The beaches of 30A are Florida’s best-kept secret. Wander from one town to the next, and your view of this Southern coast will constantly change. Here’s our beginner’s guide to the beloved destination and its scenic communities.
Where Is 30A?
Perched on the northwest Gulf Coast of Florida, the beaches along Highway 30A are easily accessible from nearby Southern states. (The area is also referred to as the Florida Panhandle.) The namesake 30A comes from the actual local road in South Walton County, known as County Road 30A, where the beach towns sit. It spans roughly 20 miles along the Florida coastline and is located smack in the middle of the stretch between Destin and Panama City. The closest airport to 30A is the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (ECP) in Panama City. Another nearby option is the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (VPS).
Get to Know the Communities of 30A
The scenery along this stretch of South Walton road is enough to make you want to pull over and take a second look, but its collection of communities will make you want to stay the night (or even the week).
Check out our guides to its beloved beach communities below, or read on to see where to eat, what to do, where to shop, and where to stay on 30A:
- Alys Beach
- Blue Mountain Beach
- Camp Creek- Watersound
- Dune Allen Beach
- Grayton Beach
- Inlet Beach
- Kaiya Beach
- Point Washington
- Rosemary Beach
- Santa Rosa Beach
- Seacrest Beach
- Seagrove Beach
- Seaside
- Watercolor
- Watersound Beach
- Watersound Origins
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30A Real Estate Brokerage-
First it was Sarasota. Now it’s the Panhandle.
Douglas Elliman, led by Executive Chairman Howard Lorber, is opening its first office in northwest Florida, according to a press release.
Brad Reese, formerly with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Beach Properties of Florida, is joining the brokerage and will be based out of Elliman’s new Santa Rosa Beach office, at 3124 West County Highway. Reese has closed more than $200 million in sales since 2021.
Reese is in talks to recruit other top agents in the area, he said.
The move is Elliman’s latest foray into Florida’s West Coast, following an October expansion into Sarasota with agent Lisa Rooks Morris. The Santa Rosa Beach office marks the firm’s 28th office in the state.
The brokerage’s leaders have been eyeing a westward expansion for a while, but Florida CEO Jay Parker couldn’t believe it when agents started telling him about the 30A market.
Reese called Lorber’s New York office five years ago to pitch him on his Panhandle market, he said. It took years of persistence and sending market reports, but eventually Reese convinced Lorber and Parker to trek down to Santa Rosa Beach.
“We had a handshake deal before they left,” Reese said.
The 30A real estate market attracts wealthy second home buyers from Nashville, Atlanta and Texas, Parker said. The median sale price for homes in Santa Rosa Beach is $2.2 million, and listings ask as much as $25 million, Realtor.com shows.
Parker said 30a has a very active rental market, with a different seasonality than the rest of Florida.
Following the pandemic boom, Reese said he’s still seeing “healthy numbers” for the 30A market.
“We’re not seeing any pullback as far as prices,” he said. “We are seeing a little higher days on market.”
In addition to its recent westward growth, Elliman and Knight Frank launched an affiliate branch in the Bahamas last month. The brokerage is honed in on the Sunshine State, though.
“Overall, Florida is poised for continued growth,” Parker said. “Howard’s opinion is pretty consistent with wanting to focus our expansion in Florida.”