Watercolor and Seaside are not too far from Topsail Hill Preserve State Park so we took a day trip to explore the area.
Scenic Highway 30A is located in the heart of Florida’s emerald coast in the Florida panhandle. It is 24 miles long and skirts along quaint, charming seaside beach towns full of tourist activities and lodging.
As we drove east along Highway 30A from Topsail we entered WaterColor which is a master planned community with a resort and shops and again, more beautiful white sandy beaches!
The homes here are as you would expect, WaterColor colors. They are built in the typical southern wood home style with large wraparound porches and screened porches.
Seaside sits directly east of WaterColor, so close in fact you can’t tell when you have left one and entered the other. Seaside is another master planned community designed on the principles of New Urbanism which is, in simple terms, an environmentally friendly, walkable, self-contained community.
Seaside Central Square is the main part of town and as you enter you are greeted with a very large mural of Vincent Scully due to his influence in the architecture world (professor, author, influencer). Note: This is not the Vin Scully baseball sportcaster.
The houses in Seaside are all very similar to WaterColor as to the architecture and the beautiful pastel colors and has lovely treed lined pathways.
The Central Square has an amphitheater, several shops and restaurants along with palm trees and outdoor seating and is a car free zone.
Along with the restaurants in the area there are a variety of food trucks which are sure to allow you to find whatever it is you like.
The Central Square is directly across from the lovely sandy white beaches of the Gulf of Mexico. We could see the beach but we weren’t allowed on it. Unfortunately the only ones granted access are residents or overnight guests. Wristbands are required and yes, there is a Compliance Officer who drives the beach and you must show your wristband. We only saw maybe 3 people on the beach. Even if you spend hundreds and/or thousands of dollars at the shops and restaurants you still aren’t allowed on the beach. Welcome to Seaside!!!
It is a lovely, beautiful town, very high priced, and houses very close together. It was fun to see but it is not really our preference for living. To each their own.
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