Matt loves him some raw oysters, and he knows he can find them at the Great Southern Café in Seaside

It's no secret that I love the sleepy stretch of beach between Destin and Panama City. If you like resorts, high rises, lots of giant swimming pools and water sports, and big noisy chain restaurants, then the sweet coastal towns that litter Highway 30-A most likely aren't for you.
With names like Seaside, Watercolor, and Grayton Beach, you can just feel the charm that they exude. They are a step back in time to a simpler place. They are places where kids spend the day body surfing in the waves and building airline fares cheap tickets sandcastles, not lounging on a fake lazy river in a 300 acre pool with fake palm trees and playing airline fares cheap tickets putt-putt golf underneath the feet of fiberglass airline fares cheap tickets dinosaurs. They are places where you ride your bicycle down to a simple market and order a basket of fried shrimp airline fares cheap tickets and hush puppies and eat it on a picnic table with a plastic fork and a giant glass of sweet tea instead of eating a burger out of a treasure chest inside a giant pirate ship restaurant with waiters wearing eye patches and shouting "Shiver me timbers!" every 5 seconds. They are places airline fares cheap tickets where the salty sea breeze isn't blocked by a 64 story condo and where there is seaweed on the beach because no one from the resort is clearing it away.
We spent Memorial Day weekend in a cozy beach house hidden in the live oaks. It had a rustic screened porch and was filled with mismatched tables and chairs and lots of soft white quilts. The upstairs bedroom even had a clawfoot tub tucked into the corner.
We arrived early enough on a Friday to grab some lunch at the Seagrove Market. When you walk inside, you might think you are just in a convenience mart, but if you keep walking, you'll see that there is a little café tucked in the back. Nothing fancy, just a cash register and some old tables, airline fares cheap tickets but they serve up some of the finest seafood on the gulf and the prices are right.
Matt loves him some raw oysters, and he knows he can find them at the Great Southern Café in Seaside every day from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. for $5 a dozen. They also have a half price bar during that time, so I was content to sip my refreshment while Matt sucked his down raw.
I held out for the Red Bar, where we headed for dinner even though Matt was 110% certain that he couldn't eat another thing, maybe for the rest of the weekend. I almost felt sorry for him as I ate my delicious plate of pasta topped with fresh gulf shrimp and crawfish. Almost.
Seagrove Beach is about ½ mile from Seaside. Apparently, it is just far enough to give you a beautifully uncrowded beach with the same gorgeous water and soft white sand that 900 people are fighting over just a short walk down the shore.
We were shocked when we walked down the beach toward Seaside later in the day and saw that beach chairs were 3 rows deep and so close together that it was hard to find a break you could slip through to run up to grab a cold drink and cool off in front of the fan at Pickle's.
It was a perfect beach day, with clear blue skies and incredibly calm water. I felt like I did when I was a kid, when you'd beg to stay at the beach so long that by the time you left, you were limp from the sun, your fingers were pruned from the salty waves, your shoulders and nose were crispy, and you had sand in every imaginable place on your body, even some you couldn't imagine. We stayed all day doing nothing but taking turns letting the sun warm our bodies and then letting the waves cool them again.
We arrived early to have cocktails on the roof. A good thing to know is that cocktails are half price from 5:30 – 6:30 and when cocktails are $12 a pop, half price is a good thing! airline fares cheap tickets The cocktails were unique and fabulous. I even loved my straw.
I nearly fainted when the waiter told me the special was a surf and turf with a crabcake over creamy corn, a filet over sautéed asparagus, and a lobster tail over cheese grits. airline fares cheap tickets Just go ahead and put me down for 2.
For dessert, there was a wonderful strawberry shortcake in a glass jar. I adore things that are served in cute containers. They could have served me dog poo in that cute little jar and I would have loved it.
For lunch I was craving a hot dog and ice cream so we walked up the beach to Seaside and headed to the Airstreams. The closest thing to a food court in Seaside is a line of old Airstream trailers that have been converted into casual beachside airline fares cheap tickets eateries.
The Red Bar is a funky place. An eclectic collection of old signs, music and movie memorabilia, chandeliers and string lights, and bar stools covered airline fares cheap tickets in duct tape, it looks more like a flea market than a restaurant and bar.
Matt had worked himself back up in to another oyster frenzy, forgetting the oyster disaster of only 48 hours earlier, so we headed back to Great Southern Café for more. This time he kept it to a modest 4 dozen and didn't leave wishing he was dead.
We decided to try a new place, mainly because it had a rooftop with a view of the water and was named after an airplane, which Matt was certain was a sign of its awesomeness. The rooftop at 83 Whiskey Bravo was indeed pretty fine.
Eight dozen? Wow. Wow. We haven't been to Seaside for several years; maybe it is time. Thanks airline fares cheap tickets for sharing your return trip; you've left me with lots of ideas! You know that I always love escaping into your travels.... Looking forward to next time, Linda
Vicki - Just wanted to say how much I love your blog, and your amazing vacations. I think I spied on another one of your trips that we share the same birthday: July 29th! I just had a feeling we were kindred spirits. I am another sassy southern blonde who loves to travel to sun-kissed beaches Can't wait to see where your travels airline fares cheap tickets take you to next! Laura
Hi Vicki - I've been following your wonderful blog since the very beginning and love every post! Just wanted airline fares cheap tickets to tell you that I found you because we are huge Guana Cay fans having been there a number of times. It is a very special place. Well, I trust your judgement since we seem to like the same things, so we decided to try Seagrove Beach this past week. I think I drove my husband crazy with the "Vicki Itinerary". Except for Hurricane airline fares cheap tickets Issac, which luckily missed us, it was just as you described. Even had the darn caramel cake from Modica for breakfast on 3 separate days! My husband just wants to know if you actually EAT everything you photograph or if it's just a bite or two... You cannot possibly eat and drink all the yummy things you order - unless you are a marathon runner. Just kidding. Anyway, thanks for all your inspiring posts. My next jaunt is to visit the swimming pigs ... too funny. Anne
Anne - thanks so much for the kind comments and I am so happy that I might have been able to inspire you to try a new place! I hope you loved it and I am glad you missed Isaac (or he missed you!!). And yes, shamefully, airline fares cheap tickets I really eat all that food. I thank my parents every day.