Before 30A gave rise to the white walls of Alys Beach, Lucian May and his family settled on the wild, undeveloped sands. While the landscape has changed, the place still holds family memories for decades.
Art is ingrained into the very fabric of Alys Beach. Learn how one of our most iconic pieces, the Leda mermaid sculpture, came to find her home in Arboleda Park.
An ambitious project from the start, the design of Caliza Pool makes it the most appealing place to spend a day by the water, comparable to none but the Gulf itself.
For most of Alys Beach’s twenty years, our Alys Gazette has been a voice for our community and a celebration of life defined as we’ve come to know it...
Thoughtfully developed from the beginning, the Town Center at Alys Beach has been—and continues to be—a reassuringly familiar public focal point for a growing and changing Alys Beach.
Founder of Alys Beach and son of Alys Stephens, Jim Stephens shares how his family came to purchase the land that would ultimately be developed into Alys Beach.
Our town is growing, and we are getting ready for the best summer yet. More houses have been completed, and now another venue joins Fonville Press and Caliza Pool as a place for friends, families, and neighbors to get together in Alys Beach.
Only months into its debut, Caliza Pool proves itself to be all that was promised and more. Having received widespread acclaim, residents and guests flock to experience its timeless design.
Within its twenty years, Alys Beach has imprinted upon the memories of all who have had the opportunity to experience the gracious beauty of the town.
"All of the architecture speaks back to the curvature that really takes us in our minds to the Gulf and all the natural elements that made us fall in love with Alys Beach..."
The Paper Bear team continues to work diligently, raising awareness around the native species and ecological systems of Northwest Florida.
BJ and Cliffy Beal, homeowners at Alys Beach, share their experience as supporters of Free Wheelchair Mission, a humanitarian, faith-based nonprofit that donates wheelchairs to people in need.
Susan Ferrier: An interior designer by trade, Susan Ferrier shares what inspires, delights, and informs the choices she makes to help craft interiors that are timeless, elegant, and unique.
Oliver, Leo, and Arthur are living the dream with days spent playing in the parks at Alys Beach, strolling to Fonville Press Market + Café, or hanging at home with their humans.
From farm to table, Chef Michael Sichel takes joy in what he is able to do in his role as chef at Raw & Juicy in Alys Beach.
Indulge in ZUMA Cafe’s newest smoothie, the Mint Chip, as we transition from the winter to spring months.
Alys Beach is pleased to announce Somersisle Terrace and The August, two unique ownership opportunities, both to release Spring 2024.
Lesly refers to healing in the sense of nature and beauty regenerating the soul, which in turn has made Alys Beach a place for literal healing as she undergoes treatment for a recurrence of cancer diagnosed in 2021.
“Longevity is so personal within the home. It has to be something that you have a memory of. It might be grandma’s china cabinet for some people; it could be a special chair. And quality, of course. Quality of everything.”
And over the past two and a half years, the couple's very loveable Cash has shown himself to be the kind of dog they never knew they needed.
Beauty—the act of creating it, of finding it within, of seeing it in the unexpected—can often be a profound implement of human growth.
David Harber is keenly aware of his work’s placement on the spectrum of light and time. It is from this place, that he creates sculpture that’s showcased throughout the world.
Alys Beach Crafted beneficiary, The Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County, endeavors to champion the arts in the local community.
Sitting in his workshop in the idyllic, rolling countryside of Oxfordshire, England, David Harber is keenly aware of his work’s placement on the spectrum of light and time through the ages.
Alys Beach homeowner and accomplished jewelry maker, Alizah Greenberg, brings new life to old things, discovering what has been within her all along.
The culinary program at Alys Beach has developed over the years alongside the thoughtfully planned community, becoming a true amenity offering that contributes to the town’s overall vision of New Urbanism.
When Bryan and Shannon Miles first visited Alys Beach in the summer of 2008, they fell in love with the promise the growing town held.
A young couple meets on a beautiful Florida beach. They drive 30A in an old Volkswagen, getting to know each other while exploring what was then untouched and rugged terrain.
As a fog sets in along the Gulf coastline, Mark Little walks out to the beach and drops to his knees in quiet contemplation. As if offering a prayer of thanksgiving for the sun peeking over the horizon, as if to let the day begin, Mark assembles his gear, preparing his camera to meet the water for the first time that morning.
Alys Beach’s Austin Doiron of NEAT visits the all-female tequila distilling operation, Leyenda de Mexico.
“People have been trying to understand dogs ever since the beginning of time. One never knows what they’ll do. You can read every day where a dog saved the life of a drowning child, or lay down his life for his master. Some people call this loyalty. I don’t. I may be wrong, but I call it love — the deepest kind of love.”
Thoughtful and intentional in each home she designs, Julia Starr Sanford has a vision for the future—her clients' in their homes as well as for her own next creative career move.
These four cocktails, crafted by the curators at NEAT, will entice you with a “fall-meets Florida” twist
Meet David Higgs, designer, furniture fabricator, home builder, sign maker, pie baker, a friend of Alys Beach since its inception.
