A Walk In The Park
Lakeside and under the watchful eye of a broad-winged hawk named Dauset, I met someone at Callaway Gardens who had the exact same birthday as me. Same day, year, everything, born just 12 hours apart. We both turned 30 recently…
Author: Tyler Childress
Five Northwest Florida Dermatologists Named Top Physicians for 2026
For two decades, Dermatology Specialists of Florida has been the trusted name families across…
2027 30A Songwriters Festival Giveaway
Enter to win tickets to the 18th annual 30A Songwriters Festival!
SEASIDE SCHOOL™ Earns Florida's Highest School Grade for 25th Consecutive Year as Students Set New Academic Benchmarks
SANTA ROSA BEACH, FL – [August 12, 2026] – SEASIDE SCHOOL™ has once again earned Florida's highest school grade (A+) from the Florida Department of Education for the 2025–2026 school year, marking the school's 25th consecutive year receiving the state's highest distinction.…
Find Your Place in the Fun at Latitude Margaritaville Watersound
What if the next chapter isn’t about slowing down but living to the fullest? Latitude Margaritaville Watersound redefines active adult community with a lifestyle built on fun, entertainment, and friendship. Developed by Minto Communities, Margaritaville Holdings, and The St. Joe…
Dots, Craks, Bams
All across the Emerald Coast, a familiar sound is catching on. It’s the rhythmic click of mahjong tiles heard around kitchen tables, in community centers, and at restaurants or beachside venues. Once dismissed as a pastime for grandmothers, mahjong has…
August/September 2026 Calendar
Pensacola Unplugged: Songwriter Showcase Aug. 1Â Lose yourself in both established and underground talent at the Studer Community Institute in Pensacola. Let those acoustic performances pull on your heartstrings in an evening of fresh, soul-searching songwriting. sites.google.com/view/pensacola-unplugged Empowered Light Holistic…
Wind In Her Sails
When Martha LaGuardia-Kotite heads to the beach, she doesn’t just see the beauty in the vibrant waters of the Gulf. She hears its music. Those waters, clear and inviting, mysterious and calming, are a haven LaGuardia-Kotite knows well. She grew…
Rose-Colored Glasses
Mannequins outside of retail stores are generally a no-go in Rosemary Beach. It’s a good thing Nicole Paloma’s studio-shop is just outside city limits with an Inlet Beach address, because her mannequins are an attraction in themselves: sand-white, taupe, and…
Creative Inheritance
Along the Emerald Coast, creativity is an inheritance—shaped by hand, passed through generations, and rooted in the shared act of making something meaningful, lasting, and uniquely one’s own. For some families, it becomes a language spoken through wood, paint, and…
Dinner Me Timbers
My friends are an extroverted group of scallywags. We love an adventure. We’ve pretty much done it all. But one thing we certainly haven’t done is dine in the midst of a battle over two pirates’ forbidden love. I took…
Room To Grow
When creating a dream nursery, you create a room to share with your baby that ultimately reflects your own taste. But kids grow up so fast, and soon, your bouncing baby has a personality of their own, and their space…
Grayton's Found Family
The idea of a utopia conjures a different image for everyone. Whether it’s a silent, blue-skied field of lavender or a nest of gleaming skyscrapers, the commonality is likely a desire for connection—with land, self, or others—and an erasure of…
Wild Edibles
Sandy beaches, coastal wetlands, and swampy marshes make up the diverse Florida terrain. This backyard jungle is the perfect home for a treasure trove of exotic fruits and plants. The luscious guava, tart hog plum, wholesome Seminole pumpkin, tangy sea…
The Greatest Gift
Family in its many forms, both blood and soul, both given and chosen—what a special theme for this issue. While I write this letter, I am filled with both a warm heart and a few tears for those who are…
19 Days Off On The Emerald Coast
Summer is winding down, but there’s still loads of fun to be had on the Emerald Coast. In fact, from August 1 to September 30, there are 19 days off —counting weekends and Labor Day—to relax or discover something new.…
Gimme Shelter
A decade before I was born, my Atlanta-based beach-loving mother spent a long summer at Grayton Beach with a friend. “We were so tan,” she told me on the phone, laughing. She and her friend woke up to walk on…
The Things We Carry
