Santa Rosa Beach, FL (with a toddler)
August 2026
We took a long weekend to visit Santa Rosa Beach on 30A to introduce our daughter to the sea for the first time.
We took a short direct flight into Destin, picked up our rental car, and drove to Santa Rosa Beach. While Destin itself is developed with large condo buildings dominating the beach, further down 30A is a different vibe.
The high shoreline dunes are lined with beautiful mansions, and the rest of the area features bungalows on stilts, pastel colors, dense pine woods, and a laid back atmosphere.
The time zone here is central, unlike the rest of the state, which made a transition with a toddler even easier for us.
When we booked the trip we were nervous about the August heat. Lucky for us, haha, Minnesota was matching Florida in heat and humidity, so we were well adjusted for our trip.
While the area experiences frequent short daily downpours this time of year, we got a full on storm during our stay. Unfortunately, even after the storm cleared, the beaches were flying double red flags due to dangerous surf. As we were leaving, they were switching the flags to purple. After the storm came jellyfish.
Given the unpredictable weather, the radar app was our best friend. We were able to get some nice beach time in between the rainy spells.
The beaches here are absolutely gorgeous, and it is obvious why the area is called the Emerald Coast. The quartz sand is sugar white, dries quickly after the rain and doesn’t get too hot. The water is warm and aquamarine blue.
On our second day in Santa Rosa we visited Shunk Galley Oyster Bar for lunch. This second floor restaurant sits right across the road from the main beach entrance, and has a sweeping view of the Gulf.
We tried grilled gulf oysters and summer grouper which were both delicious. Our hangry toddler appreciated the gumbo and fried shrimp.
Our third day started with the storm, and we rushed to the beach to feel it before the rain came in. Afterwards, we drove to get some coffee and fruit smoothies.
We were waiting out the afternoon rain, so we decided to check out Stinky’s Fish Camp, another local institution, for lunch. More grilled oysters, fried catfish, along with crayfish hushpuppies and cheesy grits - the food here was also great!
After lunch we walked outside on their back dock to watch numerous turtles come up for pellets offered by other visitors.
We spent the afternoon walking the beach. Our daughter busied herself trying to stick a finger into every crab hollow and to catch the tiny clams as they moved to bury themselves into the wet sand.
Though our trip was short, it was full of sea breeze, salt water, delicious food, and belly laughs. Without hesitation, I would recommend this part of the state and look forward to visiting again.
