I first walked through Seaside in 1994 — before The Truman Show, before it was internationally known. Here is what has always made it remarkable.
The architecture — a genuine original
Seaside was designed in the 1980s by Andrés Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk as an experiment in new urbanism — walkable, human-scale, architecturally distinctive, centered on a town square rather than a parking lot. The pastel colors, picket fences, and mixed-use design were unlike anything else being built on the Gulf Coast. When I first visited, it felt like stumbling into a secret town.
The Truman Show
The town became internationally famous when it was used as the filming location for The Truman Show in 1998. Seaside’s perfection — too tidy, too beautiful, too planned — made it the ideal stand-in for a paradise in a bubble. That film still sends people here. The town looks almost exactly the same as it did on screen.
Airstream Row and the food trucks
Seaside’s central commons area is lined with vintage Airstream trailers turned into food vendors. This has become one of the most photographed spots on 30A. Graze, Shrimp and Grits, and Frost Bites are perennial favorites among them.
Walking distance from Leeward Unit 2
Seaside is 15-20 minutes on foot from our condo, or 5 minutes by bike on the Timpoochee Trail. You can be in Seaside for dinner and back on the beach for sunset without getting in your car. That proximity is one of the major advantages of staying in Seagrove.
Seagrove vs. Seaside · About Seagrove Beach · The full 30A guide