Rosemary Beach Bachelorette Weekend (30A)

If you’re looking for the most relaxing, wholesome, and fun bachelorette party itinerary, then visit the 30A, Rosemary Beach area! We had the weekend of our lives and I can’t wait to share everything we did. Think of this like your TikTok saved videos, all compiled into one post! 🌊🥂

The cutest beach town

Ever since we got engaged, I’ve been looking forward to wedding planning AND bachelorette planning. I know that not every bride wants to be involved with planning their bachelorette weekend, as wedding planning is already a lot.

But, after one of the best weekends of my life, it was well worth the time I put into plan one of the most fabulous girls trips for me and my best gals. The 30a area is all over my #fyp on TikTok and for a good reason – it is the perfect place! On our flight down to coastal paradise, there were 6 other bachelorette parties ON THE PLANE!!

The area is so cute and quaint. We saw numerous other bride tribes, babymooners, and retirees with golden retrievers (and not much in between).

Getting to 30A (Rosemary, Santa Rosa Beach, Alys Beach & Seacrest Beach)

The closest airport is Panama City Beach Airport (ECP), but it’s pretty expensive to fly in/out of, and not a ton of direct flights. Destin Airport is another option to get to the Florida panhandle and it’s roughly 50 minutes away. If your group is up for it, fly into Atlanta and rent a car to finish the trip. It’s roughly a 5 hour drive from Hartsfield Jackson International Airport (ATL).

A friend who had her wedding in Rosemary Beach gave me this tip: if you see a flight that is moderately priced, snag it! They never go down in price! And after tracking prices for about 6 months, I can tell you that I agree.

I wish I would have purchased right before the new year (late December). The trip was the first weekend of May. Flights were fluctuating between $390-$490. We ended up booking mid January for a steep price of $690 per ticket.

Do you need a car to get around?

Short answer: it depends on your preference, but if you’re over 25, I would strongly encourage having one because it just makes getting around so much easier.

I rented one mini van for our group of 15 ladies. Because everything is walking distance once you arrive to Rosemary Beach, one car worked for us. I didn’t want to worry about Ubering to the grocery store or our scheduled pilates class.

After visiting, it’s important to note that Taxi’s are MUCH more common and very reliable. Most girls (who didn’t fly in the same time as me/my mini van) paid a taxi. It was roughly $60 + tip to get to Rosemary. Ubers ranged from $120-$180 for a 30 minute trip (surge of bachelorettes arriving ((I’m not kidding)).

The taxi drivers also shared their cards so ladies who were departing early Sunday morning scheduled the same driver to take them back. It worked out really well. A shuttle service that I looked into but didn’t use: Premium Taxi, Airport & Limo Service (30a).

We used the minivan to go to TreadFormer30A (the pilates/tread workout class) that was 10 mins from our house. Not every girl booked it though so the mini van worked.

The only venture requiring wheels was to the Pickleball Courts in Seaside. We had 2 ubers and though we ended up getting there, there were a few that cancelled on us before. Give yourself plenty of flex time if you plan on utilizing rideshare options.

Best time of the year to visit

Peak season is February through June as the weather is beautiful. Fall can be rainy and is hurricane season. Summer is off season so you’ll experience less crowds than during peak season. We went Cinco De Mayo Weekend and it was ABSOLUTELY PERFECT (are you tired of me saying that yet?). We had full sun and 80 degrees every day.

You never know with the weather though. One of my friends had her bachelorette party two weekends after me in the same spot and they experienced a lot of flood warning/thunderstorms. Because it’s northern Florida, it takes longer to heat up!

Where to stay in 30A?

I wasn’t familiar with the 30A area, but after visiting, I can tell you that Seacrest, Alys, and Rosemary beach are all so close to each other. It is all walking distance. You’ll have beach access wherever your rental is. They are pretty strict about beach access if you are not in the area though, so be sure you pick a property that is in the location you want!

Our Model home Beach Rental

I booked a STUNNING house in the heart of Rosemary beach (seriously, location was PERFECT). It said it slept 14, but we slept 15 in it comfortably. If you wanted, you could sleep up to 16, as there are 2 twin sofa sleepers upstairs not accounted for.

