Nature

Come out and join beach loving locals for the Ocean Conservancy’s 2017 International Coastal Cleanup on Saturday, September 16, 2017. We can all help keep South Walton's beaches clean and pristine! This year, several efforts are underway on the beach, in parks and along bay shores. It's easy to get involved, there is no age limit or special skills required. Supplies and water to be provided to all volunteers.

Meeting a sea turtle up close is a powerful experience.

They're beautiful and graceful in the water, and they're so darn cute, with big eyes and a permanent smile. They're curious about people and seem to want to connect, waving their large flippers when a person comes close. When you get the rare chance to be face to face, you feel an emotional bond right away.

SoWal hikers, bikers, and equestrians are thankful that the McQuage Bayou Trail is once again open for business.

Formerly used primarily by equestrians (horizontal posts still exist for tying up ol’ Trigger), the newly improved trail was officially re-opened with a Florida Forest Service event July 21, 2017.

On the east side of South Walton just east of Inlet Beach, turn off Highway 98 and through the gate of Camp Helen State Park and be amazed how fast you go from freeway frenzy to total tranquility.

As people make plans to go to the beach for the Independence Day holiday, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is reminding the public to help protect beach-nesting shorebirds and sea turtles by giving them space and keeping personal fireworks off the beach. Please respect shorebird and sea turtle areas that are posted to protect these vulnerable species, but remember not all nests are posted.

The Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County (CAA) in partnership with the South Walton Artificial Reef Association (SWARA) will join two of SoWal's most beloved attractions - the arts and the Gulf of Mexico - by creating The Underwater Museum of Art (UMA), North America's first underwater permanent sculpture exhibit. The project has support from the National Endowment For The Arts.

Grayton Beach State Park has showcased the best natural environment South Walton has to offer for nearly 50 years. 

The park encompasses 2,200 acres of pristine rolling dunes along the Gulf and Western Lake, and a magnificent coastal forest habitat with unusual scrub oaks and magnolias twisted by winds and time. Western Lake is the centerpiece of the park, one of our rare, freshwater coastal dune lakes.