History

Seaside, FL is an unincorporated master-planned community, located directly on Northwest Florida’s acclaimed sugar-white sand beaches in South Walton County on Scenic Highway 30A, between Destin and Panama City Beach. Founded in 1981 by Robert and Daryl Davis and designed by architects Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, Seaside, FL is the much-heralded birthplace of New Urbanism, a movement in town planning that emphasizes a revival of compact, walkable, mixed-use communities as an answer to sprawl and disconnected suburbia.

Situated on 80 acres, this community is a pedestrian-scaled beach town with more than 300 homes and over 50 specialty retail shops, restaurants and eateries. Seaside, FL is designed so that life’s daily needs are within a short stroll or a bicycle ride away. Cottage Rental Agency is the original rental company for the town, started by its founder. Since 1986 Cottage Rental Agency has served as the premier provider of Seaside, FL beach cottages and luxury homes. Feedback from our guests almost always includes the comment, “We parked our car and never used it again until we left!”

Seaside, FL features a thriving downtown including civic, cultural and educational institutions, an artist colony, a public charter school, an inter-faith chapel, a repertory theater and The Seaside Institute. The town rose to global fame as the main filming location of the movie The Truman Show (1998), featuring actor Jim Carrey. In fact, location fees from the filming of the movie were donated to build the school.

As a beloved vacation destination, Seaside, FL has earned another place in history. For 35 years, families have escaped hectic workaday worlds to spend time in this peaceful place. Annual trips to the beach have created cherished memories in the histories of thousands of families each year.

Fun Facts

  • No two houses on the same street have the same picket fence.
  • None of Seaside, FL’s homes have grass lawns to reduce the use of pesticides and prevent noisy mowers.
  • Robert and Daryl Davis married at the Tupelo Street gazebo in 1983.
  • The Seaside Post Office is possibly the most photographed post office in America.
  • Every night the bell rings at Bud & Alley’s to mark the official time of sunset and the end of another great day.
  • There are nine pavilions, each designed by a different architect, each marks the entrance to the beach.
  • Seaside, FL’s footpaths were designed by architectural theorist Leon Krier, inspired by London suburb Hampton Gardens
  • Seaside is a prominent topic in architectural schools, is visited by design professionals from throughout the United States, and is included in the American Institute of Architects (Florida chapter) list of Florida Architecture: 100 Years 100 Places.
  • Cottage Rental Agency is the largest provider of vacation rentals in Seaside, FL with the highest guest satisfaction and most amenities offered.