I booked via VRBO but the house itself is a 360 Blue house. The rental came out to be $400/girl for 3 nights. You get what you pay for as we didn’t have to do any clean up of the house when leaving, just remove the trash. Another friend had her Rosemary Beach bachelorette party in a 360 Blue rental earlier in the year and they said similar things. Unforgettable experience and wide selection of properties in an ideal location!

Courtney’s note: this property is great because it’s a true rental property. Contactless check-in, no contacting the hosts (unless you have an issue), and everything you need is in the house. It has my highest recommendation.

About 30a Beaches and Beach Access

Our house rental had beach passes that we had to show upon entering and exiting the beach. There really isn’t a way to get to the beach without going through a gated attendant.

But, Inlet beach is a public beach that is adjacent to Rosemary Beach. We walked there for our sunset dinner picnic and it was beautiful! **Note: it was about a mile walk one way. It appears much closer when looking at a 2d map (lol).

Things to do at the Beach

• as Ken would say, BEACH! The beach is free to use and probably the reason why you’ve picked this area. We went for sunset views Thursday evening, walked the beach again on Friday to/from our beach picnic, and then Saturday we were there for ~1.5 hours swimming in the ocean and chilling.
• Rent Chairs/Beach Bonfire: It’s very common to rent Beach Chairs and/or chairs for a beach bonfire. There are a variety of companies you can use. Just make sure that YOU have access to the beach where the chairs are set up!
• Boat Rental: I looked into rental boats for afternoon, but with a large group of 15 ladies, we’d need 2 and that’s less fun (and more expensive). If you have under 12 in your group, try reaching out to 30a Boat Rental (850.655.8540) or The Rental Shop 30a where they have multiple options for boat/yacht charters. 
• Lounge, play games in the sand, swim in the refreshing water, and soak up the sun!

30A Restaurant Recommendations

There are so many fabulous options when it comes to food in the 30A area. I’m already plotting my next trip so I can try more of the food scene. While we went to fast-casual brunch Fri/Sat/Sun, we didn’t sit down at any restaurants with the full group.

I wanted to be really intentional with everyone’s time and eating out with 15 is a challenge. If we had a smaller group, I’d consider one nice dinner out.

Truly, I consumed numerous hours of TikToks absorbing restaurant recommendations. Here are some highly regarded places:

• Raw & Juicy: coffee bar, fast-casual breakfast menu, juices and bar. It’s probably the first place you saw recommended and for a good reason. We walked here Friday morning and Sunday Morning. It was a lively atmosphere and I LOVED the Avocado Toast and Iced Coffee.
• Fonville Press: Another fast-casual spot that serves all meals. It’s trendy, pink, and the ideal spot. We walked here Saturday morning for brunch before our PICKLEBALL Tournament and it was tasty. If you only go to one, we liked Raw & Juicy food a little bit better.
• Drinks on the street: La Crema tapas, a strolling bar in the area
• George’s is a great place for lunch. All of the food was incredible and great vibes all around. We went Thursday upon arriving to town.
• Everyone recommends Bud & Alley’s but this is actually in Seaside that is about 15 minutes north of 30A.
• The Gallion and Pescado 30A are other highly regarded recommendations.
• Mr. Hibachi – the hibachi experience is having a *moment* right now and for a good reason. We loved our experience! Important note: they expect the tip to be the full suggested amount.

Have a place you love here? Leave a comment on the post and I’ll update this list with more good food!

You can’t go to Rosemary Beach without popping into the famous Pearl Hotel. Whether you grab a drink upstairs with the panoramic views of the ocean or stay there, it definitely should be on your list!

If you don’t already follow @loverlygrey on Instagram, she is one of my favorite follows as she has a vacation rental in Rosemary Beach and includes an extensive list of her favorite spots in the area in her 30A instagram stories highlight.

Looking for night life?

30A has strict noise policies and curfew hours, so pop over to AJ’s in Grayton Beach to dance the night away. Because our group was so large (and let’s be honest, I just wanted to play games at our house rental), we stayed in. I’ve heard that a lot of bachelorette parties visit so you’ll be sure to run into other brides celebrating.

