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?

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

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.”

Vision Airlines, a company that started by giving tours of the Grand Canyon, will begin offering commercial flights to 20 U.S. cities on Tuesday, promising to save vacationers time and money on getaways to Florida.

Vision says fares, some initially as low as $49 one way, will go on sale Tuesday for trips between the beach communities of northwest Florida and such cities as Baton Rouge, Knoxville, Tenn., and Little Rock starting March 25.

Flights aimed at business travelers shuttling between Louisville and Atlanta began Dec. 13, while service between northwest Florida and Miami and Niagara Falls, N.Y., launched Dec. 17.

The carrier, based in Suwanee, Ga., is taking a page from the playbook of Allegiant, one of the most profitable airlines in the country, by flying non-stop from smaller cities to tourist spots and offering vacationers one-stop shopping by selling packages that include everything from the hotel room to the rental car.

“If Allegiant Airlines is Coke, then there’s always got to be a Pepsi,” says David Meers, Vision’s COO. “Our goal is not to take over the aviation industry. It’s not to go out and try to poke the large carriers in the eye. We believe there’s a niche available in the marketplace to provide … packages to consumers at discounted prices.”

Low fares, non-stop service and large jets — perks more often enjoyed by fliers through major hubs — will be key, Meers says.

“We’ll be flying from cities that have been neglected by large carriers with large aircraft for a number of years,” Meers says, adding that many visitors to the tourist hubs of Destin and Fort Walton Beach in northwest Florida often drive to avoid connecting flights and high fares.

“It opens up the ability for people from all these communities to not only go as they normally would (but) to go more frequently,” he says.

Vision’s entry into commercial passenger service comes as the airline industry is starting to climb back to profitability after skyrocketing fuel prices and the economic downturn that caused leisure and business travelers to cut back on flying.

Still, airline analyst Mike Boyd says that Vision is carving out good turf. “They’re not going into business to meet pent-up demand, they’re going into places to provide a product that wasn’t there before,” Boyd says. “It’s an entirely different business than an airline, but I think it’s going to be a very successful one, as Allegiant has been. They’re creating their own business, a low-cost, high-value vacation to the Florida Gulf Coast.”

Vision started in 1994, operating tours of the Grand Canyon with small planes, and grew into a charter service for celebrities and others.

But it’s long been a goal to become a full-service travel company that offers commercial flights and other packaged travel services, Meers says.

Vacation packages should be available on Vision’s website in the next 60 days, he says. And in the next three years, “It’s realistic to expect we’d add cities out West … and we’ll look at the Caribbean and Mexico.”

Some smaller airports are welcoming the new service, seeing it as a way to boost Gulf Coast tourism, which dipped after the BP oil spill last year, and to get travelers who would usually drive to take to the air instead.

Vision’s non-stop service could even help Florida residents traveling within the state, such as those who now take a connecting flight or drive seven hours from the Destin area to get to Tampa, says Greg Donovan, director for the Northwest Florida Regional Airport in Fort Walton Beach.

“The communities that they’re going to be flying to are difficult to get to via hub connections,” says Donovan, who adds that fares on larger carriers such as Delta and US Airways are often more than vacationers want to pay. “I think it’s going to bring back many people we’ve lost to driving,” Donovan says.

Some airports are waiving fees for Vision and helping to promote its new service.

Northwest Florida Regional will waive Vision’s landing fees and terminal rent for two years, as well as spend tens of thousands of dollars on marketing efforts in targeted communities.

Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport, which will see non-stop service to and from Orlando Sanford International, as well as Northwest Florida Regional, which serves the Fort Walton Beach-Destin area, is also waiving some fees and tapping funds for new air service.

“We all try to secure low-cost carriers for our community,” Anthony Marino, Baton Rouge’s airport director, says of small and midsize airports. “The competition it creates in the market helps us when we’re dealing with (legacy) carriers like American and Continental and US Airways.”

Vision will continue to separately offer tours and chartered flights. That diversification, along with the vacation packages it sells, should create a healthy revenue stream, Meers says.
Source: USA Today

TOWN: Seaside

Set during one of the prettiest seasons on the Emerald Coast, the 20th Annual Seeing    Red Wine Festival will feature hundreds of wines from around the world November 4-7, 2010.

