The Beach Vacation Blog » Bird Watching

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.

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?

Calm after the Storm!!

Garrett Realty Services — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 20:30:21 +0000

Labor Day 2011 came and went. We said “Goodbye to the Summer and to Tropical Storm Lee”. He brought much needed rain and left us with a cool front along with beautiful clear emerald green waters. Come Rent & Relax with us! ! The Fall Season is perfect. It offers warm days, cool nights and the price is right!!

Fall in Love with a Beach Vacation Today. Call @ 1-800-537-5387 or visit our Fall Deals at www.garrettrealty.com/Specials.aspx

31 Turtle Nests Marked in South Walton!

Garrett Realty Services — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 22:05:43 +0000

31 Turtle Nests Marked in South Walton!
As of July 19, there have been 31 sea turtle nests marked by South Walton Turtle Watch volunteers. Early each morning, volunteers walk South Walton beaches looking for signs of new nests and checking closely for signs of tampering by animals. Nests are clearly marked to keep beachgoers from disturbing them. Hatching is expected to begin this month. Thanks to everyone who works toward protecting one of South Walton’s most valuable assets! For more information or to volunteer, please visit: SouthWaltonTurtleWatch

Sunsets from our Back Yards!!

Garrett Realty Services — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 15:25:01 +0000

Our sunsets aren’t the only reason to visit our wonderful Paradise!!!

Come Rent & Relax along Scenic 30-A with Garrett Realty Services, Inc.

Summer at the Gulf

Garrett Realty Services — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 15:00:07 +0000

Escape to Florida’s Panhandle, where the water sparkles clearer, the sand shines whiter, and the fun never stops. Our Editor reveals his favorite haunts.

(Post from Southern Living Magazine )

by John Alex Floyd, Jr.

I have vacationed here as a child, as a teenager, as a newlywed, and as a father. My wife and I plan to vacation here when we become empty nesters. That’s not uncommon for those who call this 95-mile stretch of Florida’s Panhandle, simply, The Beach. The lure of the place, once experienced, tugs for a lifetime.

From Destin east to Mexico Beach and Port St. Joe, you’ll find a curious mix of old and new Florida. Posh resorts vie with tiny bungalows. Bustling cities glitter in stark contrast with quaint fishing villages. Fabulous or rustic, tacky or elegant, vibrant or laid-back, the area has something for everyone. The common thread that runs through it all remains the emerald green waters and finest powder-white sand in the world.

Lodging–Family Fun on the Emerald Coast
To newcomers, the discovery is Destin–the sleepy fishing village-turned-mega-destination. Many families or couples spend an entire week here and never have to get into a car. Condos are the lodging of choice. Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort is the area’s largest resort complex and features fine hotel rooms, condominiums, four great golf courses, upscale shopping, and a variety of eateries.

Seaside, the Panhandle’s first planned community, sets a look and style that still gives Scenic Highway 30A, the 19-mile loop off of U.S. 98, a fantasy feel. Next door to Seaside sits the WaterColor Inn and Resort, a swank new spot that opened last year. Nearby you’ll find upscale restaurants, shopping, condos, and private homes. Lodging in the Seaside area costs anywhere from $100 up to any price you want to pay. Rosemary Beach is also a favorite destination in this area.

Panama City Beach is a family beach, a teenage hangout, and a splash of old Florida all rolled into one. Classic family-owned motels have dotted this stretch of sand for decades, though remodeled chain hotels, high-rise condominiums, and private rental homes are common today. Marriott’s Bay Point Resort Village, which is on St. Andrews Bay, sports fine golfing and big-league resort accommodations. But beware: Traffic on Front Beach Road is a tangle on summer nights.

While the coastal towns of Mexico Beach and Port St. Joe are different, they feel the same. They echo the unspoiled scenes from the postcard days of travel. It’s not an area that time forgot, just one devoid of today’s crowds. Your best lodging bets here are beach cottages, bed-and-breakfasts, family-run motels, and beach campgrounds and cabins at St. Joseph Peninsula State Park. (RV campgrounds are in the area too.) The easiest way to find a bunk is to check the cities’ Web sites.

Scenic Cycling

Garrett Realty Services — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 19:42:40 +0000

Bike trail along 30A in South Walton offers scenic route on two wheels

By WENDY VICTORA

Northwest Florida Daily News

April 10, 2011

The wide, paved path stretches over 19 miles, through coastal communities, across bridges, past flowering bushes, wetland plants, colorful shops and state parks.