Decor & Accessories for the weekend

I don’t know how people planned wedding festivities before Amazon and Etsy. There are SO many good things to select from. I packed a suitcase as a designated decor package. I’m linking my favorites from the weekend: 

• Ring Float & Pool Floats: it’s almost required that you have something for people to float on. These were easy to blow up and cute! We spent a lot of time in the pool and these were ideal.
• ‘Bride’ Balloons: easy to assemble and tasteful
• Custom Koozies & Cups: I thought we’d need both. Everyone used the Koozies! And the bridesmaids bachelorette party cups were great for a mixed welcome drink.
• Plastic Champagne Flutes & drink stirrers: customize them with a picture of the groom or the bride’s pet.
• Signage: I can’t link the two signs, but my sisters made 2 beautiful posters on Canva and had them printed for the weekend. A pickleball tournament poster and a pajama and prosecco poster to accessorize the house. They made pictures SO cohesive! I also made a lot of printables for the bar area that I printed at Fedex on cardstock (I’m a sucker for a them if it’s not obvious hahah).

Custom Crewnecks

My bachelorette crew LOVED these! And truly, so much better than a cheesy tshirt you’ll never wear again. I designed a logo on Canva and then sent it to a local screen printing place to make these wonderful crewnecks for my ladies and I hope it’ll be one of the most used bachelorette party gifts for years to come.

If you’re in Metro Detroit, Albert at Metro Detroit Screen Printing is wonderful to work with! He has multiple brand name lines and color selections. I wanted comfort colors so we printed the color I selected. To compare, when I plugged the design into CustomInk, it was $60/crewneck EACH. Albert charged me $24/crewneck and I picked them up (they may ship, I’m not sure!)

What’s in the bride’s bag

I posted all of my bridal looks on my LikeToKnowIT so be sure to check those out. Here were some of my favorite pieces:

• Matching Satin Pajama Tank and Shorts – by FAR the most complimented set I purchased. I tried on a lot of PJs that were meh. These are worth the price. I wear a small in top and bottom.
• Signature “Bride” things that I loved and used: Cursive Straw, Cowboy Hat, and Crewneck.
• Things that I bought with the intention to wear again: White Athletic Dress, White Workout Tank, White Alo White Hat, Beautiful White Floral Coverup.
• LIQUIDIV – (use code APOP to save) these electrolyte packets are the best thing to pack for any girls weekend trip. Especially for long days in the sun, keep everyone cool and hydrated by having these on hand. My favorite flavors: Golden Cherry or Concord Grape.

Things to do on a Beach Bachelorette Party

• as Ken would say, BEACH! The white sandy beaches are free and probably the reason why you’ve picked this area. We went for sunset Thursday evening, walked the beach again on Friday to/from our beach picnic, and then Saturday we were there for ~1.5 hours swimming in the ocean and chilling. It’s very common to rent Beach Chairs and/or chairs for a bonfire.
• Boat Rental: I looked into renting a boat for afternoon, but with 15 ladies, we’d need 2 and that’s less fun (and more expensive). If you have under 12 in your group, try reaching out to 30a Boat Rental company (850.655.8540) or The Rental Shop 30a.
• I’ve outlined our entire itinerary below! We walked, talked, worked out, went to sunsets, played various games, pooled, beached, relaxed, had hibachi night, and then some. It was one of the best weekends ever!
• But if you’re looking for OTHER activities than listed above, my sister’s organized a pickleball tournament one morning and we did a local workout class another day!

Our weekend Itinerary

I always find it helpful when other’s type out their scheduled itinerary (similar to my Ultimate Bachelorette Charleston Bachelorette Party post). This is incredibly detailed, but truly, it made all of the difference. There was relaxing downtime in between, but no one was bored.

Spending time with my sisters, cousins, and best friends is something I cherish. I really wanted everyone to be present and minimal screentime (it sounds silly until you attend other bachelorette trips and you notice that if there isn’t enough planned, gals just lounge around on their phones.) People can always ask to sit out of something or do less if you give them MORE to work with 🙂

Thursday

We didn’t have much scheduled this day as everyone was arriving at different times. There were 7 of us who arrived around 11am in Rosemary and we went straight to lunch: George’s. It was absolutely wonderful. Sat on the desk, fresh breeze, and tasty food. I was worried about crowds as they don’t take reservations and it’s a very popular spot.

