Rosemary Beach Recap
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We' had the best week-long vacation at Rosemary Beach Florida for spring break this year. I had so many people ask about where we stayed and what we did, so I’m hoping you find this post a resource should you ever go (and you totally should!).
A disclaimer: We were Rosemary Beach first timers + we were there with our young kids (ages 5 and 2). So I know for a fact that we definitely didn’t do it all. We barely scratched the surface. I’m including some recommendations from friends here as well, even though we didn’t hit all the spots. Do me a favor if you’ve been to 30a/Rosemary? Leave a comment with some recommendations that I missed (I know there will be plenty!).
About Rosemary Beach & 30A
30A is a the name of a scenic coastal highway that runs through Florida on the gulf side. It’s made up of several beach communities, one right after another. You may have heard of some of the big ones - Rosemary Beach, Seaside, Alys Beach, Watercolor, to name a few (here’s a good map). Fun fact- each community has a different type of architecture and most were founded on the New Urbanist movement - small town feel with walkable shops and parks. Rosemary Beach is modeled after southern Charleston-style homes, Alys Beach has a more clean and white Mediterranean feel, and Seaside is colorful cottages (fun fact - The Truman Show was filmed there!).
My favorite part of staying in this area were the white sandy beaches (the sand is almost pure quartz!) and the bikeability/walkability of everything. It was definitely helpful to have a car at times, but you could totally do it without one (you’d probably just need to use a grocery delivery service or plan to eat out most nights and use the smaller grocery markets for essentials).
Why We Chose Rosemary
To be honest, we chose it because our friends told us to. We were actually set to attend our good friends’ wedding there in the fall but opted not to go at the last minute (covid + some other family stuff). So we had a credit towards our stay through the rental company and decided to use it towards a Spring Break trip. BUT, I am so so so glad that our first trip to this area had us staying in Rosemary. It is so charming. We ventured out and saw a few other neighborhoods, but didn’t get to see them all (again, kids are not always up for the scenic drive). Rosemary is, I believe, one of the more expensive places to stay, but if you can swing it I say go. It’s totally walkable/bikeable and it’s quiet. At no point was anything too crowded or too junked up with tourists. We basically stayed within Rosemary most of our trip because it felt manageable and easy. It felt like it’s own little world. Truly a magical place. Next time I’m plan to hop on a bike or in the car and drive around more to the other areas and get a better feel. We have many friends who love staying in Seaside and Alys Beach.
Logistics
Driving. Rosemary Beach is about a 12 hour drive from Dallas. On the way there, my husband and crew left around 4pm and stopped for the night in Jackson Mississippi and then drove the second leg the next day. There was a little bit of traffic as they approached 30a, so add in extra time for that.
Flying. Sis and I flew in to Panama City Beach airport on a direct American Airlines flight out of DFW. Short flight. The airport is very small - basically one terminal with one coffee shop and maybe two other places to eat. Very easy to get in and out of.
Car rental/ Uber. THERE IS NO UBER in this area. Most people rent a car and if you’re not driving one of your own, I’d recommend it since Ubers aren’t common here. You could totally get by not having a car and just biking everywhere, but with small kids a car was helpful the few times we did live the Rosemary Beach town. If you need a car service (especially one with car seats), book those well in advance. They book up quick for airport transfers. Taxi service is available at the airport, but it can be a bit sporadic.
Groceries. We used Shipt to have groceries delivered from Publix our first night. However, due to the lack of cell service it was kind of a kerfuffle because the shopper couldn’t get a hold of me regarding substitutions. (I felt so bad!). I ended up going to Winn Dixie the next day to get what we were still missing and that was fine. I probably could have just done that. There is a Publix, Winn Dixie, and CVS all at the same intersection about a five minute drive from Rosemary Beach. There are a few local spots you can bike/walk to, Cowgirl Kitchen Feed & Supply and Market at Seagrove Beach both have the essentials if you just need to get coffee/booze/snacks and breakfast items. Cowgirl Kitchen Feed and Supply has some awesome pre-made spreads, dips, and casseroles that we will def be taking advantage of next time!
