• What to know if you go

PAULA CROUCH THRASHER /Staff (ENLARGE)

A sailboat on Western Lake plies the calm water near the WaterColor community. The area, along with Seaside, is undergoing a housing boom with construction of multimillion-dollar homes.

PAULA CROUCH THRASHER/Staff (ENLARGE)

Watching the sunset from Bud & AlleyÕs Tarpon Club in Seaside is a good way to end a pleasant autumn day in the Florida Panhandle.

PAULA CROUCH THRASHER/Staff (ENLARGE)

With so many destination spots in the resort area, a handy navigational tool just might do the trick to get you on your way.

PAULA CROUCH THRASHER/Staff (ENLARGE)

The funky Red Bar, a popular Grayton Beach hangout, is housed inside an old general store almost hidden by shrubs.

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Beaches of South Walton, Fla. — Ask anyone who's spent October on the Florida Panhandle, and they'll tell you it's their favorite month.

As the crowds thin out, the southerly migrating monarch butterflies arrive by the thousands. The weather moderates, but the gulf is still warm enough for a dip.

Lodging rates take a tumble from summer highs. Purple lupine blooms in waves along the roadside. Redfish are running.

Majestic bald eagles soar against azure skies as they return to their nests in trees along the Choctawhatchee River and its estuaries.

Indications of autumn

Another sure sign: They're talkin' football at the Red Bar in Grayton Beach, and hooting and hollering for their favorite college team Saturday afternoons at the Beach Grille at WaterColor Inn.

And while no one is likely to plan a leaf peeping trip to northwest Florida to see glorious fall foliage, by late this month, tinges of red and gold can be seen on sweet gum, tupelo gum, black gum and maple trees.

"You don't have to go to Maine," quips Walton County native Truett Senterfitt, who takes visitors on nature tours of the Choctawhatchee River (although he admits to having taken a fall honeymoon trip to New England last year).

"Oh, yeah," he says. "We get color. The first thing that turns red in the fall is poison ivy, and the swamps are full of it."

This is, in many ways, the best time of year to pay a visit to the 14 communities of Beaches of South Walton — which stretch east from Seascape to Inlet along 26 miles of Florida Gulf Coast edged by protected dunes covered in sea oats and scrub.

Series of events

To celebrate the season, there's even an event called Autumn Tides, a series of festivals, concerts and cultural events that runs from September through December.

Artist Alison Tanner, an Alabama transplant who has lived in the area for 2 1/2 years, loves autumn. Let her count the ways: "The heat is gone. The humidity is gone. The dragonflies come out. The smell of the ocean. The sunset. In fall and winter, it sets right over the water. And the shells start showing up. You hardly see any shells in the summertime."

Tanner — who, along with her Lhasa apso Puddin' Pie, was minding the store at Big Mama's Hula Girl Gallery in Santa Rosa Beach, where her art is displayed — says fall's a great time to enjoy the outdoor nightspots, "where people sit under tiki huts and listen to local music."

Even though fall has a dark side — hurricane season — the Gulf Coast has been spared so far this year. The silky white sand beaches and undulating dunes of 30-A have been restored to their pre-Hurricane Ivan beauty two years after the storm eroded the coast. Dune walkovers have been rebuilt.

Ask 'Dr. Beach'

For the sixth year, the communities and state parks of the Beaches of South Walton were awarded the Blue Wave Certification by the Clean Beaches Council. "Beachologist" Stephen Leatherman (aka "Dr. Beach") ranked Grayton Beach tops among America's Best Beaches in 1994, excluding it from subsequent surveys.

While the pace is slower now, construction takes no holiday as building continues on the 256-acre St. Joe residential and resort development of WaterSound — established as the area's 14th community this year. A 56-room boutique inn, Hotel Saba, is rising in the heart of Rosemary Beach, where — like at Seaside and WaterColor — the housing boom continues with scores of multimillion-dollar homes under construction.

Meanwhile, the community of Alys Beach between Seaside and Rosemary Beach is well under way, with its distinctive architecture melding Spanish and English styles in a dazzling palette of white stucco walls and white ridged roofs.

What isn't being built is what was never here: mini-golf complexes, beachwear emporiums and tattoo and piercing parlors that are ubiquitous in other resort areas along the Panhandle.

