Sneak Peek 👇
Before we dive into the details, here’s a quick glance at the top things every visitor should know before visiting 30A on vacation:
- Double red flags on the beach are no joke.
- Golf carts absolutely cannot ever drive on Highway 98.
- Some neighborhoods on the north side of 38 get visited by bears.
- Covering trash cans and securing them with bear proof lids is mandatory in some neighborhoods.
- Drivers MUST stop and yield to Pedestrian activated crosswalk lights.
- People commonly bicycle, walk, jog, walk their dog, and ride a E bikes on the main sidewalk along 30A.
- No golf carts are allowed on side streets or public parking in Alys and Rosemary Beach.
- Traffic on Hwy 98 to/from Destin gets really congested.
- Shuttles are available to drop off and pick up at Seaside, Grayton, Gulf Place, and Dune Allen.
- It rains a lot during the summer. Plan a few indoor activity options.
That’s the quick look at what we’ll cover. Now let’s get to the details of what you need to know before you visit.
Double red flags on the beach are no joke
Each morning the South Walton Fire District lifeguards hoist colored flags on poles in front of each public beach access along 30A. We never get green flags anymore, which used to be the all is safe and clear color. Now the best conditions we get in a flag are yellow, which means exercise caution.
A purple flag means that stinging wildlife has been spotted in the water near shore. Typically jellyfish, stingrays, or Portuguese man-o-war. Swim with caution. Small jellyfish can be floating beside you and just brushing against them can cause multiple stings.
A single red flag means high hazard conditions with strong surf or dangerous currents. Rip currents can pull even strong swimmers away from the shore. Swimming is strongly discouraged. If you wade in, remember that knee-deep is too deep.
Double red flags means it is illegal to enter the Gulf Coast water. Life threatening rip currents and rough surf make the water unsafe. Fines of $500 are enforced.
Golf carts can never drive on Hwy 98
I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve seen a golf cart pulled over by police on the grass shoulder.
Police will not allow you to drive home on 98 if pulled over. Even street legal golf carts aren’t fast enough or permitted to driven on Highway 98, where the speed limit varies from 45mph to 65mph depending on the specific location.
That’s a sure-fire way to get your rental golf cart towed.
I’ve even seen golf carts driving on the sidewalk parallel to Hwy 98 to avoid the faster traffic. Nope. Police will pull you over and ticket you for that as well. You can cross Hwy 98 north to south on a golf cart on most side roads where the speed limit is lower, but you cannot take that vehicle onto the main highway.
Some neighborhoods north of 30A get visited by bears
I’ve seen many photos of neighbors posting in neighborhood Facebook groups of the bears in their yard, on their driveway, and just outside their front door.
I can’t give you a complete list, but some neighborhood examples are The Preserve at Grayton Beach and Naturewalk at Seagrove. Those are certainly not the only neighborhoods, but both have a large number of lovely vacation rentals and bears are known to frequent the area searching for unlocked trash cans.
If the neighborhood backs up to a large forest, chances are decent. Just be aware. Very few incidents with people are reported. Bears don’t want you. They want your leftovers in the trash can. They’ll likely be most visible in the evening and early morning hours just before trash pickup for the neighborhood. Avoidance is the best policy.
Secure trash cans properly with bear proof lids if provided.
Don’t take a risk on this. It’s a few extra seconds to ensure that your can has a lid strapped down over it or locked into place. The benefit is not having your trash strewn across the yard and driveway by a hungry mama bear.
Drivers MUST stop and yield to Pedestrian activated crosswalk lights
This is a law most visitors would never know. On 30A and in other areas including North Beach, crosswalks have been installed to help pedestrians cross busy streets near restaurants, beach access points, grocery stores, and other stores. These crosswalks are equipped with manually activated flashing yellow lights. When pressed by a pedestrian, the warning lights will flash for at least 10 seconds, giving drivers warning to stop and yield to the pedestrian crossing the street.
The flashing yellow lights are NOT requests. They are mandatory. You will get ticketed or worse for not yielding to a crossing pedestrian.
Also worth noting that 30A requires extremely vigilant driving as pedestrians often cross the street without looking both ways or using a crosswalk. Often times they will emerge from behind a parked car or a tree and step out onto the street without hesitation. Drivers are responsible to obey the speed limit and to yield to pedestrians.
Cyclists, walkers, joggers, dog walkers, and e-bikes all share the same sidewalk along 30A.
Be situationally aware if you find yourself aimlessly walking the sidewalks along 30A. The sidewalks are wide in most areas but an e-bike or bicycle may zip by you at any given moment.
No golf carts are allowed on side streets or public parking in Alys and Rosemary Beach
This policy has been in place for several years now. Vacationing families used to zip around all of 30A in golf carts and eventually two of the beach towns said no more. There’s an aspect of unpredictability when teenagers feel empowered to drive around in fake cars and damage property.
Traffic on Hwy 98 to/from Destin gets really congested
If you’re planning to venture out towards Miramar Beach, Destin, or even Fort Walton Beach, just know that traffic jams do occur and drive times can be stretched or even doubled. Highway 98 is only two lanes each way for most of Santa Rosa and when an accident occurs, occasionally traffic gets rerouted down to 30A which leads to substantial delays.
Shuttles are available to drop off and pick up at Seaside, Grayton, Gulf Place, and Dune Allen
There are three different parking lots with shuttle service. For Seaside, a parking lot with shuttle service is located on Hwy 331 near The Bay restaurant and North Beach Social. For Grayton Beach, the shuttle parking lot is located further up Hwy 283 across from Black Bear, Hurricane Oyster Bar, and Grace Pizza and Shakes. For Ed Walline Beach Access, Fort Panic beach access, and Dune Allen beach access, the shuttle parking lot is located just north of Gulf Place on Hwy 393.
It rains a lot during the summer. Plan a few indoor activity options.
Have a few backup plans for rainy days. Gulf weather is unpredictable, and often a rainy day becomes sunny halfway through.
But on days when it rains, a few activities to have on speed dial are:
- Escape Room in Miramar Beach
- AMC Classic Movie Theater at Grand Boulevard
- Art project at The Shard Shop
- Attycat’s Arcade in Inlet Beach
- Thrills Laser Tag and Arcade
- Uncle Buck’s Fish Bowl (bowling)
- Blast Arcade and Laser Maze
- Crafting at Rock Paper Scissors 30A
- Gulf World Marine Park
- Wild Encounters Cafe (capybaras!)
- Cara’s Cat Cafe in Destin
- Powder Room Shooting Range in PCB
- Gulf Wind Cigar Lounge
- Glass Blowing Tutorial at The Glass Deer
- Clay Workshop at Santa Rosa Pottery
- Back Nine Indoor Golf in Miramar Beach
- Rainforest Black Light Mini-Golf and Arcade
- Axes and Ice Cream in Miramar Beach (axe throwing)
- Distill your own spirits at Distillery 98
- Urban Air Trampoline and Adventure Park in Destin
- The Play Studio for toddlers and children 9 and under
- Thi Bod Fitness Studio
- Chemical Fitness 30A Gym
- Sand Dunes Strength and Conditioning Gym
Those are great rainy day options.
