Seaside is small. Really small! The whole town sits on 80 acres, and the town square is designed to be within a five-minute walk of every home. That’s the reason to go. It’s also the reason a visit can go sideways if you show up at noon in July expecting to park out front (you won’t).
So here’s how I’d spend a day there, plus a little of the history that explains why the place looks the way it does. (If you’re still mapping out the whole trip, start with our 30A trip planning guide.)
The Story Behind the Pastel Houses
In 1946, J.S. Smolian bought 80 acres of Gulf-front scrubland next to Seagrove Beach. His plan was a summer camp for his employees. The camp never happened, but the family kept coming back every summer, including his grandson, Robert Davis, who inherited the land in 1978.
By then Davis was a developer in Miami. He and his wife Daryl hired two young Miami architects, Andrés Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, and the four of them drove through small Southern towns with cameras, sketch pads and tape measures, studying what made old neighborhoods work. (Honestly, that sounds like a great road trip.) What they figured out was that the houses they loved only existed in small towns. So they set out to build a new “old town.”
Construction began in 1981, and it started small: two houses, one street and a single beach pavilion. Duany and Plater-Zyberk drew up the master plan and the town’s building code in the early 1980s. Then a four-page Southern Living feature in 1984 turned the project into a destination, and Seaside became the founding example of what planners now call New Urbanism. If you’ve never heard the term, you’ll recognize it the minute you arrive: narrow brick streets that slow cars down, front porches, sand footpaths between cottages, and shops and restaurants within walking distance of home. The same planners later designed Rosemary Beach and Alys Beach, and the three towns make a fun comparison.
Then Hollywood came calling. The Truman Show (1998), starring Jim Carrey, used Seaside as its main filming location, standing in for the fictional town of Seahaven. You may be wondering if you can see Truman’s house. You can! The Truman House is at 31 Natchez Street. It’s a private home, so admire it from the street, and look for the movie’s house number, 36, which the owners kept above the door. Modica Market, the grocery on Central Square, shows up in the film too, and it’s still family-run.
How to Spend a Day
Start on Central Square
Everything in Seaside orbits the grassy amphitheater and its limestone stage. Grab coffee and something baked at Black Bear Bread Co. (Dave Rauschkolb’s café, made in collaboration with Stumptown Coffee), then walk the square. The Seaside Post Office, a tiny white building at 99 Central Square, is the town’s favorite photo stop, and it’s still a working post office. Mailing a postcard from it is a small, satisfying ritual, and a fun one to hand off to the kids.
Browse Sundog Books
If you’re a reader, Sundog Books at 89 Central Square is the independent bookstore I’d send you to. Its shelf of local titles includes books on Seaside’s architecture and the area’s coastal dune lakes, and Central Square Records is upstairs. Posted hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. It’s on my rainy day list, too.
Walk to the Chapel through Ruskin Place
Head north into Ruskin Place, a quiet square of galleries and boutiques on the ground floors of townhouses, set around a shaded park. The view at the end is the Seaside Interfaith Chapel (582 Forest Street), designed by Scott Merrill and dedicated in 2001. Its 68-foot bell tower is the highest point in town, and it sits at the head of Seaside’s main axis, placed to be seen from Central Square. The chapel received a national AIA Honor Award in 2004 and was accepted into the Library of Congress’s Historic American Buildings Survey in 2018. It’s an active congregation with Sunday services, and a popular wedding venue, so please be respectful if a ceremony is going on.
Lunch on Airstream Row
The line of vintage Airstream trailers beside the square is the most fun lunch in town, and with a crowd it’s a lifesaver, because everyone gets to pick their own. You’ve got gourmet grilled cheese at The Meltdown on 30A, made-to-order crêpes at Crêpes du Soleil, gyros at Mr. Gyro Hero, barbecue at Barefoot BBQ, Wagyu hot dogs at Wild Bill’s Beach Dogs, bowls and fresh juice at Wild Nectar, and shave ice at Frostbites. Order from a few windows and share at the picnic tables.
Plan around market day
If your dates allow it, plan around the Seaside Farmers Market. It fills the amphitheater on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. year-round, with a second market on Tuesdays in June and July. Expect local produce, baked goods, specialty foods and live music. It runs rain or shine unless the weather turns unsafe. Go early for the best selection.