Where We Stayed / Our Beach House
We stayed at Walter’s Cottage, a rental house through Rosemary Beach Rentals, which worked perfectly for our crew. Many of the houses sleep 10+ people, but there are also smaller carriage houses with only one bedroom. Really though, this rental company had so many offerings and is pretty much the best way to get a house in Rosemary (as opposed to VRBO/AirBnb). Nearly all of their rentals are a Saturday-Saturday rental so plan to stay a full week (you’ll be happy you did!). Breaking down our particular house in to pros and cons below.
Pros:
Layout of the bedrooms was conducive to kids & my Mother In Law. First floor bedroom with king bed and attached bath, second floor bedroom with king bed and large attached bath with shower, and a second floor guest room with queen bed, room for a pack and play, and attached bathroom with a tub. The closets had lots of storage with drawers and hanging space which was nice to be able to fully unpack our suitcases.
Location. Easy & quick access to the beach and playground. Here’s a good map. The house is basically next to the beach walkover and across the street from the playground (far enough from the playground to not be a nuisance). It was about a five minute walk to one of the pools (there are three heated community pools!). While these were convenient, it was a longer walk in to town.
View. We opted to spring for an ocean-view place because it was important to me and my MIL. Waking up to the sound of the ocean is so special. The houses in the area are all tightly packed in and almost woven together. I’m so glad we had that ocean view as opposed to a view of the street or neighbors. To me, it was worth it. I spent most mornings and nap-times up on the balcony off our bedroom watching the waves crash and the tide rise and retreat.
Cons:
Location. Notice location is on both the pros and cons list. I think it depends on your own personal preference. We were basically on the farthest East street within The Rosemary Beach Community. While close to the beach and the playground, we were about a ten minute walk from town. Which isn’t much at all - especially if you choose to ride the bikes that come with the cottage. However, with kids the walk took us longer. Lots of wandering to pick flowers etc. Which was FINE for us, but I think some people may want to be a little closer to the action. With small kids though, I actually preferred our quiet spot and would rather be closer to the beach (because of all the stuff we hauled down there each day) and a little further from town (much quieter at night).
Dated. The house, like most rental houses, was a little dated and well loved. The bathrooms, in particular, were not the most inviting, although they were plenty big with lots of storage. We didn’t mind, really, because it meant our kids couldn’t mess anything up. But just a heads up if you’re looking for super updated new new new this is not it. The living area was a little cramped too. We basically only had three adults that needed a place to sit since the kids were always moving around, but if you had a house full of six adults it’d be a little tight. Again - point of the beach is not to sit and watch TV so this didn’t bother us much, but want to put it out there!
Cell Service. Again, I know the point of vacation is to not be on your phone or working, but the service was so bad our Shipt Grocery driver couldn’t contact met AT ALL one night. It was quite the kerfuffle. We found that we did get good service in the master bedroom which was fine for checking emails and posting on instagram in the mornings and evenings. We called the rental company and the came out and reset the internet and that helped a little, but they just said when there’s that many people in a small area cell service (not just internet but the ability to make calls) is bad. I had decent service early in the morning before most people are up, but then, I believe, as more people woke up and usage surged my service declined. I was so proud of my husband for taking real time off work. This situation helped him stick to it. :) Just know, if you’re planning on doing any real work on your stay, you’ll probably want to bring a hot spot.
Cleaning Service. Ok this will sound a little snobby, but due to Covid there was not cleaning service at all. Which is fine normally. I don’t need my sheets changed every single day or anything. BUT the house and beds did get very sandy and it would have been nice to have someone in maybe just once during the week to sweep and freshen the towels (we put lots of towels on the ground to combat the sand, and then the towels were black and gross). We did find a stiffer in one of the closets later on in our stay, so we used that to mop the floors of sand which was nice. There was not a broom available, which would have been nice for quick daily sweeping. (Also, kind of related - there was no toaster?!)
What We Did
For a smaller walkable neighborhood, it was pretty packed with things to do. Keep in mind the ages of our kids are 5 and 2 so we spent a few hours each afternoon back at the house for naps/rest time. Also keep in mind the weather in March is temperate. It’s high 70s most days so it’s not burning hot outside. IT was still plenty warm most days to begin swimsuits and near water, but we did have some days where it was too cold and windy to be beachside.
