Seaside Florida, in Santa Rosa Beach, is a charming, small adorable beach town- and Seaside at Christmas is a true beauty!

My family and I headed down to my parent’s Florida house in Santa Rosa Beach over Thanksgiving- and had an amazing time. Not only was it awesome to spend more time with my brother, my sister-in-law, and my nephew who just moved back to the US from Australia- but to get to check out more of the quaint, lovely town we enjoy visiting so much!

We just love Seaside – and it’s even better when it is all decorated for Christmas. It’s such a fun, family-friendly, amazing town!

I love riding our bikes from my parents house to Watercolor, and peeking at the gorgeous, stately southern homes along their perfectly manicured streets.

Watercolor’s town center area is adorable, and full of shops and restaurants.

There’s lots of gorgeous spots to take in and enjoy around the town!

Watercolor is just next to Seaside- they are basically next-door neighborhoods. Seaside Florida is actually where the Truman Show was filmed- and that is exactly what it looks like!

There are adorable north-eastern looking beach homes that wind their way through the neighborhood which are all arranged around an adorable town center circle- where there are shops, restaurants, an aisle of Airstream food trucks, an amphitheater that regularly hosts concerts and shows, as well as access to the beach.

One of my favorite spots in Seaside is the post office. And decked out for Christmas? COME ON. So cute!!

Across 30a from the amphitheater is a row of cafes and restaurants, as well as a few shops, on the approach to the ocean. There are so many amazing choices to eat out at and shop around with in Seaside!

I love all the cozy shops and cafe patios.

I love how well Seaside decorates. How cute is the tower all lit up at sunset??

One of the things you HAVE to do when visiting Seaside and Watercolor (or any of the 30a towns in South Walton County) is take in a sunset on the beach. Their sunsets are UNREAL.

We got to meet Santa (Finn recited a 3 minute long list of toys he’d like… complete with functionality and a full history on each toy, and Bridget wanted nothing to do with Santa or Mrs Claus.) at the Seaside amphitheater.

I love how they set up the tree!

We also checked out the Christmas Market in Watercolor one night. There were horsedrawn carriages, machines pumping foam “snow”, vendors selling all sorts of tasty holiday food, dance parties— and an amazing tree in the middle of the Watercolor Town Center.

Here’s a peek at our holiday photos I will be sharing this year- I got this idea when seeing this tree and knew I NEEDED snaps of our family in front of it. I love how they turned out!

Seaside at Christmas

What to Do

-Catch a show from the Seaside Rep – we went to Every Christmas Story Ever Told during one of their neighborhood performances. Our kids loved it- and they even got my husband to dress up like Cindy Lou Who and be a part of the action!

-Town Tree Lighting and Christmas Markets – Seaside and Watercolor both had a huge to-do on the day after Thanksgiving to celebrate- and we had a blast meeting Santa, riding in horse drawn carriages, dancing in the “snow”- it was so fun! Follow the SoWal events calendar to find fun community events year round in Santa Rosa Beach!

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Where to Go

-Seaside and Watercolor Town Centers – great for shopping, fine dining, and people watching

-Seaside Beach – Be sure to catch a sunset and visit the tall tower, especially when it is lit up during the holidays!

-Central Square Bookstore and Record Shop – tons of amazing titles, great gifts, and cool items.

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Where to Eat

-Pickles $$ – Burgers, shakes, and fries by the sea!

Must order: Funnel cake fries, Philly Cheesesteak sandwich, fries, strawberry shake, any kids meal with smiley fries!

-Shrimp Shack $$$ – extremely delicious seafood, beer and wine. Grab a table out back in the pavillion if it is open and enjoy seeing and hearing the waves while you dine!

Dishes to try- Shrimp roll, shrimp boil.

-Great Southern $$$ – delicious home-style southern favorites.

Must order: Frogs legs, pimento cheese, grits a ya ya, mojitos. Children’s popcorn shrimp is inexpensive and incredibly generous.

– Red Bar, Greyton Beach $$$ – Funky, eclectic bar buzzing with great food and music- decorated with tons of rock and southern memorabilia. Cash only.

Must order: -Shrimp and Crawfish over penne, bread pudding, blackened grouper, kids chicken strips (huge, juicy, and huge portions!), house margaritas.

–Heavenly $ – Ice cream, sorbet, espresso.