A note on the Seaside Repertory Theatre
I want to point out one change, because older guides (including the previous version of this post!) still send you to the Seaside Repertory Theatre. The REP closed in August 2025 after 25 years, citing leadership changes, rising costs and the end of its lease. The good news is that Seaside still programs free entertainment in the amphitheater, including seasonal children’s theater (recent seasons were performed by Emerald Coast Theatre Company), outdoor movies and live music. Check the town’s events calendar for what’s on during your dates.
And the beach? Seaside’s beach access works a little differently from the rest of 30A. Most pavilions are reserved for their own streets, and public access through Coleman Pavilion is tied to a chair rental. I’ve covered all the details in my guide to the best beaches on 30A.
The Parking Reality
I’ll be honest here: Seaside was built for walking, and parking reflects that. The town runs a managed paid-parking program along Smolian Circle and other marked spots, restarted each March. Current posted rates are $5 an hour from 8 to 10 a.m., $7 an hour from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and $5 an hour from 7 to 10 p.m. Pay by text or through the Passport Parking app (download it before you arrive, not while you’re circling). Short complimentary spaces have been offered for quick stops; look for the signs.
For a full day, the easier answer is the free Seaside Shuttle. Park at the designated Seaside lot off Highway 331 South (just past the Sanctuary at 331 apartments, south of the 331 bridge) and ride to the Lyceum Archway in the center of town. Shuttles run daily from 6 a.m. to midnight, with three in service.
Or skip the car altogether. Seaside has bike racks, and arriving on two wheels is the most Seaside way to do it. It’s exactly why Harbor Heights, our place in Grayton, includes bikes.
The in30A Seaside town guide is a handy companion on your phone for beach accesses and parking around town.
Where to Eat
Bud & Alley’s (2236 E County Hwy 30A) opened in 1986 as Seaside’s first restaurant, back when the town had only a handful of houses, and it still sits right on the Gulf. Book ahead, especially for weekend evenings and sunset tables. Southern Living singled out its crab cakes.
Great Southern Café (83 Central Square) is Chef Jim Shirley’s restaurant on the square, open since 2006. Order the Grits à Ya Ya: blackened shrimp with applewood-smoked bacon, spinach, portobellos and cream over smoked Gouda grits. (Yes, all of that, in one bowl.) They use a waitlist, so if you’re a large group, stop by a few hours early to check the wait.
The Shrimp Shack is the move for a lobster roll or peel-and-eat shrimp. Take your order out back to the Boardwalk Bar, just east of Coleman Pavilion, for a drink on the Gulf side.
Bud & Alley’s Pizza Bar serves Neapolitan wood-fired pizza and makes an easy family dinner. Packing a picnic? Modica Market has deli counters and staples.
A Perfect Evening
Ride or shuttle in late in the afternoon. Browse Ruskin Place, then head up to the Bud & Alley’s Roof Deck before sunset. It has panoramic Gulf views, and ringing the vintage bell at sunset is a daily tradition.
Have dinner downstairs at Bud & Alley’s (reserved well ahead) or on the square at Great Southern. Afterward, see whether the amphitheater has a movie or concert that night. Dessert is a short walk either way: It’s Heavenly has been scooping ice cream in Seaside since 1998, and Dawson’s Yogurt & Fudge has been there since 1988.
Then take the long way back to the bikes. Seaside’s sand paths and picket-fenced porches are lovely after dark, and every white picket fence in town is a little different. Bring a flashlight!
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do you park in Seaside?
Paid spots along Smolian Circle run $5 an hour early morning and evening and $7 an hour from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., payable through the Passport Parking app. For a full day, I’d use the free Seaside Shuttle from the lot off Highway 331 South, which runs daily from 6 a.m. to midnight.
Can you see the Truman Show house in Seaside?
You can! The Truman House is at 31 Natchez Street, and the owners kept the movie’s house number, 36, above the door. It’s a private home, so admire it from the street.
Is the beach in Seaside public?
Only partly. Most of Seaside’s beach pavilions are reserved for the residents and guests of their own streets, and public access through Coleman Pavilion is tied to a Cabana Man chair rental.
When is the Seaside farmers market?
Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., year-round, in the amphitheater, with a second market on Tuesdays in June and July. It runs rain or shine unless the weather turns unsafe.
Is the Seaside Repertory Theatre still open?
No. The REP closed in August 2025 after 25 years. Seaside still programs free entertainment in the amphitheater, including seasonal children’s theater, outdoor movies and live music.
Where to Stay
If you’d like a home base nearby, our family’s house, Harbor Heights, sleeps 14 in Grayton. Readers who book direct at harborheightson30a.com can use code 30ATRAVEL. We’d love to have you.