The Timpoochee Trail, as it is formally named, runs along Walton County’s Scenic Highway 30A from beginning to end.

It’s considered a multi-use path, but about 75 percent of its traffic consists of visitors riding beach cruisers or comfort bikes.

“They park their cars and unless they have to go to the grocery store, they ride their bikes,” said Michele Foreman, who owns 30A Bike Rentals, one of a dozen rental businesses along that stretch.

The bikes, which can be rented for anywhere from a few hours to a week, have one speed and one way to brake, by pedaling backward.

Cyclists sit upright on padded seats, unlike road bikes used by more serious cyclists.

Also popular on paths like Timpoochee Trail are “comfort bikes,” which are similarly styled in that you sit upright, but are equipped with gears and hand brakes.

The bikes are used for recreation, to carry folks along scenic stretches of the partially shaded path. They are also transportation for vacationers who travel back and forth between coastal communities.

“We usually stay in the Seagrove area,” says Jim Rice, an Ohio man who vacations regularly in the area. “So that means we can ride our bikes for breakfast in the morning and Rosemary Beach for lunch.

“We love touring through the little neighborhoods,” he adds. “That’s part of the attraction here — not just the beaches, but the bike path.”

Rental agencies deliver the bikes to visitors and pick them up, which makes it easy for folks just coming into town. They provide combination locks, baskets and helmets. Prices start at $10 for a half-day rental and range from $45 to $75 for a full week.

When the path is crowded, riders have to weave and brake frequently, as well as watch for cars turning in and pulling out of driveways and side streets. That makes it less desirable for serious cyclists.

“It would be better if it were a little safer,” said Bruce Braseth, who owns Dragon Sports in Fort Walton Beach. “But cyclists are just happy to have a bike trail anywhere.”

The trail crosses over or near water a dozen times in the 19-mile stretch. In the open spaces between communities, the path is so quiet you can hear birds singing and the wind rustling through the foliage.

“From spring to summer, it’s always full,” said Jeremy Keeney, who owns Bob’s Bicycles in Mary Esther, adding that he wishes the area had more options for cyclists.

“I think more people would be inclined to get on a bicycle and ride if there were more areas like that.”

An Eco Tour in Walton County Is a Natural

Garrett Realty Services — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 16:58:25 +0000

…The Dune Lakes

An Eco Tour in Walton County Is a Natural

Lori Ceier/Walton Outdoors

Information and Photos used courtesy of WaltonOutdoors.com

You’ve heard the expression, “When in Rome.” Well, when in Walton County, you cannot overlook the opportunity to get up close and personal with the stunning nature around you. With state parks, preserves and wetlands making up 40 percent of the area, “green with envy” takes on a whole new meaning. Walco Eco Tours provides hands-on eco-tours guided by owner Murray Balkcom. An avid outdoorsman, Balkcom has been paddling on the coastal dune lakes of South Walton and the Gulf of Mexico since 2002, and has been leading guided nature walks and guided kayak tours in Walton County since 2006.

Balkcom describes the coastal dune lakes as rare national treasures that are unknown even to longtime locals. He explains that this particular type of lake is found only in New Zealand, Australia and Walton County, where there are 15. “Our tours are a great way to reconnect with the outdoors, and provide a great alternative to a day at the beach,” he says.

Walco Eco Tours offers two wonderful ways to explore Walton County’s Western Lake and the surrounding animals and plant life that call it home. Opt for an excursion that combines kayaking and walking/hiking or try the new offering — a YOLO Yak. YOLO, an acronym for You Only Live Once, is a brand of stand up paddleboard birthed in Santa Rosa Beach. The YOLO Yak is a hybrid board designed with elements of a paddleboard and a kayak to facilitate better stability while paddling. This tour combines a YOLO Yak ride and walking/hiking. Both experiences are two hours long and are customized to the level and interest of the group. Tours launch from the boathouse at WaterColor, located on Scenic Highway 30A.

The kayak tour requires two people and maxes out at eight. It is open to kids ages 5 and up. Adults are $60; kids under 10 are $30. The YOLO Yak tour is $60 per person and open to kids ages 12 and up.

When you go, wear waterproof shoes, sunscreen and a hat (as long as it is secured). And don’t forget to drink plenty of water before you venture into the sun on the tour. For more information, visit WalcoEcoTours.com.