Grayton Beach

There's a reason why 30A's Grayton Beach is known far and wide as the heart and soul of South Walton County. In fact, there's several. Unlike most stretches of the Emerald Coast, Grayton Beach's sugar white sands find themselves nestled both between the turquoise waters of Florida Gulf Coast but also the enormous dune lake known as Western Lake. Bright, colorful beachside homes, hand-painted fences and other public displays of local art, and bright sunny days; there isn't a Florida beach town stereotype that Grayton Beach doesn't happily live up to.

Offering an unfathomable amount of natural beauty, it is hard to be inside Grayton Beach and want anything to do with the outside world. When not exploring the beach and dunes offered by being along the Emerald Coast, there's Grayton Beach State Park, which this town is lucky enough to border. To the north, Point Washington and its state forest are there for when a more woodland mood strikes. Being equidistant to Destin in the west and Panama City to the east, neither of which is too terribly far, means that city life is right around the corner.

Beyond its reliable local businesses, with Grayton Beach's centralized location, nothing in South Walton, or even Okaloosa for that matter, is a close drive. On days you just don't feel like leaving town, and for the residents of Grayton Beach, those days are plenty, beachside eatery Chiringo, gastropub Grayton Brewpub, seafood restaurants AJ's and Grayton Seafood or the high end Italian cuisine of Borago have your culinary needs covered. On those days when maybe you stayed out a little too late at The Red Bar, one of the more fun and unique beach restaurants in Florida, stop by to see the local florist at Blooming Buda 30A and begin to make amends. The truly breathtaking thing about Grayton Beach, beyond its natural beauty of course, if I have only touched on a small fraction of the great local charters, galleries and restaurants available to those lucky enough to call this spectacular beach town home.