Spring Break in Rosemary Beach

Hello from the couch. It’s 87 here in Charlotte and it feels like summer,  I’m happy to be home after our trip to Florida; it must be a good sign that I love coming home to my house and my normal life. I’m not gonna lie, this wasn’t our best vacation – Emerson was terribly behaved (maybe due to one of her molars breaking through?), we had a cold front that kept us from the beach, and I still had some nausea and upset stomach related to pregnancy. We tried to make the best of it, and still enjoyed lots of family time, great food, and wonderful highs that came with the lows. I’m very thankful that we can take vacations but they aren’t all picture perfect behind the scenes.. I think that’s the hardest part about traveling with kids – it’s always unpredictable and you never really know if it will be worth your money.

That being said, we LOVED Rosemary Beach, and enjoyed exploring a different area of Florida.

We rented a cottage in town, and enjoyed being able to spread out and stock our fridge with groceries from Publix.  We ate breakfasts and most lunches at the house, and splurged on dinners.

The house was just perfect for the 3 of us and had a front porch with swing and rocking chairs. Every night, Matt and I got dessert from the restaurant or ice cream and enjoyed it with The Handmaid’s Tale after Emerson was asleep:) We also read our books on the porch or took turns exercising during Em’s afternoon nap and just enjoyed the down time.

The town of Rosemary Beach is just adorable and perfectly manicured. All of the houses are styled after Charleston, Savannah, and New Orleans architecture, and the abundance of trees keeps everything shady and green.

There were four [heated, thank goodness] community pools, lots of restaurants and shops, and little boardwalks that lead to the beach. We rented a wagon to tote Emerson the .4 miles to the beach, and she loved the ride.

The town is also dotted with green spaces where kids would often congretgate for sports and games. Emerson loved running around the green and was always trying to make friends.

Sadly, a cold front came through on our second day, so we were only able to go to the beach twice.

The first day was warm, but super windy as the storm was rolling it. Apparently the water is usually very very calm and clear.

Matt and Em had a blast jumping in the surf.

Matt and I LOVE vacations where we don’t need a car, and although we rented one and used it a couple of times, there were some great restaurants within walking distance. George’s in neighboring Aly’s beach was outstanding and we had a lovely meal on the patio there.  This was a jerk snapper with forbidden rice and mango salsa.  I had lots of fresh seafood!

Another highlight, especially for Matt and Emerson, was Five Daughter’s Bakery –  a donut shop right in town. Although they boast 5 gluten free flavors each month, they only make one at the Rosemary location – it was still such a treat. Matt raved about the ‘100 layer’ maple and chocolate donuts he had, and Emerson just kept asking for more bagels.

On one of the cold days, we ventured over to Seaside, where the Truman Show was filmed! It was packed with people and looked like another great place to stay. We didn’t end up walking around though because Em had a meltdown and then we spent a while trying to find a shoe that was dropped out of the stroller:)

We did have a fabulous meal that night though at Fish Out of Water at the Watercolor Inn.  I was in heaven because all of their fried food was breaded in rice flour, so I took full advantage and ordered the crab cakes and fried chicken. The view and vibe were great too!

On another cold day, we checked out a birthday celebration for the Grayton Beach Brewing Co. We enjoyed live music over a lunch of nachos and then Emerson got her face painted for the first time. She had to work up the courage by watching me get my hand painted first, and then her hand painted, and then she decided it would be ok to get the turtle on her cheek.

Easter was definitely a highlight of the trip! Emerson was so cute opening her Easter basket, and then we went to the Rosemary egg hunt and saw the bunny.

It was a gorgeous day, and by mid-day, it was warm enough to swim in the pool. We also had an amazing dinner at Havana Beach Bar at the Pearl Hotel that night.  We shared a crawfish and sweet potato hash and I had a petite filet. Matt had a lamb pasta dish that he said was incredible.  Plus, they had housemaid gluten free corn muffins with whipped butter as well as apple crisp for dessert!

And by our final day, the weather was perfect for the beach and pool, and we soaked up every minute. We even had Matt pick up pizza and salad to eat at the pool, so we wouldn’t have to miss out on any sunshine by going in for lunch.

We found out some Davidson friends were in the area, and met them at The Bay for our last dinner. We had more seafood and the kids enjoyed running around on this white sand beach (with toddler toys provided by the restaurant!) after we finished eating.  It was the perfect set-up for kids and the view was great for the adults.

The end!