Plan Your Meetings

South Walton Beaches

Beaches of South Walton: Sophisticated, relaxed and charming

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“I love the area because of its pristine environment. We have so much green space and a four-story height restriction. South Walton is being a good steward of the land and the destination.”
— Pamela Watkins, Director of Sales & Special Events, Beaches of South Walton

Want to take advantage of the natural setting?

The mantra here is: “You don’t have to have a meeting within four walls.” The Rosemary Beach Town Hall can hold up to 100 with outdoor space, and there are several other outdoor venues in the community. Groups can charter boats for meetings, or fishing and dolphin watching outings; dinner cruises aboard the Solaris, dockside or out on the bay, can accommodate 150. The pavilion and grounds at Eden Gardens State Park are available for groups, which also can tour its antiques-filled, turn-of-the-century Wesley Mansion.

Want popular group activities?

At Hilton Sandestin, beach bowling, build your own boat and mullet tossing are popular team events. The Sandestin Resort offers cardboard boat regattas, photo scavenger hunts and wacky Olympics (including balloon chase, aqua blast, night golf and sandcastle building activities). An 18-mile biking/walking trail on 30A connects 10 of the beach communities; bike rentals are available. For spousal programs, there is shopping at Seaside boutiques, the galleries at Grayton Beach and Destin outlet malls, as well as cooking classes in Sandestin.

Want group dining?

Grand Boulevard has the newest walking community of restaurants, including Tommy Bahamas and Fleming Steakhouse. Baytowne Wharf in Sandestin Resort has informal, island-themed restaurants, many with outdoor seating. Award-winning Criolla’s at Grayton Beach, Seaside’s Bud & Alley’s (which has sweeping views from its roof bar), WaterColor’s elegant Fish Out of Water, and Stinky’s Fish Camp overlooking Oyster Lake, a coastal dune lake, are all outstanding local restaurants.

Want locally made items for gift baskets?

Seaside’s artist colony at Ruskin Village features jewelry and glassware from local artists. Route 30A, which runs close to the beaches, has a lot of artist shops. Slightly off the beaten track but worth the stop is Big Mama’s Hula Girl Gallery, a fun emporium of funky outsider art, jewelry, home and garden décor in Santa Rosa Beach. The Zoo Gallery, a contemporary American craft gallery at The Market Shops at Sandestin and Grayton Beach, has furniture, jewelry, ceramics, sculpture and blown glass. Frill Seekers Gifts in Baytowne Village can personalize any of its little luxuries, from beach towels to stationary.

Want nightlife and entertainment?

The Red Bar in Grayton Beach cranks it up a notch with its own jazz band after the dinner crowd thins. The Seering Piano Café has nightly entertainment in the funky little community of Blue Mountain Beach. At Grand Boulevard, your group can restaurant/bar hop, and mingle in the little park next to Tommy Bahamas.

Photo by Walton County Tourist Development Council / Beaches of South Walton
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What you should know

A string of 14 communities (boasting award-winning beaches) with names reflecting their resort allure — Sandestin, Seascape, Seacrest, WaterSound, Seagrove, Seaside, Rosemary, Miramar, WaterColor and more — Beaches of South Walton blends an upscale, casual atmosphere with eclectic architecture and natural beauty. Meeting space is available in resort conference centers, hotels and rental communities; the area is family friendly, and many attendees make it a vacation destination as well

What will surprise you

Forty percent of the land is state park or national forest, meaning it will be green forever

The 411:
  • • 32,000 square feet of meeting space in Hilton Sandestin; 65,000 in Sandestin Resort
  • • 14,500 units (includes hotel rooms/cottages/condos)
  • • Average group size: 200-300
  • • Best value from November-February
  • • 26 miles of beach
  • • 209 holes of golf
Green notes:

In February, The Beaches of South Walton hosted a workshop for its lodging partners about environmentally sound practices and participation in the Department of Environmental Protection’s Florida Green Lodging program. The forum was held at WaterColor Inn, which did a walk-through and shared its success story.