THE NEW OLD SOUTH
By Kathryn Brownell
Photographs by Laura Tidwell and Rafael Tongol

The studiously quaint village of Seaside redefined the Florida beach town. A generation later, its biggest draw may be its original purpose: pure relaxation.

Forget it all. Forget that Seaside was the backdrop for the Hollywood film The Truman Show, that these 80 acres were the launching pad for New Urbanism, that its city plan has been replicated all over the world, that a dozen now-prominent American architects honed their chops designing Seaside, that the Beach Chic so prevalent in today’s interior design world was reinvented and refined with urban sophistication at Seaside.

Instead, see this for what it is: a 28-year-old planned resort community that gets better and more authentic each year.

Seaside is nestled in the native landscape of State Road 30-A along Florida’s pristine Emerald Coast, whose shores are consistently given the Blue Wave of Excellence for natural, clean beaches. It is hard to believe that this town has not always existed, so deeply are the memories of places like this embedded in our imaginations. An old-fashioned place with sturdy wood-frame cottages, no two alike, painted in a confection of pastels that are rendered subtly by the intense sunlight and blue sky. The narrow streets lined with white wood (yes, real wood) picket fences, no two alike. Footpath alleyways offer shortcuts from here to there. Seaside is alive with color, with community, endless beaches and the constant motion of people on foot. Seaside’s design promises that a car is not necessary, and we park, leaving our car to accumulate a veneer of sea salt.

Our first stop is easy, at Modica Market, a family-owned gourmet shop and Seaside tradition since 1988, for morning coffee and fresh pastry. We browse the market, the fine selection of cheeses, wines and the overflowing deli counter – we’ll be back later to shop for our picnic. Just outside, tables and chairs face the amphitheater, and it’s a good place to peruse the Summer 2009 issue of The Seaside Times for local news and weekly events. The town is the cultural hub of 30A, offering theatre by the Seaside Repertory Company, 1st Friday Art Walks, children’s story times, family movie nights, concerts and festivals. On our last visit, we caught Nestor Torres in concert.

Morning is a good time to explore on foot, the best way to see Seaside. Stroll past whimsically named cottages: As Good as It Gets, Freckles, Happy Ours, Seaspell, Dreamsicle. Ruskin Place is the art colony of Seaside, with galleries flanked by residential row houses and a park. Beyond Ruskin is the lovely Seaside Interfaith Chapel, the neighborhood charter school and lyceum, but all roads lead to the beach. Nine beachside pavilions, designed by different architects each with distinctive character, arc over the dunes to the sugar sand where we will spend the day.

We rent an umbrella and lounge chairs and settle in for pure relaxation, kindly breezes and a non-stop view of the aquamarine gulf. When lunch calls, we go barefooted and in swimsuits to the restaurants on the other side of the dunes for burgers, pizza, tacos or maybe margaritas. Bare feet are the norm here. If we quit the beach early, we will rent some bikes and see Seaside on two wheels, perhaps even venturing into the neighboring community of WaterColor.

Seaside claims 50 stores, so there is some shopping to do yet. The shops on the beach side of 30-A can be visited in swimwear and flip-flops. Perhaps the best known is the iconic Perspicacity. It is an open-air Mediterranean marketplace created by Seaside co-founder Daryl Davis 25 years ago. A series of tiny stalls open onto a piazza offering fashionable clothing and accessories made of natural materials has made Perspicacity a perennial favorite of residents and visitors.

Davis also owns four other local stores: Pizitz, which showcases Seaside-style interior furnishings, The Seaside Store (all things Seaside), Seaside Kids (likewise) and Seaside Beach. The venerable Sundog Books is always a good browse; the kids enjoy Fired Up Paint-Your-Own Pottery. Most of the shops are near the amphitheater, making for easy access by bike or on foot.

Evenings are for the glorious sunsets of the Panhandle, and Bud and Alley’s Waterfront Restaurant is the perfect place for a drink or dinner. If you can get a table, head to the Rooftop Bar overlooking the entire stretch of beach. It’s worth the wait and besides, could there be a lovelier place to wait? The food is good, and the restaurant has won numerous awards.

Seaside admits attempting to recapture the values and small-town atmosphere of America’s 1950’s baby boomer childhoods. It was the innocent age of Leave it to Beaver and Father Knows Best. This is a slippery slope in a world of nonstop news and technology. The way it used to be may be long past, no matter how fervent our nostalgic longing. Still, there are reprieves from the din of Twitter and texts that crowd the peace from this modern life, and Seaside is one of those places, atavistic yet authentic. If it is true that “home is where you hang your childhood,” Seaside just might be that home.

Seaside is one of the most kid-friendly places imaginable, with activities and shops just for little ones. Not to mention the lack of cars and traffic, allowing kids to be a bit freer on bikes and on foot.

Drive SR 30A, which is now rich with New Urban communities, Rosemary Beach, Alys Beach, WaterSound, WaterColor, all based on the Seaside model.

For Seaside lodging, contact the Cottage Rental Agency (cottagerentalagency.com). Rentals include the use of three pools, a fitness center and tennis courts. The agencies’ concierge will be pleased to arrange spa days, golf, hiking or fishing outings. Summer is high season as carloads of families from neighboring states flock to Seaside.

For a listing of summer activities see the online version of The Seaside Times. theseasidetimes.com

For more information on Seaside, visit seasidefl.com

THE NEW OLD SOUTH By Kathryn Brownell Photographs by Laura Tidwell and Rafael Tongol

THE NEW OLD SOUTH
By Kathryn Brownell
Photographs by Laura Tidwell and Rafael Tongol