Seaside, Florida. White sandy beaches, seriously delicious food and shopping *all within walking distance*, make this an absolute perfect spot for a family vacation.
I fell in love with this magical place in just three short days and after the first day, already started looking at the best time to travel back again next year.
BOOKING OUR TRIP
When starting to plan our trip, we first started looking at places to stay knowing we wanted to be directly in Seaside so we didn’t need to rent a car. We wound up booking through Cottage Rental Agency and I’m so pleased with our experience through them. Their cottages are beautiful and in a perfect location to the center of town. Another great perk is that all cottages include two bike rentals that are left on your porch – which make for less than a two minute ride into the center of town!
**We also rented a portable crib and baby gate through Coastal Crib Rental . They delivered the crib and gate an hour after we checked in and picked them up after leaving.**
TRANSPORTATION
We did not rent a car for this trip (and would do the same next time we visit!) Seaside is completely walk-able so if you are able I would skip the car! That being said, you will need transportation to and from the airport. I highly recommend 850 Shuttle. They were by far the most reasonably priced, reliable and they were so accommodating and flexible when we had to switch our reservation due to cancelled flights!
THE BEACH
Another great perk about renting through Cottage Rental Agency is you have access to the beautiful private beaches (and trust me you’ll want to take full advantage of these beaches while you are here!)
The sand feels like baby powder – it’s so soft and pure white and the water is crystal clear!
We rented chairs and umbrellas in advance through The Cabana Man which was so nice to be able to walk out on the beach in the morning and have that be set up and ready for us to enjoy the day! You can rent your full stay in advance and enjoy not carrying umbrellas and chairs to the beach.
FOOD
Oh the food! Everything we tried was delicious. Right across the street from the beach there is a long row of Airstream Trailers that all specialize in different food items from Gourmet Grilled Cheese, to Shaved Ice, to Sweet and Savory Crepes and even World Famous Fried Pickles (which were incredible!) And can we talk about the string lights everywhere?! I’m telling you this place is MAGIC.
One actual sit-down restaurant I need to highlight though is the Great Southern Cafe because I will be dreaming about their smoked Gouda cheese grits until I go back again! We had breakfast here as well as dinner one night and all of our meals were truly outstanding (enough that I only snapped a quick picture of one of mine from breakfast!)
WHAT WE LEARNED
The heat and humidity in August is no joke. The next time we visit it will be sometime April through the end of May or late September through October. Seaside does have “winter” with temps in January dropping to coat wearing weather.
TRAVELING WITH KIDS
This was my first time on a plane with both girls and I 100% over packed for it and majority of what I brought wound up being extra “stuff” for me to carry! Having gone through that, there were a few things that I thought were totally worth it and I would buy/bring again!
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- Tablet: We have these and I am really happy with them. I love how durable they are if you have young kids and I also love how I can choose the shows and games to download on them. We don’t do much screen time at home but 1000% these saved me on our flights and in the airport!
- Headphones: These worked great with the tablet and are so cute! You can use them as wireless or just plug them into the tablet!
- Umbrella Stroller: This one is only $20 and we used it all through the airport and just gave it to them right when we got on the plane and also used it to walk to town in Seaside. Best $20 I spent prepping for this trip!
- Collapsible Beach Buckets: Another genius thing I didn’t realize I needed until after this trip. These buckets fold down almost flat to pop in your suitcase and provided so much entertainment at the beach. This one also comes with toys and a shovel which are also easy to pack!
- Portable Dollhouse: This is perfect for the cottage! The girls played with this daily and it folds like a book (another easy thing to throw in a suitcase!)
I have some more tips on my Instagram page as well!
