Grayton Beach(Grayton Beach State Park)

Located near the community of Santa Rosa Beach, Grayton Beach is a mile-long beach with white sand.  It is part of Grayton Beach State Park.  Travel+Leisure magazine has listed it as one of the best beaches in Florida, and Lonely Planet magazine has listed it as one of the best beaches in the United States.  It is also a favorite of Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach.  Because of its cleanliness, it has received a Blue Wave certification. 

The beach is open between 8 am and sunset.

Although Grayton Beach does not have lifeguards, the beach and the area around it have many other amenities including a boat ramp, a nearby boardwalk, picnic areas, barbecue areas, restrooms, drinking water facilities, watersports equipment rental facilities, and walking trails.  Dogs are not allowed here.

Grayton Beach offers many fun activities including hiking, camping, biking, sunbathing, beachcombing, fishing, swimming, bodysurfing, boogie boarding, snorkeling, scuba diving, paddle boarding, boating, jet-skiing, kayaking, canoeing, surf-skiing, and wildlife watching. 

The water here is ideal for beginner swimmers because the water here is mostly calm, clear, and shallow.  Scuba divers visit here to explore an underwater collection of public artworks that is known as the Underwater Museum of Art.  There is also a collection of reefs near the beach named Sea Turtle Reef Grayton Beach State Park that resembles a sea turtle.  If you are planning to swim, kayak, or canoe near the beach, we recommend being careful because the water here is known to have unpredictable rip currents and dangerous waves.  In addition, the water here can also have lower visibility after rains.

This beach is also a popular fishing site.  If you like taking Grayton Beach State Park photos with beautiful views, Grayton Beach offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of the Florida Panhandle shoreline and the Gulf of Mexico, particularly during sunsets and sunrise.  If you like birdwatching, you can see many kinds of shorebirds here.  If you like camping, there is a campground near the beach that accommodates both RVs and tents.  In addition, this state park also offers accommodation in cabins – if you are planning for a fun Grayton Beach State Park camping experience, you can visit Grayton Beach State Park’s webpage on the Florida State Parks’ website for more information.

Grayton Beach State Park offers a vibrant landscape with many interesting habitats including marshes, flatwoods, sand dunes, and scrub – you can explore this vibrant landscape through hiking and biking trails.  This state park also has multiple coastal dune lakes and one of these dune lakes is the largest of its kind in the Florida Panhandle region. 

Grayton Beach offers wheelchair-friendly mobility mats for visitors with disabilities.  In addition, it also offers a beach wheelchair for disabled visitors – you can contact the local authorities by phone at (850) 267-8300 for booking a beach wheelchair.

Getting to Grayton Beach is easy – the entrance for Grayton Beach State Park is located near 357 Main Park Road and there are multiple free parking lots nearby.  Please note that you need to pay a fee for entering this state park – the fee is $5 per vehicle, $4 for a vehicle with a single occupant, and $2 for pedestrians.

The beach's name – Grayton Beach – comes from a nearby township that is also named Grayton Beach. This township was named after a United States Army major and local settler named Charles T. Gray.  The beach was opened to the public in 1968. In addition, sea turtles use this beach as a seasonal nesting site in the summer.

There are many attractions near Grayton Beach within a 20-minute drive.  Deer Lake State Park is a state park with a rare coastal dune lake and a beach named Deer Lake State Park Beach.  Deer Lake State Park also offers many fun activities, including wildlife watching, fishing, swimming, hiking, and picnicking – it also has many rare plant species.  Eden Gardens State Park is a state park that has a historic house named the Wesley House, and it also has beautiful gardens – the state park offers many fun activities, including biking, horse riding, camping, and picnicking.  Camp Helen State Park is a state park that has a beach named , and it offers many other things to explore, including a lake and historical buildings from the early 20th century.  This state park offers many fun activities including wildlife watching, swimming, picnicking, hiking, and fishing.  

Topsail Hill Preserve State Park is a state park that has a beach named Topsail Hill Preserve State Park Beach and it has a vibrant landscape consisting of many habitats including scrublands, dunes, wetlands, and pine forests – this state park also offers many activities including fishing, kayaking, canoeing, camping, wildlife watching, and swimming.  If you are looking for another attraction near the beach, Point Washington State Forest is a 15,131-acre forest that has many interesting habitats including coastal scrub, swamplands, and pine flatwoods – this forest also offers many fun activities including hiking, camping, biking, and seasonal hunting.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Grayton Beach within a 20-minute-drive.  Chiringo offers a variety of delicious Latin American-inspired dishes including tacos, chicken wings, sandwiches, and hot dogs.  Bud & Alley's Waterfront Restaurant and Rooftop Bar offers amazing coastal Southern-style dishes including gumbo, seafood, shrimp-and-grits, and burger, along with amazing pizzas and tacos.  The Great Southern Cafe offers amazing Southern-style dishes with International culinary influences for lunch and dinner including steaks, salads, seafood, sandwiches, eggs, and pancakes.  Chanticleer Eatery offers a variety of delicious dishes for lunch and dinner including sandwiches, pastas, Southern-style dishes, seafood, and soups.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby restaurant, Wild Bill’s Beach Dogs is known for serving excellent hot dogs, along with amazing pretzels, fries, and mac-and-cheese.

If you are looking for a hotel near Grayton Beach, there are many great nearby options.  The 4-Star Watercolor Inn offers many amenities including multiple pools, a beach club, multiple restaurants, and a fitness center.  The 4-Star Pearl Hotel is another upscale hotel that offers many amenities including a restaurant, a pool, complimentary beach chairs, bikes, and beach umbrellas, and a spa.  Another upscale hotel is the 4-Star Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa within a 25-minute drive that offers many amenities including a spa, multiple pools and hot tubs, multiple restaurants and bars, poolside cabanas, watersports equipment rental facilities, and poolside market.  A more affordable hotel is the Redfish Village that offers many amenities including multiple pools, a playground, a boardwalk, a lake, a fitness center, a library, a theater, multiple pools, and seasonal beach chair and rental services.  If you are looking for a nearby hotel, the Hibiscus Coffee & Guesthouse offers many amenities including a cafe, a garden, and complimentary breakfast.