In conjunction with Taste of The Beach, the main tasting on Saturday is often described as the perfect afternoon. Wine enthusiasts stroll through tasting areas, sampling a wonderful selection of wines.

Thursday, Nov. 4: Winemaker Dinner   
Bud & Alley’s 7PM

Friday, Nov. 5: Al Fresco Wine Walkabout
Ruskin Place 6-8PM
$145/person  (866) 976-7990

Saturday, Nov. 6: Seeing Red Grand Tasting
Seaside 1-5PM
$120/person (866) 976-7990

Sunday, Nov. 7: Champagne Brunch
Great Southern Cafe 11AM

Beginning May 23, 2010, Southwest will offer non-stop service to Panama City Beach, Fl from Baltimore, Md. (BWI), Nashville, Tenn. (BNA), Houston, Tx (HOU) and Orlando, Fl (MCO). 

In addition to the eight daily nonstop flights, Southwest Airlines will offer direct or connecting service to more than 58 destinations from Panama City Beach, including Dallas and Chicago. Southwest Airlines will operate from Gate 3 at the new Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport with approximately 30-35 Employees who will call the region home.

This is exciting news for the region as a whole. The exposure to the Beaches of Northwest Florida will enhance our economy in so many ways from lodging, retail, dining and to our real estate sales market.

So, come indulge in our paradise, reserve your vacation with Garrett Realty Services and book your flight with Southwest, today!!

Kayaking in South Walton

Although vacations are meant to be relaxing, no one said it has to be inactive.  Some of the most relaxing activities on the coast including family oriented recreational sports that are different from the day to day workouts at the gym.  The Beaches of South Walton have a plethora of outdoor activities, but there are a few sports that have really grown in popularity over the last year or two including Kayaking and YOLO boarding.

Kayaks come in several different models including sit in and sit atop.  We highly recommend that ameteurs start out utilizing sit atop kayaks.  These kayaks require very little instruction and are simple to manuever.  Single and Double kayaks are available throughout 30A and South Walton.  Most rental agencies will also require that you wear a helmet and personal flotation device for precautionary measures.  Kayaking in the Gulf is possible on very calm days, but otherwise kayaking can be very serene in any of the area lakes or the bay.

YOLO boarding, is also known as paddle boarding, but the enthusiasts would only refer to it as a YOLO board since it is an acronym for You Only Live Once.  A hybrid sport that resembles both surfing and rafting – YOLO boarding requires the participant to balance standing straight up and then control the direction and speed with a paddle, much like rafting.  This sport takes more balance and skill than Kayaking, but can be absolutely exhilarating when conquered!  Click to check out  more on local YOLO.

Other area family activities include bike rentals, sail boat rentals, waverunner rentals parasailing and go kart rentals.  There are several agencies to contact in the area, but Garrett Realty services highly recommends Big Daddys in Blue Mountain Beach, centrally located to all of the prestigious Beaches of South Walton communities.

Pier Park in Panama City Beach

Whether you are on vacation with the family for a Spring break or in town with some friends for a quick weekend, be sure to visit the newest shopping extravaganza on the Emerald Coast – Pier Park in Panama City Beach.  Just a scenic jaunt down 30A, then a few more miles east on highway 98 … Pier Park is a beach shopping experience with all of your favorite outlet shops from Destin, as well as boutiques, your favorite luxury chains and more!

Great dining is available as well, from casual beach dining to cuisine from all over the world you can keep up the energy with a quick bite or a relaxing meal.  Margaritaville offers an outdoor dining deck with a perfect view of the gulf and a great spot for people watching!  Cuisine is beach casual with an extensive list of mixed drinks and beers on tap.  Prices are fairly reasonable for the view.  The Cheeseburger was sensational as was the Caribbean Chicken Salad! 

Pier Park is located on Front Beach road in Panama City Beach and is about fifteen minutes from any of the fabulous Santa Rosa Beach rentals by Garrett Realty Services.