After we were well fed, we drove to the rental to check it out. Checkin time was scheduled for 4pm and on all of the checkin emails, they made it very clear that it was not a minute beforehand.

By 1:30pm we were hot and stuck with all of our luggage. Some girls stayed at the house on the patio with the bags while others walked around town. By 2:45pm, one of my friend’s just tried the door code and it opened. THANK GOODNESS! Not only did it allow us to get the decorations set up, but then the girls could go grocery shopping.

We tag teamed set up decor/unpack/grocery shop between 9 ladies and it flew by! By 5pm, we were ready for a cocktail!

Thursday evening consisted of a taco bowl/salad bar for dinner (highly recommend because it’s so easy and everyone can build it how they want to). We had cocktails while dipping our feet in the pool and then played Midnight Taboo before bed. Super chill way to end the evening before kicking off a FULL day Friday!

Friday

One of two FULL days of fun! We woke up and some started our day at TreadFormer30a, a pilates and treadmill workout class about 8 minutes from the house rental.

After the workout, we came back home (some changed), met up with the other gals, and we walked ~0.8 miles to breakfast at Raw & Juicy. Enjoyed coffee, breakfast, and conversation. Walk back to the rental (can also walk into town to shop and explore).

POOL TIME! Time to crack a cold one and start the darty!! We changed into our suits, took our fair share of photos, and got after it. Spent the afternoon at the house in the full sunshine, playing rounds of flip cup, stack up, and eating APOP snacks (shout out Spicy Corn Feta Dip and Avocado Crack dip)!! My gals also made rounds of margaritas and served them in the custom cups.

As the evening approached, we showered, changed into our ‘Spritz’ outfits (pinks, oranges, and reds). Some girls walked to get the pizza (Pizza by the Sea) and the others met them there. Tip: just get delivery to the beach. I mention this later on, but it was a far-ish walk (~1.3 miles/one way on the beach).

My sweet fiance picked up the pizza tab. The girls who walked with the pizza and salads said it was a lot. Set up delivery or have Salty Girls Beach Set Up organize it if possible. They did a beautiful job with our luxury beach picnic set up. So easy to use and you just show up! We bought 6 bottles of rose through them and 2 small floral bouquets.

Walked back after sunset on the beach, changed into pjs, and played more games to conclude Friday night. I also gave all of the ladies their gift bags for the weekend! Shout out to my sister Meghan who organized ‘How well does the Bride know the Groom’. She put together a whole presentation with questions and recorded Jack’s responses in video format. And my sister Lily led a raunchy Kahoot game that everyone loved! I felt so loved from all of my best girls.

Saturday

Two of two full days and what a day we had!! Started our morning off with another walk down to brunch. This time we went to Fonville Press and enjoyed a lovely breakfast with constant chatter.

We walked back to the house and prepped for our organized PICKLEBALL TOURNAMENT! Friday night, we drew random matching sweatbands out of a bag to indicate our partner. We played at Seaside Pickle Courts. Tracy is the person of contact and you text her to reserve courts. Pay when you arrive. Note: there is MINIMAL parking in Seaside. Give yourself at least 30 minutes to arrive and find parking (especially in peak season).

We had two courts so 8 ladies playing at a time. One hour of “pool play”, timed games (8 minute), noting score incase needed for a tie breaker. Then moved teams into bracket play for the championship. Congrats to cousin Maddie and my sis-in-law Savannah for bringing the trophy home! **See notes about getting to pickleball courts in car section.

Some ladies grabbed a bite to eat in town on our way back to Rosemary. Others ate leftover taco stuff from Thursday night. Because of our very active morning, we took a second to energize before heading down to the beautiful beach.

Brought some cocktails and caught waves in the ocean for an hour or so. We felt like kids. Walked down only with towels, everyone was in the water because it was so hot and the water was warmly refreshing.

Once we got back to the house, it was time to get ready for dinner. While showers were going, others started cleaning up the house. This was our ‘Wedding Blues’ night where everyone wore a blue outfit.

Mr. Hibachi was a rockstar and SO entertaining. I cannot recommend having a dinner experience like this for a large group. It’s delicious and enjoyable.

