104 beachLIFE COMMUNITY TOUR GRAYTON BEACH
THE LIFE & TIMES OF
Welcome to Grayton Beach . They say dogs here are nice and the people strange . In reality , It ’ s a town of free spirits widely considered the soul of 30A .
Before tourism took off on the Emerald Coast , you could find more dogs than people in this original 30A hamlet . Named after U . S . Army Major Charles T . Gray , who built a home here in 1885 , Grayton Beach is widely considered one of the longest-standing communities on Scenic Highway 30A . And surprisingly , little has changed over the decades .
Today , the town remains a hodgepodge of coastal cottages and beach homes connected by quiet , small-town streets . The vibe embodies a laid-back attitude that has been cultivated for decades . With Grayton Beach State Park right next door , it ’ s also home to natural attractions — most notably , Sea Turtle Reef .
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Everyone ’ s favorite beach town is living its best life …
– by Marissa Zerangue
First installed in 2015 , this artificial reef is comprised of 58 individual reefs that form the shape of a sea turtle on the seafloor — the first nearshore snorkeling reef to be installed in the area Sea Turtle Reef and others like it are a habitat for a variety of marine life — from stingrays to soft corals to sea urchins and , of course , sea turtles . Located just 350 feet south of the Grayton Beach State Park shoreline , it ’ s accessible by paddleboard and kayak .
Grayton Beach is also home to a much-loved institution known far and wide — the Red Bar . And it ’ s an institution with a backstory . The Red Bar had been in business for a quarter-century when it caught fire on February 13 , 2019 . What had come to be loved and cherished for a generation burned to the ground within hours .