with rocking chairs on verandas are reminiscent of The Truman Show (the film was shot in Seaside). True lifelong locals are almost as rare as the coastal dune lakes that loosely link the towns. Most residents call 30A home by choice. “We just decided to move to the beach” is how the story usually begins.

“Each community has its own vibe,” says Julie Brown, who sold her house in Atlanta and moved to Blue Mountain Beach in 2008 with her husband. They prefer living on the western end of 30A. It’s quieter and “home to full-timers,” yet close to the area’s boutiques and dining. In contrast are the resort communities — WaterColor, Rosemary Beach, Alys Beach, WaterSound, Seaside as well as Sandestin — with townlike qualities. Other neighborhoods, such as Blue Mountain Beach, Grayton Beach, Seagrove Beach and Dune Allen Beach, have been on the map for decades but were never branded as resort hamlets.

Brown was taken aback by how many people she and her husband met in their first weeks. “It [30A] is just one road, but, boy, is it tight-knit,” says Brown, who owns Furry Fanatics, a natural pet food store. “I’ll go for a run on the beach or ride my bike on 30A.” On the way home, she might park her bicycle in front of Barago, a restaurant in Grayton Beach known for its homemade Italian fare. “We eat at the bar, which is where all the locals hang out. On any given night, we’ll know half of the people there.”

Dan Bailey moved his family to 30A in 2004 and now lives in his former Seagrove vacation home. Since then, he has opened Amavida, a coffeehouse with one location in Seaside and another one in Rosemary Beach. “It [30A] is all about extraordinary spaces,” he says, noting that this idea inspired his coffeehouse concept. A dramatic thinning of the crowds marks the off-season. Fall is the locals’ favorite. Between the Gulf and the 129-square-mile Choctawhatchee Bay, 30A is insulated, and its ambient temperatures in January and February hover in the low 60s, allowing locals to walk their beloved beaches year-round.

The sense of communal pride inspires locals and wannabes to emblazon their cars with circular Gulf- blue “30A” stickers. Some compare the area to a college-style town for adults, with an out-doorsy population and plenty of boomers in the mix. Artists and musicians have migrated here in abundance. Rocker Sheryl Crow occasionally shows up at the Red Bar in Grayton Beach.

On any given day, you’ll fi nd locals on YOLO (an acronym for “You Only Live Once”) boards, which are used as stand-up paddle boards on the Gulf and 30A’s coastal dune lakes. “When the wind is calm, I’ll take the YOLO board out on the Gulf,” says Blake Morar, a 30A realtor and owner of Destin Real Estate. “You’ll see schools of rays and dolphin as you cruise the shoreline.” It’s an experience he shares with his two sons. Afterward, they head to Amore’s, their favorite Santa Rosa Beach pizzeria, just across the street from the beach access.

“An increasing number of our buyers are in the market for a primary residence,” Morar says. “It’s a developing trend. People are looking to move here for the same reasons I did 15 years ago — they love the beach and they love the energy. Interestingly, we’re seeing a lot of cash buys.”

The recent rebound in sales has been a boon to confidence in the market. For $300,000, Morar says, you can settle into a three-bedroom, 2,000-square-foot home in Seacrest within walking distance of the beach. “Prospective buyers are showing up because they’ve heard great things from friends and family,” Morar says. “They’ve heard that 30A is a different kind of paradise.” 30a.com

Come for a visit…call Garrett Realty Services, Inc., helping the true beach lover find their perfect vacation rental along Scenic 30A, since 1987.

South Walton is the Place!

Garrett Realty Services — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 23:28:45 +0000

“This is the Place” is the title of Susanna Hoffs’ South Walton Single. The songs official launch will take place at the 30A Songwriters Festival next week. However, the song is already a hit thanks to the lyric preview video on YouTube that is viewed regularly and local media.

Susanna Hoffs is not the only Songwriter that our beautiful City of South Walton has inspired. Recent releases such as “Life Shines (The 30A Song)” performed by Bryan Kennedy and written by Kennedy and Mike Ragsdale can be heard on YouTube. The Beaches of South Walton are truly music making material!

Susanna Hoffs will debut her song live at the upcoming Songwriter’s Festival. Music lovers don’t want to miss this event. I guarantee you’ll “like it right here”.

For more information and accommodations, contact Garrett Realty Services @ 1-800-537-5387.

30A ~ A Music Lovers Highway!!!

Garrett Realty Services — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 23:01:19 +0000

30A Songwriters Festival is back by popular demand and only a week away! Voted in 2011 as the hottest Annual Event on 30A, this year over 125 songwriters are ready to turn up the heat for 2012. From January 13^th- 15^th, you can enjoy three full days of folk, country, rock, and alternative music along the beautiful beaches of South Walton, Highway 30A.

Venues vary from intimate settings to open air amphitheaters and include 30A hot spots such as: Gulf Place Amphitheatre, Naked Grape, First Note Music Hall in Blue Mountain Beach, and Bud & Alley’s in Seaside. Performances by The Bangles, Rodney Crowell, Shawn Mullins, Matthew Sweet, Indigo Girls, Joan Osborne, and so many more. Truly a world class event of amazing performances at one of the most beautiful spots in the Country!

For a full list of artists and venues or ticket information visit www.30asongwritersfestival.com. Need accommodations, call Garrett Realty Services @ 1-800-537-5387

A Holiday on South Walton Beaches!!

Garrett Realty Services — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 01:01:27 +0000

There is no better place to be this holiday season than at the beach! This Florida girl’s idea of a white Christmas includes walking in the snow-like sand of South Walton Beaches with my bare feet — where the temperatures are in the mid-to-high 60’s and wearing a scarf and boots never cross my mind!

Along with beautiful beaches that can be enjoyed all year round comes a calendar full of holiday happenings. On specific evenings throughout the week you can find lots of great events and activities going. For instance, try visiting the Seaside Amphitheatre for an outdoor concert under the stars. These concerts feature performances from talented, local musicians. They are free and open to the public. Included in the festivities are outside holiday movies on the big screen, visits with Santa, Art-Walks, and New Year’s Celebrations.

For those who don’t mind the cold, WaterColor presents The Polar Bear Dip. Take the plunge into 2012, on January 1^st at 8:00AM. Meet at the WaterColor Beach Club as you join the other daring dippers into the brisk waters of the Gulf of Mexico — guaranteed to wake you up no matter how hard you partied on New Year’s Eve!

The Beaches of South Walton are made up of 15 beach neighborhoods. Each one with its own unique flare and famous celebrations that call me home for the holidays. Why not make it yours this year?

Travel Zoo’s Destination of the Week: South Walton, FL

Garrett Realty Services — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 21:38:22 +0000

South Walton is TravelZoo’s Destination of the Week

South Walton is being featured as TravelZoo’s Destination of the Week. The Destination of the Week is being promoted on TravelZoo’s homepage and in their Top 20 email which drops to a minimum of 12 million subscribers!

Read and find out what we are all about!!!