Back To The Beach

Back to the beach: Life is simply more pleasurable in Seaside Florida town

What is it about the beach that makes everything more pleasurable? Here, I read more; food tastes better; dreams are more vivid; going barefoot was invented at the beach! Come to think of it, to borrow a phrase from Coke . . . everything goes better with beach.

I knew this when I was a kid combing the beach on Bolivar peninsula every summer. There, regardless of what the weather was like, every morning felt like Christmas. Instead of running to a tree, my siblings and I made a beeline to the beach. It was sheer bliss.

Taking a long walk on the beach the other day, I stupidly asked a fellow beachcomber for the time. “Beach time,” she smiled. “Exactly,” I answered, “Thank you.”

But, if Bolivar was bliss, I would find nirvana along the Florida panhandle later . . . in Seaside, Florida.

I came here 18 years ago and been hooked ever since. I’ll try to explain why, but as it goes with the beach, words and photographs fall short. I love this.

I could say the draw is the white sand and green-blue water; the sunsets; the birding; the turtles and behind all this, the people who run Seaside’s small businesses. (Modica Market, Sundog Books, the Seaside Farmers Market to mention a few). Folks, who not only make this southern community feel like one, they’re friends.

Best of all, present time rules here. I think that’s what people mean when they say beach mode. Taking a long walk on the beach the other day, I stupidly asked a fellow beachcomber for the time. “Beach time,” she smiled. “Exactly,” I answered, “Thank you.”

Whether at Seaside or on other beaches, I’ve felt connected to the Gulf of Mexico for as long as I can remember. John Fitzgerald Kennedy understood this perfectly: "We have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch it, we are going back from whence we came."

Seaside Farmers Market

Everyone feels good at a Farmers Market, but put a Farmers Market along the Florida panhandle, and you’ve got heaven.

Tabletops are full to the gills. There’s produce straight from the garden tumbling out of baskets; rows of relishes and jams you’ve never heard of; pastries; popsicles; hot sauces that’ll take your mouth on a thrill ride; breads lined up like bowling balls and a variety of dog treats . . . all natural of course . . . to mention a few. And that’s just what’s on the tables.

You’ll find visiting with the people who work behind them just as pleasurable. These folks are connected to their work like no others. You won’t find braggadocio or arrogance here . . . only kind, humble and conscientious caretakers who bring their labor of love to the table for lucky us to enjoy.

I've grown to love every one of em’, but I have to admit, I got a favorite. Paul Johnson, originally from Dothan, Alabama, has a smile bigger than Texas and a neighborly nature to go with. Paul and his wife, Marsha, don’t grow the produce themselves. They select produce from a variety of farmers. They represent the buyers at the farm so to speak, and, in turn, present the farm to the buyers.

Paul puts it this way, “We’re your arm to the farm.” Thus, their name, Paul’s Pick of the Crop. Let me tell you folks, they are! The mate’rs as Mama used to say, the mate’rs alone are worth going for. These will take your mouth on a sweet ride.

I promise you’ll leave with your basket and your heart . . . both full.

Editor’s Note: Seaside will be featured in “10 Towns that Changed America.” The program will run on PBS stations in early 2016.

What is it about the beach that makes everything more pleasurable?

Photo by Katie Oxford

What is it about the beach that makes everything more pleasurable?

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where to travel right now

Hill Country wineries beckon + 9 more Texas travel ideas for June

Photo courtesy of Texas Hill Country Wineries

The Barrels & Bites pass offers Hill Country wine lovers upscale tasting experiences or curated food and wine pairings.

School's out, summer has arrived, and with it comes a bounty of weekend getaway inspiration for Houston travelers.

Travelers on the hunt for the ultimate summer adventure outside of H-Town can head down Austin for a Father's Day barbecue showdown, leap to the coast for a restaurant takeover at a Galveston hotel, or say hello to Maisie the Highland cow at a new farm retreat in Jewett, Texas.

Here are CultureMap's top picks for a June vacation around Texas.

Around Texas

As summer arrives and gas prices remain high, fuel-conscious Texas travelers can book their next road trip with transportation startup Shutto, which recently launched new routes connecting major cities like Dallas, Austin, Houston Galleria, and The Woodlands. Each route includes a pit stop at Buc-ee's — a quintessential road trip moment — and travelers can also book private, customizable trips beyond the scheduled routes. Fares start at $87 per person to Austin and $97 per person to Houston, and trips can be booked online.

Central Texas and the Hill Country

The historic Faust Hotel in New Braunfels has finally completed its thoughtful restoration and reopened its doors for Hill Country travelers. All 45 guest rooms and 15 deluxe suites have been updated with king beds, custom vanities, 55-inch streaming televisions, retro Frigidaire mini-fridges, and much more. The hotel's new signature restaurant, Wilhelm & Werner, mixes Texas and European culinary influences with dishes like an "apple strudel" of foie gras and pork, saffron tagliatelle with Gulf shrimp, and poulet rôti with a savory bread pudding. Nightly rates at the Faust Hotel begin at $215 in June.

