Anonymous wrote:It is much more "planned" than the Keys. Tons of teenagers running amok too. Very UMC family summer camp.

I agree with all of this.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just go to Clearwater

+2 Florida raised
Redneck Riviera not my cup of beer

Sure, parts of it are still the Redneck Rivera but Seaside, Rosemary Beach, etc =/= Destin and Panama City. They are the polar opposite of each other.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just go to Clearwater

+2 Florida raised
Redneck Riviera not my cup of beer

It's not like that anymore. It's now trendy UMC preppy fun and packed with influencers.

Anonymous wrote:Just go to Clearwater

+2 Florida raised
Redneck Riviera not my cup of beer

Anonymous wrote:What airport does one fly into from DMV?

4 closest airports:
Panama City beach—35 min drive
Destin—45 min drive
Pensacola—1 hr 45 min drive
Tallahassee—2 hr 30 min drive

The first 2 are obviously small regional airports but they both do have direct flights to DC. The 2nd 2 are bigger but still not major airports either though they’ll have more options than the first 2.

Floridian : we love watercolor/30a. Rent a house, rent a car , have a wonderful time. Clear blue gorgeous waters. Great watercolor beach club.

Panhandle is great to explore fwiw

Other Fla gems: if you love natural beaches, white sand .

We love St. George’s island ; west end of island. Beautiful beaches. White sand.

Clearwater is too crowded for me. Anna Maria island is great, Holmes beach (fly into Tampa).
Calmer waters on the gulf side vs than the east coast of Fla.

But gorgeous spots on east coast: Palm coast, crescent beach, st Augustine , or ponte vedra beach ( fly into mco or Jax).

Nope it’s terrible don’t go there.

J/k. Best beaches and cutest planned community beach town ever. We went there every summer when I was growing up in the 80s-90s when a lot of the houses were brand new. I have the fondest memories of my times there.

Other info to know:
-Book far in advance as it’s an incredibly popular place
-It’s really $$$
-if you are just looking for beach and pool time (there are several nice pools in the town that you’ll have access to if you rent a house there) and leisurely biking around, seaside is perfect. But there’s not much else to do in the area and traffic can be really horrible on 30A so it’s probably best not to plan excursions to other nearby areas.

The Keys are great too but it would be a much different type of vacation. Is your family more into beach/pool or more into other activity (snorkeling, touristy stuff)? Depends on what type of vacation you have in mind. If you’re more into being active and on the go, go to the Keys. If you’re more into relaxing, go to Seaside.

Anonymous wrote:Just go to Clearwater

+1
Florida born and bred LOL

Anonymous wrote:What airport does one fly into from DMV?

Destin. Although it’s a $hit hole of an airport. It’s nearly impossible to get an on time flight

Pensacola and Tallahassee are a bit further away but bigger airports.

What airport does one fly into from DMV?

Just go to Clearwater

It is much more "planned" than the Keys. Tons of teenagers running amok too. Very UMC family summer camp.

It's much much nicer than the Keys as a beach destination, just more upscale. Keys are really fun and historically interesting/great for scuba and diving, but the 30A beaches are stunning.

We’ve been a few times staying in Watercolor. It’s a lovely area. Lots of Texans and other southerners there. Beaches are great. Lots of options for restaurants but you need a car. It’s spread out.

What do people think of this as a destination with kids?

How does it compare to the Florida Keys?

Family into swimming, views, water sports, snorkeling, boating, nature and good restaurants