About

“Seaside is that warm breeze that gently stirs the chimes on the front porch,” – Co-founder of Seaside, Florida, Daryl Rose Davis.

Seaside is hard to encapsulate in a single category. It is much more than a beachside community or a collective of vacation rental homes. More than a physical place, Seaside embodies a way of life inspired by the notion that architecture and design should be used to enable people to live in community and have access to walk and move freely while respecting the environment around them.

Here, leisure is more than a one-time adventure; instead, it is experiencing the world at an intuitive pace while reconnecting to the small and simple pleasures life has to offer.

People return to Seaside year after year for a reason, not just for the sugar-white beaches but for how effortless life feels here.

Seaside’s idyllic and thoughtful construction is the vision of its co-founders. Alabama native Robert Davis inherited the property from his grandfather in 1978.

Davis and his partner Daryl Rose developed this natural beauty into the world’s first New Urbanist town.

Today, Seaside’s 300-plus homes, restaurants, shops, and galleries serve our ever-evolving community.

Learn more about our history.

J.S. Smolian at 1946 in Seaside, Florida

1946

J.S. Smolian

In 1946, on a summer pilgrimage to the shore, J.S. Smolian purchased 80 acres of land next to Seagrove Beach. He intended to build a summer camp there for his employees.
While his plan never came to fruition, Mr. Smolian held onto the land, and continued to bring his family there every summer, including his grandson, Robert Davis.

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Robert Davis with his wife in 1970 at Seaside, Florida

1970s

Robert Davis

Robert Davis grew up to become an award-winning builder and developer in Miami during the 1970’s. There, he met a child psychologist named Daryl Rose and the two fell in love. They relocated to Grayton Beach to begin a new development on the land Robert’s grandfather had purchased many years before.

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The First Cottages In 1983 at Seaside, Florida

1981

The First Cottages

While making plans for his grandfather’s property, Robert Davis naturally thought about the small cabins his family had stayed in during their beachside summer vacations. These simple cottages enhanced the sensual pleasure of life by the sea, and were well adapted to the climate. In addition, since they were built with wood and other time-tested materials, they could last generations.

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The Red Pontiac in 1985 at Seaside Florida

1985

The Red Pontiac

The Davises asked Miami architects Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk to help them plan their community of ‘cracker shacks.’ Realizing that the project would require much research, the architects made a number of journeys through the South, and especially through Florida, with cameras, sketch pads, and tape measures. They were often joined by the Davises in their red Pontiac convertible.

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New “Old” Town at Seaside Florida

Today

New “Old” Town

In the course of their considerable on the ground research, one fact became clear to the architects: the traditional houses they sought to recreate could only be found in small towns. Mr. Duany and Ms. Plater-Zyberk set their sights on the exciting and ambitious goal of building on the property a new ‘old town.’

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Construction Begins at Seaside

1981

Construction Begins

Construction on Seaside began in 1981. Since the success of the project was far from certain, the Davises decided to start small, with two houses and a single street. They also built one pavilion at the end of this street, to serve as a gateway to the sea and a symbol of the neighborhood’s sharing of the beach.

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Southern Living in 1984 at Seaside

1984

Southern Living

Seaside’s initial sales were encouraging, helped along by positive write ups in the press. Many saw that, as the first new town built in decades, Seaside could help guide future patterns of urban and suburban growth. In 1984 Southern Living published a four page article on Seaside, and the attention that followed was a turning point for the burgeoning development.

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Charles Monica today at Seaside Florida

1984 - Present

The Seaside Story Continues

From 1984 onward, Seaside has steadily grown into the town its founders hoped it would be. More than that however, it has grown into a community, and the heart of the South Walton region. Today, Seaside’s story is continued by the passionate people living and working there, and by the thousands of families who visit every year.

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Happy family riding bikes in Seaside

Seaside was designed to encourage people to walk and be outdoors. Inspired by small towns across Europe and America, Seaside’s urban elements make walking and biking more convenient than driving, while its outdoor architecture provides space for collective life.

And, even though summers in Seaside are unforgettable, we’ve evolved into an all-year destination offering entertainment for all ages, award-winning shopping, culinary experiences, and, most importantly, a wholesome quality of life to our community and visitors.

Download the seaside code

 

 

Urban Elements

Seaside is walkable, easy to navigate, and enjoyable. 

Our streets reflect a design that’s universal among small towns across Europe and the U.S. 

Homes with front porches draped with native vegetation, front lawns grown without sod, here exists an aesthetic you can only find in this corner of Florida. 

Come take a stroll, have a look around, and discover what makes this New Urbanist community special.



Homes in the Seaside community in Florida
Homes in the Seaside community separated by a pathway and vegetation in Florida

Streets

Stretch your legs. Feel the sun. And let your intuition lead the way.

Our streets’ narrow design promotes slow driving and safety for walkers. These brick-paved roads are both charming and comfortable, while white-sand footpaths connect our cottages with the town. 

Seaside’s design intends for you to enjoy your walk no matter where you’re headed.

Seaside´s neighborhood
Tupelo Street at Seaside, Florida

Town Center

Seaside’s Central Square was pivotal to its original design. 

You immediately become part of our community when you come to Seaside, and this is where you will connect with our culture. 

Come check out the town’s best shopping and dining, all within a five-minute walk of all residences and Seaside’s  hotel, The Court. 

Seaside´s Town Center
Town Center of Seaside

Houses

Gain inspiration from the residences of Seaside. Homes here are unique to one another while sharing some defining neighborhood commonalities. 

Using only indigenous materials and sharing in local architectural traditions, the homes of Seaside parallel one another in a regionally specific architectural style.

Seaside, FL Davis front porch
Seaside, FL homes | doors of Seaside

Landscaping

Welcome to a place where your neighbor’s lawn is also yours. 

Seaside features only native plants and is designed to be environmentally friendly and sustainable.

Seaside stays green without underground irrigation, herbicides, or intrusive lawnmowers.

Seaside, FL streets of the beach
Seaside, FL homes | streets

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