Looking for a beach vacation and can’t make it all the way to Kona, Hawaii? Head on off to the Gulf of Mexico in Santa Rosa, Florida for a visit to the “Redneck Riviera”. Where the beaches are stunning, the ice cream is cold, and the sunsets are worth the wait. I spent a week between Panama City and Destin, Florida in, Fort Walton County, for some R&R and came back feeling great after my week of Vitamin Sea!
Santa Rosa, Florida
Over Easter Weekend (April 15 – 22), three moms and 4 little girls packed up their suits and flew from the rainy West Virginia Panhandle to the gloriously sunny Florida Panhandle.
We shared the cost of a 4 bedroom house through Air B&B just a half mile from Blue Mountain Beach where there was the cutest ice cream and donut shop. The house provided us with beach toys, water guns, chairs, umbrellas, coolers, totes, and everything else that you’d need to keep the kids entertained for several hours on the beach without electronics. There was also a community pool that we were able to use and bikes all lined up for us to explore on. I could not have asked for a better place to stay.
Beaches
I’ve lived in Daytona, Florida and I wasn’t impressed with the driving on the beach and the hard packed sand. I know its a past time, but it wasn’t for me. The sand in the Panama City Beach area is light and soft and it felt great to walk on. In fact, if you were up from the surf, the sand was almost too soft for walking long distances on.
I went on several long walks on the beach – it was just what this country gal needed. Some alone time to look for seashells, some exercise to work off the margaritas, and some peace and quite to reconnect with me. I know that sounds cheesy, but I really needed it.
Anyway, we stopped in at the Blue Mountain Beach, Panama City Beach, Seaside, and Inlet Beach. They were all amazing. I don’t think that I could have asked for anything better. Bring some food and drinks and keep the kids entertained with games and seashell searches and wait for the amazing Gulf Coast Sunsets. WOW!
Things to Do with the Kids
On this trip, there were two 8-year-olds and two 11-year-old girls. We spent two afternoons with the girls in Panama City for some fun local flare! One day we booked a two-hour pirate cruise on the Sea Dragon. The girls got to have a water gun fight, a hunt for sunken treasure, and watch the wild dolphins swim around the boat in the inlet. The moms got to drink Rum Runners and enjoy watching the girls have a great time.
My daughter (age 11) was the only one not totally impressed with the cruise. According to her, it’s just a boat ride, NOT a cruise. The activities were for babies and the sunken treasure was just junk from the Dollar Store. So, if your kids are totally jaded like mine, this may not be the best thing for them. Just bring your camera, a wide-brimmed hat, sunscreen, and money for food and drinks on board and you’ll be set!
Another day we took the girls to Gulf World to swim with dolphins. They were thrilled with the idea of SWIMMING with the dolphins, but in all honesty, there was no swimming for our encounter. We booked the cheapest dolphin experience which included a handshake, a kiss, and a hug with Roo our dolphin. I guess you get what you pay for and we should have spent a bit more for the actual swimming experience. We’ll know better for the next opportunity. The aquatic park overall was cute. The Dolphin show, sea lion show, and stingrays were really great. My kid loved her day with the animals and really enjoyed it here.
Seaside, FL
We took an afternoon to drive into Seaside. It’s a wonderful little town that was used to film the Jim Carey movie “The Truman Show”. Everything was planned down to every detail. There’s a large amphitheater in the middle whee they were showing a sunset play of “Pinocchio”. We went shopping in the little open-air markets and ate lunch at the food trucks. The girls went swimming while I kept snapping photos and bought the mama’s margaritas to be enjoyed seaside while watching the sunset. It’s an amazing place and you can read more about seaside from my friends –
- Seaside Florida Cottages from Cheryl
- What to Eat, Do and See in Seaside, FL from Heidi
- Seaside, Florida from Amanda
It’s a fun and quaint town and we loved spending the day here. BTW – did I mention that the sunset was stunning?
So get away from the hustle and bustle and head on off to the Florida Panhandle. Santa Rosa, Florida is a perfect family destination.
Want more Sweet Destinations? Check out these great places to visit!
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I think you should work in a travel agency! You’ve totally sold it to me! 🙂 The sunset, the dolphins, the beaches…beautiful!
Haha! Thanks so much. We had a great time and I just wanted to share my great week.
You simply cannot beat the Florida Panhandle’s beaches. And you’re right, that sand is so soft and sunsets so amazing!
I’m kinda beach snob since I grew up in Hawaii, but I was loving the Emerald Coast!!