Weekend Getaway on 30A
We covered so much traveling ground on the podcast this month! One of the places I mentioned in my segment is 30A. In fact, the day podcast came out that’s where we were headed. We celebrated my birthday that weekend and went a few new spots. I thought this would be the perfect time to give y’all more of an inside look at one of my favorite vacation destinations.
This time visiting we stayed in Seacrest Beach. My sis-in-law found a house on VRBO.com and booked it straight through the website. VRBO & Airbnb are the two websites I mentioned on the podcast. We have used both websites to book and I’m almost hesitant to say this, but we’ve honestly never had a bad experience. I’m a review person for sure, so my advice is before you book read the reviews and if you have a question just ask! I do feel like Airbnb has more budget friendly options, but both are great resources.
I’m not sure how many of you travel with kids, but we’re in that stage of life where everybody has kids between the ages of 1 & 9. Going out for supper, especially after a long day of traveling, isn’t always the best idea. Sometimes it’s just nice to order food in. You can avoid getting everyone ready, avoid waiting on a table, and also avoid hauling a kid to the bathroom the minute your food arrives! Pizza by the Sea has the best pizza...dare I say EVER?! It’s so good y’all! Our picks included BBQ chicken, cheese, and my personal favorite the Margherita pizza. They have a few locations in the area, and even though we were there in the busy season our order was ready for pick-up in a very timely manner.
Although ordering in can be easy and a lot more relaxing, we also enjoy getting dressed up and going out...as long as our kids aren’t on another level of crazy. There are so many good restaurants in the area, but we wanted to make sure we took our "herd" to a family friendly place. One night we ate at FOOW (Fish Out of Water) and the next night we went to Stinky’s Fish Camp. I know...the name isn’t attractive, but it’s really good food I promise!
The moment we walked into FOOW I fell in Love. If you listened to the podcast I’m sure you heard us mention Artist Justin Gaffrey. We’re pretty much obsessed with his work and it was on display all over the restaurant. I would’ve stayed all evening just for that. The good food and gorgeous view were just a bonus! We started with a fried gator appetizer that was served with a jalapeño jelly. Not sure who came up with that combo, but good call. We would definitely recommend that, the blue corn grits, and always get dessert. Everything was delicious but I think those were our favorite menu items.
Stinky’s was equally as good and a little more casual. The cool thing about Stinky’s is that they have a little bait/gift shop next door. While you wait you can look around, or feed turtles from the boardwalk out back. I really wanted to order everything on the restaurant menu so I hate to recommend anything specific! The kids menu was excellent as well. All of the kids ordered something different, and we were so impressed with each dish.
A few tips for eating out:
* Go early! I don’t mean like 6:30 early. If you want to beat the rush you need to be there by 5:00.
* Order the kid’s food when you order drinks. Both places had fantastic kids menus and once they get food they’re happy while you eat!
* Both of these places are a little pricy. One reason is because of the area, but also because it’s mainly seafood. We budget by going to the grocery store and eating our other meals at the house.
I have to be completely transparent right now and tell you that even though the beaches in this area are unbelievably gorgeous, they are packed during the busy season. If you don’t have kids you won’t mind. Go down there, rent a couple of chairs under an umbrella, and relax. If you have kids it may not be the best beach day they’ve ever had. It’s a little difficult to find a place in the crowd that’s close enough to the water with a good size area to play in the sand. Our crew opted for the pool! The Seacrest Beach community has an amazing pool area and we spent most of our time there. You may want to keep that in mind when you’re browsing for a place to stay.
My very last suggestion while you’re vacationing on 30A is to ride the bikes! There are bike paths everywhere. You can ride to go shopping, to eat, to the beach, anywhere really. Our house was stocked with enough bicycles for everyone! There were even carriers and little pull-behinds for the kids. We’re so busy in everyday life that we never take the time to slow things down a bit and just enjoy the ride. When the opportunity comes up just take the bicycle!
If you follow me over at The Southern Mess you may have already seen my top 3 travel tips. Others of you don’t, so I’m gonna let you in on them now!
My Top Three:
~ Let your bank know you will be traveling. It’s never fun to have your funds inaccessible and I know from experience.
~ Take Emergen-C with you. Sometimes traveling is hard on our immune systems. In & out of rest areas, bathrooms, restaurants, etc…it can definitely take a toll on your system. I swear by this stuff!
~ Book anything you can in advance. Hotels, tickets, restaurant reservations, activities…anything! It saves so much time, and with kids who wants to stand in line for anything?!
Now go pack your bags & go somewhere!
xoxo, Beth
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