Beach
The beaches in this part of Florida cannot be beat. The sand is white and fine, the water turquoise. The water at this time was still pretty cold (fine for me - Emilia wanted nothing to do with it which let me relax a bit), but they boys had no trouble going in it. A must-do if you ask me, is to make beach-chair reservations. We had four chairs with two tables and two umbrellas for the five of us. It was far superior to lugging our own chairs or just using towels. You need to reserve your chair service in advance and can do so at this site. A storm did roll in our last few days that made the ocean have strong riptides so there were double red flags and no one was allowed in the ocean. Pretty standard for that time of year, from what we were told. Beach activities for kids: feed the birds stale bread, build sand castles, build pools, build tunnels, play treasure hunt (draw a path and bury some treasure under and X), jump on waves, boogie board, play catch, etc. Beach showers and bike racks are located at every walk over.
Pool
The Rosemary Beach community has three heated pools, but only two were open while we were there. We only went to the pool closest to us (the one on the east side of this map). Pools have bathrooms with benches for changing diapers and lounge chairs and a few tables with umbrellas. They did fill up a bit on the colder days so head there early to get a good spot. We often like to beach all morning and then hit the pool for lunch and rinsing off all the sand before going home for naps. You do not need reservations for the pool.
Playground
The playground was just at the top of our little street which made it so great for chilly parts of our days. It was HUGE and the kids loved it. Plenty of benches for adults to sit. There is one little trap door feature on one of the structures which is basically like a pinch your finger trap which gave me a heart attack every time it closed shut. But otherwise it was great. (Shhh there is also a doggie poop bag and trash can there where we would walk up and put our stinky diapers.)
Parks/Greenspace
There are two big green spaces near Beachwalkovers C and G (here’s a good map) that our kids loved to run around in. One night we got take out pizzas from Cowgirl Kitchen and packed the kids’ lunch boxes and had the best meal outside while the kids ran around w other kids. It was idyllic. There is also a larger park down the middle of Rosemary that has a fun little maze that our kids loved doing. Lots of good spaces for getting the wiggles out, picnicking, or playing ball.
Shopping
This is mostly my favorite activity, but the kids did like going to the children’s store one day (makes a great bribe if you need one. :) ). There are tons of darling shops that I could have spent all day in, but here are a few of my favorites: Ex Voto (clothes, bags, jewelry, art), Gigi’s (kids clothes and toys), Rosemary Beach Trading Company (souvenirs, t-shirts, hats, a few toys, etc.), Luminary (clothes, pjs, home accessories, jewelry), Hissyfits (gifts and apparel), Tracery Interiors (home furnishings and accessories), Disco (women’s clothes and accessories), Patchouli (beauty and bath items. good if you forgot something!). There are many others - you can basically. just walk in a circle around Barrett Square and Main Street and spend the whole day (and a hole lot of money),
Where We Dined
This is one area where I feel like we barely scratched the surface. We didn't dine out every night b/c kids. Al and I did have to date nights which I’m so thankful for (thank you to my MIL for staying home with the kids). We really only hit up one restaurant a day, whether for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Making my kid sit calmly at a restaurant for more than one meal a day is work not a vacation. (But, my motto when dining out with kids is the best way to get good at eating out with kids is to eat out with kids. It takes practice to know the rules/expectations).
Only a handful of restaurants take reservations (and book up quickly a month in advance!) so go early and be prepared to wait. We sent Al down a few times to put our name in places. Or you can hit up the toy store or play in the green space while you wait. We were big fans of getting take out to take to a greenspace or the beach or even back to our house on the patio. Many of these offer take-out options, but we ran into a few instances where they were so busy they wouldn’t take our take out orders so call before 5pm if you want take out for dinner!
Here’s a full list of places we went and that were referred to us by friends. Places with * are within the Rosemary Beach neighborhood. Other ones are a bike ride or short car ride away. Again, if I left out one of your favorites, would you please comment on this post and I’ll add to the list?! Thanks!