Faust Hotel New Braunfels The revamped Faust Hotel blends the property's historic bones with new furnishings. Photo by Jason Risner

A Gonzales County wellness retreat is celebrating its one-year anniversary with a roster of new services, events, workshops , and more to come later this year. Ottine Mineral Springs is now offering private Watsu experiences, a massage performed in the mineral pools by licensed therapists before the general public arrives. The oasis will soon offer poolside cabana rentals, and open a climate-controlled indoor lounge and soaking space. Guests can book day passes (starting at $65), events, and spa services online. Reservations are required.

Limestone Fields, a new farm retreat on Lake Limestone in Jewett, is now accepting reservations for stays on its 16-acre property that sits along Lake Limestone. Guests are welcome to explore the expansive area, which also includes a working farm with chickens, ducks, and two Scottish Highland cows. Limestone Fields hosts 10 furnished cabins with front decks that overlook a pond and back decks that open to the lake. Stays start at $200 a night and usually have a two-night minimum. Prices vary with seasonality.

Maisie the Scottish Highland cow at Limestone Fields Maisie is a miniature Highland cow that lives on the farm.Photo by Ashley Estave

Texas trade organization Texas Hill Country Wineries is offering a new way to experience its participating wineries' vintages with a new Barrels & Bites weekend event pass running from June 12-14. During the weekend, passholders can visit up to four wineries each day for winemaker-led experiences including elevated tastings or curated food and wine pairings. New this year is the Grand Tasting event at Ron Yates in Johnson City on Friday night from 5-7 pm, where passholders and single-ticket holders can try samples from 21 different wineries. Individual passes are $175, couples passes are $300, and single tickets for the Grand Tasting are $35 per person.

Austin

Adventurers can take their barbecue-loving dads for a smoke-filled weekend at Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin for Father's Day weekend from June 19-20. The resort will host its second annual barbecue festival, Smoke: A Celebration of Fire and Flavor, bringing together the most prolific pitmasters and acclaimed restaurants for two days of live-fire cooking and live entertainment. The weekend kicks off with a VIP dinner experience on Friday featuring a multicourse meal of elevated barbecue dishes from chefs, and the barbecue showdown will commence Saturday with an open-air tasting event, live music, and a fireworks finale. Weekend bundle passes are $479 per person, with single admission tickets available for each day of the festival.

San Antonio

Magik Theatre, a beloved San Antonio children's performing arts center, is getting ready to for its grand reopening after months of renovations with a celebration party and a performance of The Very Hungry Caterpillar starting Saturday, June 13. The reopening party will feature a ribbon-cutting at Hemisfair Park, plus children's activities, a live DJ, and more. The Party in the Park is free to the public. Tickets for The Very Hungry Caterpillar, which will run until August 2, range from $26.50-$33.50 per person.

On the Gulf Coast

Galveston's seaside refuge Hotel Lucine is hosting the third annual Bludorn by The Sea dining series from June 12-13. Acclaimed Houston chef Aaron Bludorn will stage a two-night takeover of the hotel's on-site restaurant, The Fancy, with a raw bar pop-up from 4-7 pm, and elaborate four-course dinners planned each night. A Courtyard Party will precede Saturday's dinner from 12-3 pm with a yakitori-style grill-out and live music. Dinner reservations for Friday and Saturday ($95 per person) can be booked via OpenTable, and visitors are encouraged to book a stay at the hotel for the weekend.

Dallas-Fort Worth

June brings the arrival of World Cup season, and one Dallas-Fort Worth hotel is making its debut just in time to welcome FIFA fans from all over the world. The retro Caravan Court Hotel in Arlington will open at 205 N. Collins St. on June 1, less than a mile away from AT&T Stadium. The hotel offers 143 luxuriously appointed guest rooms, an in-house restaurant, martini bar, and a rooftop lounge. Room rates begin at $109 per night in June.

Photo courtesy of Texas Hill Country Wineries

The Barrels & Bites pass offers Hill Country wine lovers upscale tasting experiences or curated food and wine pairings.

Hotel Vin in Grapevine has launched a new "Route 66 Pit Stop" package in celebration of the iconic roadway's 100th anniversary. The package includes an Americana snack basket, Texas wine flight, disposable camera for capturing the journey, and grab-and-go breakfast for the road. Guests can also visit “The Vin Pit Stop" Lounge at WineYard Grille + Bar, the hotel's al fresco dining concept, for light bites, road trip-inspired specialty cocktail flights and Texas wine. Nightly rates for the "Route 66 Pit Stop" package start at $419.

travel texas vacation galveston grapevine hotels resorts hill country central texas festivals