Lugging around your laptop, stocking the diaper bag with snacks, stuffing your tote for a weekend getaway, or securing your everyday essentials in a trusted purse—from work to play and all that lies between, the receptacle we select to move…
8 Ways To Celebrate
Life holds countless moments to be celebrated. From birthdays and anniversaries to promotions and new endeavors, each celebratory occasion is unique, and we should treat it as such. However, we tend to find ourselves seated at the same restaurants or…
A Modern Courtship
Strolling downtown Pensacola, you might savor the live oaks and marvel that the Old Christ Church, finished in 1832, still serves the Episcopalian community. While ogling this example of Norman-Gothic architecture, you may walk right by a structure that’s just…
Upgrading Pet Care
Capital Veterinary Specialists in Northwest Florida with a new advanced veterinary hospital under construction in Santa Rosa Beach. The Tallahassee-based specialty practice broke ground on the project March 6 and expects the facility to open in early 2027. Once completed,…
The High Points of Lowcountry
Palmetto Bluff, a thriving 20,000-acre residential and recreational preserve, rests within the solitude of South Carolina’s Lowcountry, just west of Hilton Head Island. Within this…
Practical Education
A distracted mind is the antithesis of frequent switching between tasks lowers retention of information, causing students who use smart devices inappropriately during lectures to perform worse than those with guided focus. People who frequently multitask have a strong belief…
Sweets By The Sea
A long Florida’s Emerald Coast, chasing sweets is less a detour and more a year-round ritual—one best enjoyed slowly, with sandy feet and something cold (or molten) in hand. Lamonte Gelato When the heat hits, nothing satisfies quite like gelato, and…
Let Us Entertain You
From symphonies and stage lights to pirate ships, dolphins, and upside-down museums, Northwest Florida delivers show-stopping entertainment from Fort Walton Beach to Panama City Beach. Traveling with toddlers, teens, or grandparents? These 12 can’t-miss stops promise memory-making moments beyond the…
The Healing Power Of The Sea
There is a reason we are drawn to the water. Call it instinct or something more elemental, but the pull of the sea has long been tied to a sense of renewal. Along the Emerald Coast, that quiet restoration is…
Stay In A Story
Beyond the beach chairs and sunset cocktails, another kind of Emerald Coast experience awaits—one rooted in wraparound porches, handwritten welcome notes, and breakfasts served with a side of local lore. Historic bed-and-breakfast inns offer something refreshingly personal: conversation over coffee,…
Catch and Cook
A day on the Gulf is reward enough, but the real payoff comes later. Instead of heading home to clean and cook, let one of the Emerald Coast’s restaurants take it from here. With cook-your-catch options, your fresh haul becomes…
Pier Into Greatness
The Island Pier Located at 1450 Miracle Strip Parkway, Fort Walton Beach â– Â April-October: Open 24 hours â– Â November-March: Open 5 a.m.-9 p.m. â– Â Daily spectator fee: $2 â– Â Â Daily admission including fishing license: Children 5 and under are free,…
Wild At Heart
A long the Emerald Coast, wildlife is never far from view: a sea turtle inches across a sandy roadside, an osprey surveys the marina from above, dolphins crest the waves offshore, and a deer slips quietly through the tree line…
Sunshine State Stories
There’s a special kind of thrill surrounding the book you select to read beachside. Whether it’s a thriller sending chills down your spine in the heat of sunbathing, a romantic comedy you chuckle at poolside, or literary fiction you contemplate…
The Emerald Coast Art Trail
From monarch butterflies and majestic herons to painted anchors and pelicans in paradise, the Emerald Coast doubles as an open-air gallery. Follow this playful, coastal-themed art trail from DeFuniak Springs to Pensacola—no tickets required. The Emerald Coast is famous for…
Cheers! A Toast To The Coast
A long the Emerald Coast, cocktails arrive as cold, salt-kissed punctuation marks to long beach days—equal parts spectacle and refreshment. At Daytrader Tiki in Seaside, the escape begins the moment you trade your flip-flops for a barstool. Nikhil Abuvala’s concept…
Try Something New
