So you want to get away from the hustle and bustle, the every day drama, the mundane and trade it in for a perfectly relaxing, salt-in-the-air, breeze-on-your-face, sun-on-your-skin, feet-in-the-sand kind of place? Our quiet little beach town has been frequented by one or two rock stars, country singers, politicians, world-renowned chefs and super star athletes. That’s right. We have our fair share of celebrity sightings on 30A.
Why? Because of this.
And the fact that locals leave them alone to relax and enjoy the scenery. Most people don’t do more than a double take when they realize they’re standing in line at Publix next to someone they just read about in a magazine or watched in Sunday’s big game. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a little excitement, but this place is full of people with amazing stories of success, fortune and achievement. The one thing almost everyone here has in common is that they’ve traded in a more fast-paced, corporate-type lifestyles (no more black suits, board meetings and HOV lanes) for a moment or longer to get back to the basics.
So what does someone who could go anywhere or do anything do here? Check out some of the celebrity sightings in South Walton (updated):
- Workout at Watercolor – Eli Manning, Laurie Hickson-Smith
- Watch the sun go down at Bud & Alley’s – Sean Payton, Jessica Simpson, Tony Romo, Kenny Chesney, James Carville
- Shop at Publix – Miley Cyrus, Emeril Lagasse
- Eat at Cafe Thirty-A – Eli Manning, Lance Armstrong
- Eat at George’s – Charles & Cassie Kelley, Emily Robison & Martie Maguire, Michele Kwan
- Soak up the sun at Caliza – Katherine Heigl, Stephen Baldwin
- Shop in Seaside – Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Sheryl Crow, Jane Seymour
- Shop in Destin – Elle McPherson
- Browse toys at Duckie’s – Sheryl Crow, Kim Zolciak
- YOLO board in the Gulf or coastal dune lake – Kellie Pickler, Ingo Rademacher
- Indulge in perfected sweets at La Crema – Charles Kelley
- Fill up at the Tom Thumb – All American Rejects
- Sample Stinky’s delicious seafood – Bart Starr, Sam Bush
- Stroll around Rosemary Beach – Katie Holmes, Vern Yip, Karl Rove, Kellie Pickler, Miley Cyrus, Tom Glavine
- Dine at Fish Out of Water – Greg Kinnear
- Eat at the Taco Bar – Eli Manning, Jessica Simpson, Tony Romo
- Soak up the sun on the beach – Candace Crawford Romo, Kellie Pickler and pretty much everyone else
- Play on the beach – Tony Romo, Troy Aikman (The best beach football game ever!)
- Drink on the beach – Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney
- Eat, drink, sing and kick up your heels at the Red Bar – Sara Evans, Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, Julia Roberts, Sheryl Crow, Luke Bryan and many, many more
White sand, beautiful Gulf water, friendly people and living life pure and simple. That’s what it’s about in South Walton and on 30A, whether you’re here for a weekend or a lifetime, whether you’re famous or not. The lesson here: You don’t have to be a Super-Bowl-winning quarterback (or a rock star, movie star, etc) to enjoy a taste of sweet southern Gulf paradise. You just have to be in South Walton, living like the locals.
