Full Abalone

Rideshare on the Panhandle

Uber and Lyft have been available in our area for several years. Cars operate all along the coast between Pensacola and Panama City.

A rideshare ride is an affordable and convenient way to get to or from the Destin-Fort Walton Beach, Panama City Beach and Pensacola airports. And taking an Uber or Lyft is much better than driving after a night at Baytowne or the Red Bar.

This page shows the Uber coverage area and has details about Uber in the Pensacola region.

Inshore fishing with Capt. Trey

We had a great time today fishing the inshore flats of Choctawhatchee Bay with our friend Capt. Trey Morris. His excursions are very affordable and convenient, launching from a public dock about 5 minutes from our house.

Check out his website at http://www.ft2tf.com/ and get $30 off your charter when you mention Full Abalone.

Where's the beach?

Click this interactive Google map to see where Full Abalone is located in relation to the beach and nearby amenities.

We are just across the street - about 100 yards - from the Dune Allen public access point.

The beautiful Oyster Lake is a few steps behind us. And just down the street is the Tom Thumb store - with a Redbox video kiosk.

30A flyover video

Here's a cool look at the 30A beach area including Grayton Beach, Seaside and Destin's East Pass shot by Modus Photography.

And this one shot by pilot Russell Stegemann from his powered paraglider.

Our beaches rated among the world's best

What do our beaches have in common with beaches in New Zealand, Hawaii, Colombia and Bali? They are all among the Ten Best Beach Destinations for 2011 selected by editors and readers of Smarter Travel.

The January profile praised our pristine white sand but also noted that there's plenty of shopping, fine dining and recreation nearby -- and easy access from the new airport at Panama City Beach.

Here's some of what Smarter Travel had to say: "Recently celebrating its centennial anniversary, Santa Rosa Beach, and its long stretch of untouched sand and calm seas offers a quiet escape on the Hogtown Bayou. Though the lapping waves and cool sand are the main attractions, there is plenty to do inland, such as shopping, fine dining, and golfing, and exploring the town's many art galleries and nature trails."

30A gets a theme song

The scenic road that runs past Full Abalone now has it's own song. "Life Shines," also known as The 30A Song, is the creation of singer and songwriter Bryan Kennedy with help from Mike Ragsdale of 30a.com.

Area restaurant reviews

Find out what residents, regulars and visitors have to say about South Walton restaurants at SOWAL.com. The website has profiles and maps for every eatery from Acme Oyster House to Zoe's Kitchen, all up and down 30-A. You can also read and write comments and give your favorite (or unfavorite) restaurant a star rating.

SoWal's best pizza

The SoWal.com website asked readers to nominate and vote on the best pizza shops in the 30-A area. The winners were to Bruno's, Pizza By The Sea, Fat Clemenza's, Bud & Alley's Pizza Bar, and Pickle Factory.

Two of the winners are not far from Full Abalone. Fat Clemenza's in in Sandestin, just past the outlet mall, and the Pickle Factory is on Hwy 283 at Grayton Beach.

Our vote goes to Amore, which has more than a dozen specialty pizzas and is just down the street at Gulf Place.

Side trips: Eglin Air Force Museum

The Air Force Armament Museum at Eglin Air Force Base is home to more than 25 different aircraft. The collection ranges from World War II bombers like the B-17 and B-25, an F-15 Eagle, a helicopter gunship and and the he SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest plane ever built.

Most of the planes are arrayed outside the museum building where you can walk up for a close look. Also outside is the MOAB, a 21,000-pound bomb developed prior to the Iraq war and dubbed the Mother Of All Bombs."

Attractions inside the museum include an extensive gun collection with American and foreign firearms. An open training cockpit for the A-10 Warthog is popular with kids and adults.

The museum is located on Highway 85 just past the Fort Walton Beach Airport. It's open from 9:30 - 4:40 except Sundays and federal holidays. Admission is free.

Side trips: Apalachicola

It's a bit of a drive through the endless stoplights of Panama City, across Tyndall Air Force Base and past Mexico Beach and Port St. Joe. But once you reach the old fishing village of Apalachicola, you've reached a quiet respite from the beachside bustle.

You can stroll along the public dock where relics are moored from Apalachicola's past as a booming port for fishing, shrimping and shipping up and down the Apalachicola River.

Streets near the dock are lined with stores that are mercifully short of t-shirts and other tourist dreck. Our favorite stop turned out to be the Tin Shed, which is packed to the gunwales with nautical antiques and leftovers. We also stopped in at John Lee's Retsyo store (that's oyster spelled backwards) on Main Street. John sells antiques and collectibles and he'll tell you stories about the Peter Fonda movie "Ulee's Gold," which was filmed in the town and nearby areas.

And, of course, Apalachicola is home to the finest and freshest oysters on the Panhandle. We took ours at Boss Oyster where outdoor tables offer a sun-drenched view of the river.

The Lady Louise sites tied to the town's public dock. She won't be taking you for a cruise, but the Maritime Museum a couple blocks down Water Street offers a variety of excursions.