Good for families lunch or dinner:
Edward’s Fine Food* (ate there our first night. Delicious but a bit more expensive)
The Hub (like an outdoor food hall with live music)
George’s (heard such good things. Sad we didn’t make it this visit)
Market at Seagrove Beach (groceries and small sandwich shop)
Good for Date Night and/or Adults Only:
Paradis* (best meal I’ve had in years!)
Pescado* (rooftop views)
Havana Beach Rooftop at The Pearl Hotel (cocktails only)
NEAT (cocktails)
Good for Breakfast:
The Donut Hole (pick up donuts or sit down diner-style food)
What We Packed
First of all, know that I’m an over packer at heart. Alway have been, always will be. Second of all, remember that my husband drove our car there so we had much more room for extra stuff than had we all flown. The weather in Florida over Spring Break has so much variation it can go from 50 degrees to 80 degrees and there’s usually a bit of rain at least one of the days. Here’s a glimpse of what I packed.
Clothes for daytime - usually swimsuit, cover up that can be worn to a restaurant (i.e. not see through or just a pareo) should we eat lunch somewhere, or athleisure clothes for walking around
Clothes for nighttime - jeans and a top or a beach maxi dress for me, cute clothes for the kids (coordinating duh). I tend to wear more comfy dresses than jeans on vacation because it’s more comfortable with all the eating. :)
Clothes for cold times - I packed jean jackets for Emilia and me and a lightweight jacket for Deacon. Also packed rain jackets (they’re thin and take up zero space) for all of us which we did end up using so glad to have had them. Sweatshirts helpful for chilly mornings.
Toys for down times/travel - coloring books and crayons, a bag of a few bins of play dough and cookie cutters, a bag of a few magnatiles and character guys (Moana for sis, Mario for D). Each kid also had a “go bag” in their back pack with Water Wow/Imagine Ink pads and small jars of play dough for in the airplane and restaurants. Deacon had this lap board he used in the car and they said it worked really well to give him more of a surface for activities and eating.
Blankets for Kids - I’m so glad I threw these in the car at the last minute. They both have these blankets that they snuggle under at home and it was so helpful bc the house could be a bit chilly in the mornings and there weren’t soft throw blankets available. Probably something you could skip if you’re flying, but so glad we had them.
Kids Eating Stuff - When in doubt, assume the rental house will have very little when it comes to dishes and kitchen stuff. We brought a divided plate (I like these bc they next together and take up little room), set of silverware (these come with a carrying case!), and milk cup for each of our kids. They also had their water bottles with them in the car/airplane. It may seem like overkill - they could totally eat on paper or regular plates, but my kids (especially my son who has feeding issues) need routine and familiarity when it comes to feeding times. We just hand washed them each night and they’d be ready for the next day. We also brought their lunch boxes which was a huge help for lunch at the beach/pool or evenings when we’d pack picnics for the green. Oh! and a bib for sis. She needs a bib just about every second of every day. :)
Beach Stuff - I brought our large Bogg Bag stuffed with Turkish beach towels (love that they’re thinner so take up less space when folded), puddle jumper, life jacket, goggles, and a small bag of beach toys (collapsible pails, shovels, etc.). There are plenty of places to buy beach toys (CVS, Gigli’s, Publix) though if you want to wait and purchase some cheapies there. Some rental houses may even keep some on site to borrow.
Kid Sleep Stuff - pack and play, sound machine, baby monitor (we use this one for travel bc its cheap, has good range, and doesn’t need internet). All of these you can rent through services like Rent Gear Here and The Crib Connection , but since they guys and my MIL drove they went ahead and brought those.
What I Wish We Packed - Should either me or my husband have really need to do work besides just checking in a couple times a day, we would have needed an internet hot spot for sure. I think it was partly the location (the houses are all tightly compact and almost intertwined) + an uptick in people using service since it was Spring Break and a lot more people were in the area than normal.
Needless to day, we had a completely magical, connected, fun week. It was worth all of the packing (and unpacking) and time off and dollars spent. I think Rosemary Beach will be a family tradition of ours for what I hope are many years to come. If I missed something, please leave questions or suggestions in the comments!
