Seacrest After Isaias: Where the East End of 30A Picked Back Up This Fall

Many of the earliest reopenings on 30A after Hurricane Isaias were east of Seacrest. Beach and Brew in Alys Beach reopened on Saturday, October 10, the day after landfall. By Sunday evening the list also included George's, The Citizen, Raw & Juicy, Gallion's in Rosemary Beach, and four restaurants at 30Avenue in Inlet Beach. Seaside, the usual anchor of central 30A, started a limited reopening on Monday, October 12, and several of its kitchens came back with shorter menus.

If you live in Seacrest, the trip toward Alys Beach and Inlet Beach is the short one, and that first week it was also the one that worked. The rest of this fall's calendar leans the same way.

The first three days, by the posted dates

Isaias came ashore near Destin around 8:30 p.m. CDT on Friday, October 9, as a Category 2 hurricane with 105 mph sustained winds. That put 30A on the stronger east side of the storm. Here is the order in which places near Seacrest posted their reopenings, mostly on each business's own Instagram, as of the evening of October 13.

That's nine places across Alys Beach, Rosemary Beach and Inlet Beach open by Sunday night, with Fonville Press making ten on Monday. For a Seacrest household, that covers coffee at Beach and Brew or Fonville Press, a juice from Raw & Juicy, dinner at George's or The Citizen, and four kinds of food in one parking lot at 30Avenue. Closer to home, Pizza by the Sea in Seacrest came back on Monday with its full menu.

The Big Chill also reopened Monday. Its own calendar shows it closed October 10 and 11 because of a power outage. When it reopened on October 12 the jumbotron was still down, so the NFL game played on the pavilion TVs.

West of Seacrest, the restart came a day later with shorter menus

Looking west from Seacrest, the same days played out more slowly. Seaside posted a limited reopening on Monday, October 12. Bud & Alley's and Bud & Alley's Taco Bar opened that day with a limited menu, and Pickles opened the same day. Shrimp Shack, The Meltdown, Seaside Style and Drome followed on Tuesday, October 13. WaterColor Inn and Camp Creek in Watersound reopened Tuesday too.

Farther west, the pattern held. AJ's in Grayton Beach came back on Monday with a limited menu. Hurricane Oyster Bar planned to reopen Wednesday, October 14. Raw & Juicy's Grayton Beach location was open on a limited menu, while its Alys Beach location had been serving since Sunday.

The storm's surge forecast was higher from the Alabama line to Grayton Beach, 6 to 9 feet, than from Grayton Beach east to Indian Pass, 4 to 7 feet. Every kitchen also had its own power, staffing and supply situation to sort out. For a Seacrest resident, the practical upshot was simple. The full menus were closest that first week, and by a few minutes.

The east end's walking and biking links held up

The east end also has a short connection that doesn't depend on 30A traffic. The U.S. 98 pedestrian underpass just east of County Road 30A at 30Avenue has been open since early 2025. Its ramp and stairs connect the southeast corner of 30A to the north side of U.S. 98, giving people on foot and on bikes a way under the highway. According to 30avenue.com, the crossing sits right where the 30Avenue restaurants that reopened on October 11 are.

At the beach, a Walton County beach access update reported by 30A-TV on October 12 said Inlet Beach's restrooms and all three of its dune walkovers were open: central, east and west, including the central ADA walkover. Across the county, beaches and the water have reopened, but some accesses may stay closed because of storm damage. Check the specific access you plan to use before you load the wagon.

The hotels on either side of Seacrest are open too. 30A reported that all five St. Joe Company hotels on 30A were taking new reservations as of October 12, including The Pearl in Rosemary Beach, WaterColor Inn & Resort, Camp Creek Inn and Watersound Inn. Some beach access points, beach club facilities and golf courses were still limited. If friends had booked fall visits, those plans are mostly back on.

The next four weeks of the calendar also lean east

The fall events left on the calendar follow the same eastward pattern. From Thursday, October 22, this is what's coming up near Seacrest:

1. Run Watersound 5K & 10K, Saturday, October 24. 30A's recovery roundup lists it as an outdoor morning with registration open.
2. Watersound Origins Porchfest, Sunday, October 25. It was rescheduled after the storm and brings live music to porches around Watersound Origins.
3. The Big Chill Halloween Party, Friday, October 30, 5 to 9:30 p.m. The Big Chill's event calendar lists trick-or-treating, pumpkin crafts and DJ Dan Davis.
4. Alys Beach Crafted, Wednesday, November 11, through Sunday, November 15. Details below.

The roundup also lists the 30A BBQ Festival on November 6 and Mountainfilm on Tour at WaterColor on November 6 and 7. The BBQ Festival is on the North Lawn at Grand Boulevard at Sandestin, a longer drive than anything else on this list.

Alys Beach Crafted, a five-minute trip from Seacrest

Crafted is the biggest event on the east end this fall, and it's scheduled for Alys Beach, where Beach and Brew was one of the first businesses on 30A to reopen. The official Crafted schedule starts with a songwriters session on Wednesday, November 11, and three dinners on Thursday, November 12. Friday brings a makers market, Cocktails & Clay, and Firkin Fête, a craft-beer tasting with food and live music. Saturday has the Spirited Soirée and the market, and the market runs again on Sunday.

The lineup 30A announced in September includes chefs Rob McDaniel, Camille Withall and Drew Dzejak, cocktail makers José Medina Camacho and Nicole Greenwell, and ceramicist Sarah Bumanglag. Several events have limited capacity. The Holiday Makers Market is free and open to the public, so it's the easy option if you want to walk over without a ticket. That announcement came out before the storm. The October 13 recovery roundup still lists Crafted for November 11 through 15 and asks readers to check with organizers for any post-storm changes, so confirm ticketed events on the official site before you plan around them.

Debris pickup has rules

At home, the work looks different. Walton County storm-debris pickup started October 14 and covers all eight zones, public and private roads alike. Debris has to be sorted and placed within 10 feet of the road or right-of-way. The Walton County Sheriff's Office Isaias page says improperly sorted or misplaced debris won't be collected. The county's community information line for debris questions is 850-892-8394.

If you know a household that got hit harder, local organizations have funds open, according to 30A's recovery roundup. Alaqua Animal Refuge in Freeport is collecting financial donations to repair fencing, gates and shelters, and all of its animals came through the storm safely. United Way Emerald Coast has activated its Disaster Relief Fund and is taking sign-ups for future volunteer shifts. It isn't deploying volunteers yet while emergency responders finish their work. For food, shelter or transportation needs, 211 Northwest Florida answers 24 hours a day at 211 or 855-420-8689.

Our team works out of Miramar Beach, and we're following the east end's recovery closely. If you own in Seacrest and want help planning a property check, a vendor visit or a fall stay, The Jonathan Hill Team can help. Schedule a consultation and we'll walk through it with you.