Santa Rosa Beach, FL "Must Dos & Must Eats"
 

Hello!
Luckily, our rental cottage for next week is still standing in Satna Rosa...so our trip is still on! I was a bit worried there for a couple of days.

Anyhow, my husband and I have never been to the area. We are not sure how far away the other Panhandle cities are, and we are not certain which ones to be sure to hit for good food, beaches, etc. b/c I have the impression that Santa Rosa itself is pretty small.

We will be there a week, and we want suggestions as far as what we shouldn't miss....restaurants, activities, and other highlights. Thanks so much!

Leigh, I am not sure that anyone who is not standing right there can give you much help. This area was HARD hit by Dennis. I would talk to LOCAL rental management before I travelled very far. There may not even be power in certain places. You may be in the middle of a real mess and find it uncomfortable

Thanks, but I spoke with the owner of the property this morning. He has Londoners staying there right now, and they have reported that everything at the cottage is just fine...."dodged a bullet" was the phrase he used.

Anyhow, does anyone else have any answers to my questions? Thanks!

Leigh I didn't express my self very well. I too have survived hurricanes--where I had no damage and the power wasie Ivan--but there were no restaurants operating in the area--my favorites were gone--vanished. Piers -gone. Parks- closed. My appologies for not answering your question - if we are not there we cannot tell you what is left in the area

Leigh I didn't express my self very well. I too have survived hurricanes--where I had no damage and the power was on--ie Ivan--but there were no restaurants operating in the area--my favorites were gone--vanished. Piers -gone. Parks- closed. My appologies for not answering your question - if we are not there we cannot tell you what is left in the area

Fairhope, I think leigh0311 is going to Santa Rosa Beach not Santa Rosa Island. SR Beach is east of Destin and is probably okay. It is in Walton Co. I believe. Anyway, if this is correct leigh0311 then I would suggest you visit Seaside while you're there. It's a strange but cute place with lots of stores and restaurants. They filmed the Jim Carey movie, "The Truman Show" there. Also, my favorite place is Grayton Beach. If you're into serious outlet shopping you should head to Silver Sands in Destin. Do a search on this forum for Seaside, Destin, Seagrove Beach, Grayton Beach and you should get lots of restaurant suggestions.

My humble regrets!! I stand corrected. I just didn't want them coming into a mess

oooh, I love that area. My husband used to rent a condo every year when we lived in Atlanta.
Check out all the towns mentioned above. Seaside, Grayton, etc... We used to love going to Goosefeathers, I think in Grayton, pick up some of the shrimp, have them season and steam it. Yummy! And their crab cakes are great if you have a place to cook them.

Thanks! We are, indeed, going to Santa Rosa Beach.

The shrimp place sounds great! Can you take the shrimp home for grilling?? We will have access to a grill.

Also, is there a neat bar/lounge close-by for just cocktails by the shore? Thanks!

We love Bud and Alleys at Seaside for cocktails and lunch--open air dining. Another casual restaurant is the Red Bar in Grayton Beach and the D&K Diner also there--we ride our bikes down there from Seaside.
For fine dining one of our favorite restaurants in the area is Cafe 30A.
We have also enjoyed wonderful dinners at Criollas, Basmati's and Barugas--there are a lot of very nice restaurants nearby.

You're right about Santa Rosa itself being small but that adds to its charm. It is convenient to many good restaurants, shops and beaches.

I usually stay at Gulf Place and they have some nice shops and restaurants (Smiling Fish). The pizza place across the street (I forget the name) makes a good pie.

There is a state park on 30A that you can ride bikes to (on the bike path)that's pretty nice. They have some well-informed rangers there who know about the area's history and nature.

LindainOhio has given you some great recommendations for places to dine. I like the Red Bar a lot.

I would like to add The Lake Place, which is a favorite of mine and my husband's. I've eaten there several times in the four visits I've made to the area. The food is excellent and the service is top notch. It is a small, intimate restaurant with a lot to offer.

My other favorite, for very different reasons, is the Donut Hole. They are famous for their Key Lime-filled doughnuts. It's also a good place for evening coffee and pie.

Enjoy your stay! I wish we were going there this year.

We used to eat at a place tucked in by Grayton, Seaside, etc called Goatfeathers and always ordered crabcakes and fried green tomatoes. It's been several years since we were there, tho, so I don't know if it's still there. My brother always went to Piccolo's and loves it. When we buy shrimp, tho, we get it at a fish market next to the Winn-Dixie not too far from Silver Sands.