Our Trip to Rosemary Beach Florida

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Jamie

Our Family Spring Break in Rosemary Beach: Traditions, Planning & Favorite Finds

We’ve been going to Rosemary Beach for a couple of years now during spring break, it continues to be one of our favorite trips as a family. With school schedules, Easter timing, and having four kids—three littles and a teenager—it’s a trip that fits our life in the best way. And being there over Easter has become one of our favorite traditions.

Where We Stay and Why We Love It

Rosemary Beach is very much a vacation rental destination, so if you’re traveling with kids, I highly recommend renting a home versus staying at one of the few hotels nearby. For the past two years, we’ve stayed in the same house—right near the kids’ playground—and it has been amazing. The kids can come and go, play freely, and we’re still just a short walk to the beach. That combination of convenience and space makes such a difference with a larger family.

Planning Ahead (A Must for Spring Break)

There’s quite a bit of planning that goes into making this trip feel seamless—especially with a lot of mouths to feed. I like to get ahead of as much as I can. If we’re traveling in April, I start making reservations in February. And trust me… you’ll want to.

Where We Eat

Easter Brunch at Pescado

This has become one of our favorite traditions. We’ve done Easter brunch at Pescado for the past two years, and it’s always a highlight. It’s a rooftop setting with beautiful Gulf views, live music, and a set menu. Reservations fill up almost immediately when they’re released, so you really have to stay on top of it—check often and be ready to book.

Favorite Dinner Spots

Two restaurants we always recommend:

  • Citizen
  • Restaurant Paradis

This year, we made one adults-only reservation at Restaurant Paradis, which is my husband’s favorite. The food, service, and overall experience are just hard to beat—and they make an amazing blue cheese olive martini.

Why We Love Drop-Off Meals

For most of our dinners, I actually prefer using local drop-off meal services.

Spring break gets busy, restaurants are limited, and after a full beach day, the last thing we want is to wait somewhere with tired kids.

These services are a game changer—you come home, everyone showers, puts on cozy clothes, and you have an elevated dinner ready to go.

A few tips:

  • Do a taco bar the first night (easy and everyone’s happy)
  • Mix in something fun like Habachi or sushi at the house (we did sushi this year and it was a huge hit)

I’ll link the companies we’ve used below.

One of My Favorite Mom Hacks: 30A Arrange

This is hands-down one of my favorite parts of the trip.

30A Arrange does your grocery shopping and fully organizes the house before you arrive. Walking into a stocked, set-up home after traveling with kids is honestly the best feeling. This was our second year using them, and I won’t do this trip without it.

30A Oyster Party (So Fun)

We also did the 30A Oyster party again this year, and it’s always such a fun experience. They come to your house, set everything up, and it turns into a full experience for friends and family. Even if not everyone loves oysters, it’s still such a good time.

What We Book in Advance

Bikes

We always rent from Bamboo Bicycle and have them delivered and picked up from the house. Having bikes makes the entire trip feel more like the full 30A experience.

Beach Chairs

We’ve done this both ways:

  • Renting chairs ourselves
  • Using the Rosemary Beach chair service

And after trying both, we will always choose the chair service. Having your chairs set up every single day without rushing down early to claim a spot is 100% worth it if you can swing it.

Packing Tips

Packing for 30A is a little different than a typical resort stay. Depending on your rental, you may need:

  • Towels
  • Beach toys
  • Extra essentials I get on grocery order such as pull ups etc.

I use vacuum seal bags to save space (linked on Amazon list), and I also have an Amazon packing list with all of our beach must-haves.Amazon Shopping List Beach Essentials

Our Favorite Morning Tradition

One of our favorite things to do is bike to Raw & Juicy in the morning. It’s definitely gotten more popular (and more crowded), but it’s still worth it.

  • Great avocado toast
  • Fun cocktails (yes, even in the morning)
  • A park where the kids can play

We used to love “The Addy” cocktail its like a orange creamsicle (they can still make it if you ask), but honestly you can’t go wrong with anything on their menu.

Easter in Rosemary Beach

Easter here is something special. We always start with the church service, and I highly recommend sending someone early to set up blankets and chairs—it fills up quickly.Right after the service is the Easter egg hunt, which my kids absolutely love.

Don’t Miss the Weekly Events

If you’re going during Easter week, make sure to check the Rosemary Beach website ahead of time.

They always have a full schedule of events like:

  • Hat making
  • Belt bag making
  • Movies
  • Face painting

Most of these are free, and they do such a great job creating a fun, family-friendly environment—you just have to know what’s going on ahead of time.

Final Thoughts

This trip has become more than just a vacation for us—it’s a tradition. It’s easy, it’s beautiful, and it gives us the chance to slow down and really enjoy time together as a family. And honestly, we’re already looking forward to next year.

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