Day trips from Nashville · Beach
Blue Mountain Beach
450 miles from downtown Nashville · about 7.5 to 8.5 hours
Walton County, FL, the western end of 30A at the CR-83 intersection
Blue Mountain Beach is the first 30A town you reach coming down US-331 and the easiest one to park in, which is not a small thing on this road. It was homesteaded in 1910 by three families and never had a developer or a master plan, and at sixty five feet it is the highest ground in South Walton.
- Distance
- About 450 miles. Closest 30A town to the US-331 junction
- Time zone
- Central, same as Nashville. All of Walton County is
- Parking
- Free at both regional accesses, and a free tram serves them
- Why the name
- Native blue lupine on the high dunes, which reads blue from the water
Permits, fees and access
This is the best free parking on 30A. Blue Mountain Regional Access has twenty spaces and Gulfview Heights has twenty two, both free, and the free Blue Mountain Local tram connects them to the CR-393 Park and Ride every thirty minutes from 10am to 7pm. Ed Walline access at Gulf Place, 4447 West 30A, has thirty nine free spaces with pavilions, grills, restrooms and rinse showers. Note the distinction that trips people up: the Ed Walline lot is free, but the CR-393 Park and Ride that feeds it became a paid lot on April 3, 2026. One more thing worth knowing: Blue Mountain Beach has twenty parcels covered by the October 2024 customary use ruling, more than any other community on 30A, which means more of the private dry sand here is legally open for sitting than anywhere else on the road.
Things to do in Blue Mountain Beach
Addresses, hours and prices as published by each operator in August 18, 2026. Hours and prices move, so check before you go.
Blue Mountain Regional Beach Access
2365 South County Highway 83. Twenty spaces and restrooms. Free.
Gulfview Heights Regional Beach Access
186 Gulfview Heights Street. Twenty two spaces and restrooms. Free.
Topsail Hill Preserve State Park
7525 West County Highway 30A. $6 per vehicle, 8am to sunset. Three miles of beach across 1,600 acres, three rare coastal dune lakes, more than ten miles of trails and a tram down to the sand. Protects thirteen imperiled species including the Choctawhatchee beach mouse.
Big Redfish Lake
A coastal dune lake right in town. Coastal dune lakes exist in only a handful of places on earth and Walton County has fifteen of them. Paddleboard and bike access.
Timpoochee Trail
The paved path that runs about eighteen to nineteen miles along 30A from Dune Allen to Inlet Beach. Free. In July it is genuinely faster than driving. Big Daddy’s Bike Shop rents here.
Where to eat
Local Catch Bar and Grill at 3711 West County Highway 30A, wings and daily catch with regular live music. Basmati’s at 3295 West 30A, Asian and sushi with local seafood. Red Fish Taco at 2052 West 30A in Red Fish Village, tortillas made daily and free parking. Cowgirl Kitchen Market and Cafe at 2252 West 30A. Blue Mountain Beach Creamery at 2129 South CR-83, handmade ice cream out of a converted cottage.
Justin Gaffrey Gallery and Padgett Park
The gallery is a landmark on 30A here. Padgett Park has a playground and water features.
One thing to know first
Twenty and twenty two spaces fill early on a July morning, so this is an arrive-before-nine proposition or a tram proposition. See the shared Walton County rules under Miramar Beach for the transitory zone, the double red flag fine and the ordinances on tents, grills and glass. Two Walton specifics for visitors: dog permits and beach driving permits are available only to county property owners and permanent residents, so a Tennessee family cannot legally bring a dog onto the beach here.
Access rules, fees and closures verified August 18, 2026 against the agency that manages this place. They change, sometimes without notice. Check before you drive.
The neighborhoods closest to it
If this is the kind of Saturday you want a short drive from your front door, these are the parts of Middle Tennessee that put you nearest to it.
I keep this list because it is genuinely how people spend weekends here, and because almost every guide to it is out of date. If you are weighing a move to Middle Tennessee and want to know which part of it puts you closest to the things you actually like, ask me. No pitch.