Saturday night we played more games. If you’re familiar with the ‘Plastic Wrap’ game, usually played around the holidays, I brought that. I stuffed it with fun girlie things like thongs, shooters, Starbucks gift cards, little shooters, make up accessories, etc.

It was a loose theme of PJS & Prosecco. We danced and screamed to sing alongs from childhood favorites like Hannah Montana and Taylor Swift. I wrote each friend a thank you note and distributed them after they generously brought gifts for me. Ended the night with a few too many shooters from the plastic wrap ball game and a exploding heart.

Sunday

Departure day! Everyone left at different times. We were on a noon flight out so we had time to walk to Raw & Juicy again, grab a fabulous bite to eat before walking back to the house, packing up and departing for the airport.

I can’t even illustrate how fabulous the weekend is. As I write this a few weeks after the fact, I’m just so grateful for all of my closest friends making this trip possible. It was packed with deep laughs, genuine smiles, and so much love. Cheers to my best girls and the weekend! It will forever hold a special place in my heart.

Planning 101 & what I would change

My General rule of thumb is to have one scheduled activity per day to keep the group entertained, but not tired! For me, I had at least three things planned on Friday and Saturday and everyone RAVED about it! We love some structure and organized trips.

Overall, I would do this trip again in the same way (shocker, I planned it 😉). The ONLY thing I would change would be to have the Hibachi Private Chef come on Friday evening because we had a lot of leftovers and didn’t get to enjoy those due to departure Sunday morning. If we were to go out, I would plan it for Friday night after we had dinner on the beach.

The Theme: Last Toast on the Coast

Ahh, deciding on a theme. This is going to be pretty dependent on the bride, but you can’t go wrong with ‘Last Toast on the Coast’. It’s simple, tasteful, and can be as creative as needed. This comes into play when you’re deciding on an area to visit. If you’re reading this post, chances are you’ve already decided on a beach bachelorette trip.

I’ve been to my fair share of destination bachelorette parties with a theme. Including “Glamping” in Zion National Park, “Mama Mia” in Charleston, South Carolina, and a more casual one in Traverse City (Northern Michigan).

This fall, I’m headed to Cabo San Lucas and we’re going with “Margs & Matrimony”. We went to Cabo last March and I’ve been itching to get back. I’m obsessed with the area!

A few other ideas I entertained for my bachelorette celebration:

• Margs & Matrimony
• Coastal Cowgirl
• Bikinis and Martinis
• She’s tying the knot (bow themed)
• Last Sail before the Vail

Each Guest received an itinerary in the mail

I designed these on Canva and mailed them to each girl attending. I think it’s so much fun to receive mail and I wanted to give everyone a plan of what was happening. If you want the link to the file, I’m happy to share it with you. Just comment on this post and I’ll email it to you!

How much did the weekend cost?

It’s always helpful when a breakdown of costs is included. I’ll preface it with Rosemary isn’t the most cost effective option (but I’d argue that most bachelorette destinations aren’t). If the bride selects the location, (in my opinion) she also needs to be okay with not everyone attending as it’s hard to accommodate everyone’s phases of life.

Each attendee spent roughly ~$800 for the weekend plus their flight cost (which ranged from $500-$800). I broke the amount into 4 payments which made the cost easier on everyone.

Here’s a rough idea of what the payment structure looked like:

• October 2023: 1st payment to secure spot ($275) — 2/3rds of house rental
• January 2024: 2nd payment ($225) — dinner excursions booked
• March 2024: 3rd payment ($165) — decor and remaining rental
• May 2024: 4th payment due POST weekend ($78) — outstanding costs like groceries, pickleball court rental, and misc spend.

Costs that girls covered in addition to the outlined above:

• Taxi to/from ECP airport (the mini-van was a cost divided by everyone as it was super cheap ~$25/person and used for the group as needed)
• Workout Class ($30/person) booked two weeks in advance
• Morning coffees & brunch ($20/each morning)

More Places to Explore

This trip was SO fun for me to plan simply because it was my bachelorette trip (makes it extra special). I hope it’s clear how wonderful and perfectly executed this trip was and I can assure you Rosemary is on the top of my list when it comes to vacas to repeat!!

I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. It’s my passion to share about traveling that can aid your experience or be shared with others. Let me know if you have any questions; happy to answer them below! Safe travels XO Courtney Paige