What is 30A? It’s a question we hear a lot in these parts, though the reputation of this scenic piece of the country is growing by leaps and bounds. The term 30A has come to mean the geographic area of south Walton County, Florida between Panama City Beach and Destin, Florida.
How did 30A get its name?
It is named for Scenic Highway 30A which is a 26-mile road that hugs Florida’s Emerald Coast on the Gulf of Mexico. The Federal Highway Administration added Scenic Highway 30A to its elite list of scenic routes in America, bumping up Scenic Highway 30A from a state scenic route to a national one.
To the north of Scenic 30A is the Choctawhatchee Bay, so the area has the Gulf of Mexico to the south and a large bay to the north. 30A includes world-famous towns of Seaside, Florida, Rosemary Beach, Grayton Beach, Alys Beach and many other beach communities along its route.
While there are 15 unique beach communities, 30A encompasses only two zip codes, 32461 listed as Inlet Beach, and 32459 listed as Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. All of the beach towns are found within these two zip codes. Miramar Beach is a beach town located to the west of 30A and to the west of that is Destin. There are fifteen rare coastal dune lakes that line the drive along 30A, found only in a few places on the globe.
The New Urbanist community of Seaside, Florida was the primary filming location for the beloved Jim Carrey movie The Truman Show. Released in 1998 and directed by Peter Weir, the movie tells the story of Truman Burbank who discovers his entire life has been a reality television show. Seaside made the perfect backdrop for the movie with its white picket fences along the charming cottage-lined streets. You can still visit the house known as "The Truman House" when you travel to Seaside.
Other world-renowned new urbanist beach towns along 30A include Rosemary Beach and Alys Beach, each with their own feel and vibe and each has received much acclaim from travel publications as well as students of architecture and urban design. There are also planned communities such as Watersound and Watercolor with their own amenities, along with classic beach towns like Seagrove Beach and Blue Mtn Beach that are a mixture of house styles, old and new.
The Underwater of Museum of Art is found just off the coast of Grayton Beach, and there are many other state parks and even a state forest that encompass the southern portion of Walton County. The Timpoochee Trail has miles of hiking and biking trails down the entire length of 30A, and most visitors explore everything on their bicycles. There are more than 50 public beach accesses along 30A with larger Regional Beach Access points including restrooms, parking, ADA compliant ramps, and picnic areas.
Beginners Guide to 30A Florida
Though you won’t find it on a map, 30A is now ubiquitous as the beach destination for thousands of vacationers from all across the country. There is a 40 foot building height limit, so you won’t find high rise buildings on 30A, rather an eclectic mix of classic beach cottages, luxury homes, and everything in between. There is a heavy concentration of visitors from the southeast who visit and own second homes here.
Panhandle Getaways represents an exclusive inventory of vacation rental homes in the 30A area and offers exceptional service to our discerning guests. While there are a few small hotels in the 30A corridor, most guests prefer to stay at vacation rental homes when they visit 30A.