There’s nothing worse than getting to the beach and realizing you carelessly forgot something such as sunscreen, sunglasses, a towel, or worse yet, water. As a long time local, I am always beach bag ready. But for visitors to the area, you might be seeking a few tips, and that goes for what to eat and drink too.
With an abundance of choices right at your fingertips for seated dining, Seaside is beach ready, too. I spoke to one family from Georgia sitting and enjoying the weather. They said, “We couldn’t decide on just one place, so we chose to sit together eating menu selections from Bud & Alley’s Pizza Bar, Taco Bar and Barefoot BBQ, and it was all delicious.”
The hot new way to stay cool on 30A is by sipping on a fresh-from-Florida coconut found at the Raw + Juicy Life store, across the street from Airstream Row. Keep it pure, or add a little sake to spice it up. When finished, crack it open and eat the coconut meat.
The Raw + Juicy store has many items to create a beach-ready bag, including the bag itself. Hand woven in Morocco with hay, the bags have a leather strap and are quite comfortable to carry. Make sure to add one (or three) of the incredible juices to your bag, like the Green Goddess, Meet the Queen, Chlorophyll Love Bomb, and the most recent Cold Brew Coffee + Brazil Nut Milk. These will not only regenerate your body’s cells after fun in the sun, but will also add back depleted minerals too. For food on the go, take along the bamboo utensils and palm biodegradable plates for easy clean up.
“We’ve always strived to be an educator in the community for natural and organic living,” says Raw + Juicy owner Jenifer Kuntz, who also founded the Seaside Farmers Market. Kuntz recommends the veggie-hummus wrap, or the Costa Rican bowl, perfect for those on the run or in a hurry to get back to the beach. “It is nourishing, satiating and loaded with organic brown rice, seasoned black beans, salsa fresco, avocado and a zesty squeeze of lime,” she says.
Kids visiting the area are notorious for loving handheld culinary items, and Wild Bill’s delicious hot dogs are a perfect option. In addition to being free of antibiotics, hormones, gluten, nitrates, fillers and other unimaginable curiosities, they can also be topped with a variety of delectable offerings, like grass-fed secret beef chili, grilled onions or sliced Kosher pickles. Another popular choice with those seeking beach bag snacks are the soft pretzels. A word of advice: the salted and unsalted varieties are a breeze to savor, but the delicious caramel drizzle or cheese choices may require a few more napkins.
A hat or visor, lip balm and good reading material are also
essential to most beach bags. But if you bring along a sand shovel for
the kids, please remember to fill up any holes you make before
departure, and leave only your footprints behind.
Susan Benton is a freelance food and travel writer, blogger, and the owner of 30AEATS.com where she shares her passion and her commitment to promoting local farmers, fishermen, chefs, artisans and restaurants along the Gulf Coast.