More Emerald Coast Fun

Here are a few more peeks into what we did while we camped in Grayton Beach State Park in April.  We really did pack a lot in and make the most of our six days on Florida's Emerald Coast.  

Exploring Beach Towns by Bike.

After exploring the 30a bike path (also called the Timpoochee Trail) to the west of Grayton Beach on our quest for fish tacos, the next day it was time to ride towards the east to see what that part of the trail was like.  This section goes through several beach towns. 

​After the planned developments of Watercolor and Seaside, you'll pass through Seagrove Beach, Secrest, Alys Beach (where all the buildings are white!), and Rosemary Beach.  The round trip from Grayton Beach State Park was approximately 25 miles, though we turned around maybe a mile from the eastern terminus of the trail.

Here's a basic map of the area, though not all of the towns are shown.

Alys Beach, neat and tidy with its all-white architecture

Seacrest

One of many spots where you can rent bikes along the trail

Riding across Western Lake near Grayton Beach State Park

​While the trail is fun to ride, there are many driveway and road crossings, especially in Seagrove Beach.  With all the bike rentals available, I am sure it could get crazy busy during the high season, though it wasn't bad at all on a weekday in April.  I was glad to be riding my mountain bike, as some sections are pretty bumpy, with broken pavement in spots.  While you could ride a skinny-tired road bike, I wouldn't recommend it.

​For more information on the Timpoochee Trail, here are a couple of links:  Overview and Very Detailed.

Finding a Favorite Dinner Spot.

We discovered a good restaurant in Santa Rosa Beach just a short bike ride (approximately one mile) away from the campground.  We liked it so much the first night that we ended up pedaling back the following night as well!

We sat on the large outdoor porch with a great pond view.

Our first night, we'd done a long bike ride so were starving.  We devoured chicken quesadillas and spinach empanada appetizers at happy hour prices, followed by delicious salads filled with mixed greens, fruit, and nuts, and topped with grilled shrimp (mine) or fish (Barry's).  

We even saved enough room to split a slice of this decadent peanut butter pie -- oh my!

On our second visit we weren't quite as famished so stuck with just one shared appetizer (the spinach empanadas).  We followed this with blackened shrimp tacos (Barry) and lobster tacos (me). Oh la la were they good!  And of course we had to split another piece of that amazing pie; you could have guessed that, I bet!

Lobster Tacos? Yes please!

Taking a Hike.

There is a nature trail in the park near the beach.  It traverses dunes and lush wooded areas.  We hiked it on a cool, cloudy Saturday morning, our last day in the park, and shared it only with birds and other wildlife.  Perfect.

Heavy spring rain prior to our arrival in the park left a short section of the trail muddy.  We both tested our balance on this log and made it across without dipping a foot in the muck.  (I confess that Barry had to hold out a hand for me from the other side as I was nervous I might not make it.)

Walking by Western Lake

Enjoying the Beautiful Beach.

And of course, there were many beach walks.  The section that is part of the state park was almost always this uncrowded.  Bliss!

We encountered this sandy homage to a sea turtle....

Although the gulf waters were still too nippy for swimming (except for a few hearty souls), we both dipped our feet in.  

We enjoyed walking until the sun set every evening.  This is one of my favorite times of day.

We hated to put Grayton Beach in our rearview mirror, but we're so glad we discovered this magical spot.