is watercolor florida a beach town is it a resort is it a residential neighborhood
or is it a nature preserve well yeah it's all those things
it's also why watercolor is absolutely one of my favorite communities along florida's famous
scenic highway 30a the sir reality of watercolor first takes shape as you drive across western lake
there's a moment of tangible cognitive decompression that occurs as you cross
this expanse as if it's mentally preparing you for days of otherworldly relaxation
pine trees take priority over palm trees here
which should be no surprise given the region's deep roots in paper production today though
pine trees that were once eyed as potential crops are now protected and cherished natural assets
in fact if you look closely enough you might notice that many of our local pines
line up in perfect rows just like stalks of corn waiting for a harvest that will never come
in fact almost 50 percent of this master-planned coastal community
has been set aside for preservation
sprinkled throughout watercolor you'll find miles of hidden bike and hike trails and countless
pocket parks that blend seamlessly into northwest florida's natural scrub oaks and palmettos
one of my favorites is cerulean park with its babbling canal
live oaks and manicured floral beds which can attract butterflies by the thousands
on the north side of cerulean by the lake you'll find marina park which is home to the community's
annual signature event mountain film on tour it's been a favorite local tradition for 20
years nearby many more miles of walking and biking trails zigzag throughout the adjacent state forest
the resort park of watercolor spans some 500 acres much of it pinched between the glorious white sand
beaches and western lake together the gulf the protected forests and the tranquil lake provide
residents and guests with a unique menu of family and eco-friendly activities including stand-up
paddle boarding kayaking fishing biking hiking and every other activity under the florida sun
as if nature's splendor isn't enough watercolor is also home to some really extraordinary
man-made amenities including five world-class clay tennis courts spa facilities and camp watercolor
idyllic for families camp watercolor features numerous pools fountains a playground a lazy river
and for the much deserving parents bar stools strategically positioned for consuming ice cold
coastal concoctions while keeping a semi-vigilant eye on the young ones splashing around nearby
when they're not launching families out onto the water watercolor boathouse and lake house double
as dreamy event venues hosting destination weddings
family reunions and legendary performances during the annual 30a songwriters festival
30a's 19-mile long tempucci bike trail cuts straight through watercolor's downtown district
where you'll find restaurants boutiques a fitness center and watercolor inn
a quaint 60 room beachfront resort designed by david rockwell
watercolor inn is routinely hailed as the number one family-friendly resort in north america
right next door is watercolor's stunning beach club complex complete with beach bars
food counters and cabanas designed across three spectacular gulf front pool decks
every morning at sunrise just as soon as the local turtle patrol gives the all clear
brad mcdowell and his watercolorful crew prepare for guests seeking some much-needed beach therapy
what's up mike how's it going good man well this doesn't suck i know not a bad office this is your
office this is it 20 years of playing on the beach working on the beach whatever you want to call it
but mom and dad work around the clock to you know afford a vacation to destin so as a memphis boy
we'd mark it on our calendar once a year and that was kind of the highlight of how fast when we get
back to the beach i know how those people feel to work year round to finally get away from work
and this is their memories this is their fun time so even to this day you know that's what i that's
what gets me going that's wakes me up gets me motivated it's my responsibility to show them
the best time i work here and i'm blessed to work here in the same kind of conversation of a lot of
people that live in south walton it's because of that you know i looked at my wife the other day
i said you know i'm going into town to lowe's and she looks at me like are we a horse and buggy like
you know i said well i don't ever go contested we're blessed to be our neighbors right here at
the state park and if you look at watercolor on the map we are 499 acres worth of residents but
we're surrounded by state parks yeah so our day kind of consists of we get here about 5 45 my guys
we uh check how many reservations we have previous the day before so we know how many is set up
what's fun right over this hill that's where the deer come out and kind of remind us each
day that this is their beach we just kind of get to visit it even if we work here
so after the deer clear us the turtle clears and we can go to work then we start drilling
our holes put the umbrellas chairs out takes about an hour and a half two hours to set up
then after that all day long all we do is you know basically cater to our guests we're like
beach butlers we carry their coolers we open their umbrellas we put their foot rest out
they ask us a hundred thousand questions on where to eat where to go you know which is great but
that's part of our job and i think that's what's cool is i don't really know anybody that lives
here that's not passionate about where they live they love it that's why we're here so really neat
after a long carefree day on the beach it's something of a tradition to hose the sugar
white sand off the family feet and retire to the sunset deck at watercolor's iconic
fish out of water restaurant now known as food
the fresh gulf seafood here is sublime the craft cocktails are even better
and the view well i guess you can see for yourself