As most of you know, we recently took a great family vacation and toured all around the state of Florida. The fabulous town of Seaside, FL & Garrett Realty Rentals provided for part of our stay while we were there & is also sponsoring this post. Consider yourself warned, this post contains an overload of fun, family vacation pictures from my Instagram stream or regular camera.
There’s only a few places on earth, that I hold in my heart & think about on a daily basis. One of those places happens to be Seaside, FL. We have roots here, that started when the twins were babies and Graham our oldest was just a toddler.
It’s hard to put into words of what Seaside, Florida is like but probably one of the first things you’ll notice is the gorgeous sugar white beach sands & the gorgeous emerald/turquoise ocean water. Once you lay your eyes on the beach, you wont be able to control yourself. I promise you’ll take a running leap into the calm, clear, emerald ocean. It’s beyond thrilled to experience in person.
Seaside, FL was also voted as the “BEST BEACH ON EARTH FOR FAMILIES” by Travel & Leisure Magazine!
And let me tell you…I agree wholeheartedly!
There’s lots of laughter, smiles & memories that take place on these gorgeous white sands & of course in the water. The ocean is picture perfect & you can see right to the bottom of the water & all the way down to your toes!
Seaside is an 80-acre, unincorporated beach town, filled with gorgeous pastel beach cottages & brick lined streets. A town center with shops and restaurants is within walking distance of the homes and cottages. Seaside, FL is most known for the movie, The Truman Show, starring Jim Carrey which was filmed here, 15 years ago this year.
They say it is estimated there are about 300 different colors of cottages in Seaside (no one has actually counted!) and about the same number of unique picket fence designs. Fun Fact: No two pickets on any one street in Seaside can be of the same design.
Each road in Seaside leads to it’s own Beach Pavilion to enter the beach for that particular street. Another words, on the beach & typically around you will be with the people that are staying on your street. This is one of many GENIUS ideas behind the pioneer of Seaside, Daryl Davis. Founded in 1981, this small coastal town was described by Time magazine as “….the most astonishing design achievement of its era and one might hope, the most influential.”
As the birthplace of a movement in land planning known as The New Urbanism, Seaside’s influence has spread widely and is helping to revolutionize town planning in America. Seaside has won numerous awards for its architecture and town planning and has been the subject of three books and countless articles.
There’s so many aspects of Seaside, that I can go on “forever” about! There’s no chain restaurants whatsoever, no Starbucks, no McDonalds, nothing but hard working, independent entrepreneurs & restaurateurs are in this small iconic town. In the heart of the town is an outdoor amphitheater, which is a whole separate, wonderful asset that Seaside has to offer. Outdoor concerts playing jazz music, outdoor movie nights, and my kids’ personal favorite a “free for all, play with all” night underneath the stars & lights of Seaside. It’s where your kids will play with other kids from other states & unite you all as part of the wonderful Seaside community.
You might arrive by car or plane, but once you’re there, you’ll find you hardly need your car. You can walk, bike or my kids’ personal favorite ride a golf cart to & from your cottage & the town center.
The town of Seaside has more than 340 homes, cottages, town homes and penthouse apartments. Currently 276 cottages are available for rent throughout the year. All rental cottages are privately owned and decorated. To see what is available for rent visit Seasidefl.com
We were there this month, June & there was plenty of room on the beach & glorious open space. I personally, think this is one of our favorite parts of Seaside. You can look out on the beach & only see a minimal amount of people. Or look to your right or left down the row of beach chair rentals, and see empty chairs around you. Either we smell, or it’s a dream come true, you pick. 😉
Where we’ve have stayed for the past 3 years is the cottage called Bella Vista. Which is rented by Garrett Realty. It’s famously known as the “little red cottage.” It was the FIRST cottage ever built in Seaside, and the founder & his family lived there on & off through the development of Seaside. It’s a 2 bedroom cottage, that sleeps 6, with 2 bathrooms, a full kitchen, washer & dryer, outdoor shower, and an amazing large screened in front porch! It’s the first house on the street of Tupelo. So it’s very few steps away from the beach.
The Bella Vista is our home away from home. We love it there. It has everything we need & it’s close to everything, including the beach! As you can see by the collage below, we have some great memories being on the porch of the Bella Vista through the years. All on the same swing, in the past 3 years. It’s amazing how much they’ve grown!
If you’re looking for a vacation spot on the beach, I can not recommend Seaside, FL enough to you. I/We as a family can wholeheartedly recommend Seaside, FL & the Bella Vista to you! There’s no question, why Seaside was voted as #1 Best Beach on Earth for families. We are living proof of this magical place.
To follow along or see more pictures of Seaside, you will LOVE their FB page!
To read more about or book a stay in Seaside, FL you may visit their website here.
To book the Bella Vista where we stay, visit Garrett Realty
*This is a sponsored post. All heart felt thoughts, moments shared & memories told in this post are 100% my own.*