Pack your curiosity alongside your sunscreen; you will need both. Along the Emerald Coast, the experience goes beyond the view, inviting visitors to step into a more hands-on kind of getaway. From Destin to 30A, the rhythm of the beach…
A Taste Of The Coast
There’s a difference between eating on vacation and truly tasting a place. Along the Emerald Coast, that difference comes down to one thing: local. The kind where recipes are rooted in family, the fish was likely caught that morning, and…
Shop Local
FORT WALTON BEACH Downtown District Quaint with charm, Fort Walton Beach’s downtown district beckons for casual afternoon strolls. Enjoy small-town shopping from local retailers and boutiques, plus dining ranging from Italian and American fare to coffee shops and cookie spots.…
Artful Adventures
Sunscreen? Check. Flip-flops? Check. Hidden artistic talent you didn’t know you had? That’s where the Emerald Coast comes in. Beach days may be a given, but this stretch of coastline offers something more—an invitation to step off the sand and…
Local Seafood Markets
The Emerald Coast naturally offers countless varieties of fish and seafood at our disposal. But we can’t all be anglers. Some of us need the help and convenience of a professional. Local seafood markets are like the fairy godmother of…
The Local Way to the Emerald Coast
There’s something visitors often say when they arrive on the Emerald Coast: “We want to live like the locals.” We hear it in restaurants, on fishing piers, and along our sugar-white beaches. Travelers want more than a postcard experience. They…
EdTech's Acceleration
EdTech is booming with virtual growing in popularity. Though it may seem otherwise, the meteoric rise of this economic empire did not happen overnight. While educational technology has existed in various forms for decades, the modern era of connected EdTech…
Make Your Stay Eventful
January 30A SONGWRITERS FESTIVAL More than 175 singer-songwriters will take the stage at over 30 venues throughout the 30A region. The 30A Songwriters Festival is the largest gathering of nationally recognized songwriters performing on the Florida coast. 30ASongwritersFestival.com PCB MARDI…
Choose You Adventure
There’s no single way to experience the Emerald Coast—only the way you choose. Beyond the shoreline, a network of trails, paths, and waterways invites you to explore by bike, by foot, or by paddle. From Fort Walton Beach to Panama…
Diving Deeper
The Emerald Coast is known for what meets the eye—sugar-white sand, emerald-green water, and horizon-wide sunsets. But slip beneath the surface, and another world reveals itself entirely. From submerged sculptures to historic shipwrecks and jetty ecosystems teeming with life, the…
Dermatology Specialists of Florida
As Northwest Florida continues to grow, so does the region’s need for accessible, high quality skin care. Dermatology Specialists of Florida is helping meet that demand with the opening of its newest office inside the FSU/Tallahassee Memorial Health Medical Clinic…
Sounds of the Season
Cool, casual spring nights at Grand Boulevard were sweeter than ever this year. Sounds of the season included classic rock, funk, country, soul, and reggae. Grand Boulevard has long provided locals and visitors with a place to gather, enjoy the…
Precious Heirlooms
Plump red tomatoes are popular with area gardeners and their friends who get to share the bounty when in season. However, the colors, shapes, and sizes seen in these gardens and supermarket produce sections barely scratch the surface of the…
Protect, Share, Inspire
My father taught me to love nature. As far back as I can remember, he educated my family on every animal species we encountered, planned camping vacations for us, and shared stories about the importance of preservation. He taught us…
Bears, Bats, And Beyond
It’s funny how reliably we humans gain animal emblems. One might say spirit animals or just those animals that seem to stick around in our brains. Case in point: Bats are my thing. When I was about 10 years old…
Into the Woods
At first light in a Walton County forest, the air hangs damp and cool, heavy with the scent of pine and palmetto. A white-tailed deer slips through the trees. Somewhere overhead, a woodpecker taps. A father kneels in the sand,…
Sunken Treasure
Most of us will never star in a Hollywood production, but a few miles off the coast of Panama City Beach, you don’t need to be an A-lister to grace one of Disney’s most iconic movie sets—you just need a…
