The closest airport is Panama City - Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (ECP), which is 35 miles from Seaside in the 30A area. The area can be found in the middle of the stretch between Destin and Panama City. The 30A name comes from an actual road in South Walton County (County Road 30A) that spans roughly 20 miles along the Florida Panhandle coastline. (Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy) Where is 30A? So whether you’ve heard talk of 30A for years, or just heard that strange-sounding phrase for the very first time, here’s what you need to know to plan your first trip to this breathtaking portion of Florida’s Emerald Coast. While you may have never heard of 30A until now, those that have been once often return for a full week year after year. Instead, you’ll find a much calmer approach to beach life with more families than college kids, local shops with cult-like followings and all the shrimp, grits and Emerald Coast views your stomach and soul could possibly want.įor more TPG news delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter. What you won’t find in 30A are tourist traps, big hotels, massive condo units or really chains of any kind. Within this area, you’ll find the beach communities of Rosemary Beach, Seaside, Aly’s and Santa Rosa, to name a few. But it’s a place you absolutely want to know about as it’s too good to be kept as the south’s own personal secret beach playground.ģ0A is a collection of small, unique, beautiful Florida beach towns nestled quietly between the much busier areas of Panama City and Destin along County Road 30A. If you don’t live somewhere in the South, such as Georgia, Florida or Tennessee, you may have never heard of the beaches of 30A.

Florida beach life