Grab a pen, markers, and crayons, and dive into our coloring page full of swimming sea life. Add details of your own as you create an ocean scene that is unique and true to you!
Some of David Magee’ fondest recollections are of his young children, years ago, running along the white-sand beaches of the Florida Gulf Coast.
Fonville Press, the original coffee shop at Alys Beach and one of the first amenities on site for what was then a community in its infancy, was dearly missed after it closed in February of 2019.
Meet Susan Bohlert Smith and Bo Massey of Bohlert Massey Interiors, a mother-daughter design team making their mark in the community.
The spirit of Alys Beach is one of family, and we believe that our animals, our dogs, are as much a part of that family as any of us are.
From the longleaf pines to the lush grass lawns, Rip Thompson is building a community one plant at a time.
Deciding to move, exploring all the possibilities, and finding the right home at the right time usually requires a lot of soul searching along with a fair amount of patience.
In the heart of Alys Beach sits ZUMA Wellness Center, a state-of-the-art amenity that aims to make the mind-body connection feel effortless.
In the spirit of The 15th Annual Digital Graffitti, we invite you to paint the town red..and blue, and orange, and yellow, and more!
“What’s your sign?” A pivotal point of introduction, according to Steve Wagner. As an artist and avid astrologer, Steve is fully immersed in the mannerisms of the universe and its significance here on earth—in life and in art.
The Alys Gazette asked Alys Beach chefs Kevin Cavanaugh and Renato Falconi, and beverage manager at NEAT Bottle Shop and Tasting Room, Austin Doiron, to help prepare a menu for an unforgettable meal, one that is elevated but approachable and sure to inspire vibrant conversation.
Picture a Venn diagram. Circles, intersecting, each one with its own characteristics, each one contributing to a melding where they meet. There, in the overlap, is something entirely new. In that convergence of color... well, that’s where the magic is. John Colette, the new curator of Alys Beach’s Digital Graffiti, is a student of that overlap and the beauty found within it.
30A Wine Festival beneficiary, Children’s Volunteer Health Network, is changing lives by offering dental, vision, and mental healthcare for children in Northwest Florida.
There's something about a puppy. Something endearing, something that changes your heart in the way only a floppy-earned, bouncing baby dog can.
Tom knew early he would be an architect and seemed to have an understanding then that the pull of the field for him was not only the creativity and art of it, but also the relationship with clients, the exercising of inherent gifts, and the freedom of the lifestyle. Even then, he seemed attuned to the full picture.
“My mom always said that my grandfather was ‘a tinkerer.’ Everything he touched turned to gold—he just tinkered with it until it was perfect,” says Myra. Her grandfather was known in his small town and beyond for doing things well.
The Alys Gazette is excited to profile Erika Powell of Urban Grace Interiors. For years she has helped to build a narrative within each home she’s touched at Alys Beach, and she is the first in our Interior Designers of Alys Beach series.
Kick back and enjoy the rays from this summer's playlist. Sending good vibes from our beach house to yours.
Download a printable coloring book featuring the merchants of Alys Beach.
As an avid surfer, he’s watchful of the tidal routines—his body acquainted with the patterns of wave upon wave. As a musician, he holds deep within him an understanding of rhythm and beat, and the flow of music through a person’s being. And as a photographer, he encapsulates movement in a frame, a perfect balance of the beauty of nature and the human interpretation of it that results in magnificent, large-scale images of the ever-changing, always-moving coastal waters.
Inside the iconic, steepled butteries are stories told through art, namely a series of mosaic tiles created by artist Concetta Rothwell Morales.
It takes no time upon entering the home of Leslie, Jerry, Justine, and Brynley Todd to understand the adventurous nature of the lives they live.
Meet Charles Lawson, metal fabricator and artist in Freeport, Fl, and the latest in our Artists of Alys Beach feature series.
Their partnership is not an obvious one. But it is indeed a partnership. One formed of a balance of strengths and an open-minded give and take.
“Beach style tends to be casual and comfortable—as it should. But it should also feel special, elevated.”
“It was a struggle, but with some blessings, hard work and a little luck, we hit a point when we realize we needed to start thinking about giving back and doing what we can.”
Guests know they’ve encountered something special in the home of Glen Oxford and Rozanne Jackson from the moment they approach the entrance, an open tower reaching 25 feet at its apex.
Join us for a new series in the Alys Gazette, a study of the names of the homes of Alys and the stories of their owners.
We could all benefit from the warmth of the sunshine, the splashing on the Gulf, and a healthy dose of good music. Enjoy this upbeat, uplifting playlist from Alys Beach.
A drink that feels like the sunshine warming up the winter-laden earth, bringing sprouts to the surface and fresh fragrances into the breeze.
Three generations of a family with singularity of purpose have built a distinctive business and honed an ancient craft of architectural millwork.
Simplicity. Grace. Beauty. Balance. The invisible strings that pull all things together at Alys Beach, running through pedestrian paths and wrapped over rooftops and winding throughout each detail of Alys Beach.
Carefully curated and each an integral part of our Alys Beach community, these merchants share our vision of a life defined by community, joy, and beauty.