Folks here browse through specialty shops and art galleries or indulge themselves at spas such as InnSpa at WaterColor Inn, Solace in Rosemary Beach or Serenity by the Sea at the Hilton Sandestin. They bicycle along miles of paved paths and through state parks or kayak in the remarkable coastal dune lakes. On pleasantly cool nights, they spread a picnic blanket for an outdoor concert at Seaside or Sandestin.

And it's hard to beat spending a few hours with a native like Senterfitt, who'll bring you up to speed on the natural amenities of the region. As we navigate the Choctawhatchee River in a fishing boat, Senterfitt talks about the function of cypress knees, how yaupon holly berries feed migrating robins and how early settlers used the little balls on button bushes as, well, buttons. He points out kingfishers, purple martins and "mullet rolling around out there."

A little local lore

He also regales us with the tale of how Neill McLennan brought a group of Scottish settlers from South Carolina to the area in 1819 "in search of fertile soil and rich valleys" suitable for farming. They were befriended by Euchee Indian Chief Sam Story, who was interested in trade.

They found their farmland, but by 1832 "undesirables" moved into the area, destroying wildlife and starting forest fires.

"Both Neill and Sam decided it was best to leave," says Senterfitt. The McLennans resettled in Texas, while the Euchees tracked south to the coast. Story died before his tribe embarked in canoes from Sam Story's Landing on the Choctawhatchee River, heading toward Pensacola in 1831. He is buried near the site.

But the "fertile soil and rich valleys" that sweep from north Walton south toward the coast remain, drawing 21st-century settlers in search of their dreams on the Panhandle.

IF YOU GO

Take I-85 south to I-185 south and continue toward Columbus. Merge onto U.S. 80 west at Exit 10 toward Phenix City, Ala.; merge onto U.S. 280 east/U.S. 431 south, then take the U.S. 431/Ala. 1 south ramp south toward Eufaula, where you'll take the U.S. 231 bypass (Ross Clark Circle), then continue on U.S. 231 south to I-10. Travel west to U.S. 331 (Exit 85) toward Freeport and follow signs for U.S. 331 through town. At U.S. 98, turn left (east) then right (south) on County Road 283, ending at Grayton Beach. From there, you can travel east or west on Scenic Highway 30-A, depending on your destination. To reach Sandestin, Miramar Beach or Seascape, continue west on U.S. 98.

Where to stay

WaterColor Inn: This waterfront inn is the top-rated accommodation in the area, having just been named No. 7 in Travel+Leisure magazine's America's best hotels, No. 36 in the world's best hotels and T+L Family's No. 1 family resort. The inn, which opened in 1999, was designed by noted architect David Rockwell to fit into the dune-lined coast. The bright lime shutters, sculptural metal seagrass accent at the entrance (a motif that reappears throughout the inn), curving lines and skeletal-looking wood beams on the exterior give the inn a distinctive look.

Service is top-notch: The unfailingly attentive staff greets you by your first name and leaves a hand-signed note along with a treat at turndown ("We hope you enjoy your cookies, Tim and Dianne") and are always asking what they can do for you.

Amenities include pools, tennis facilities, a marina where guests can use kayaks and canoes at no charge and free use of bicycles. There's fine dining at Fish Out of Water at the inn, the grill at the inn's Beach Club next to the rooftop pool, family dining at the more casual BaitHouse next to the marina. In the Town Center, you'll find light fare at the Market, coffee at Starbucks and a wine bar at Ceruleans, an art gallery and gift shop.

Massages, body treatments, facials and nail services are offered at the intimate InnSpa. The 500-acre resort also offers 150 vacation homes for rent.

Special activities are planned for Halloween, Thanksgiving and the Christmas season. Fall rates from $300 through Nov. 4 (from $250 Nov. 5-Feb. 28). 1-866-426-2656, www.watercolorinn.com.

Another favorite: The gulf-front Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa is a great family option: right on the beach with rooms that feature nooks with a bunk bed. For an intimate and upscale dining experience, it's hard to beat the clubby Seagar's Prime Steaks & Seafood, which features an 800-bottle wine cellar. It's the only AAA four-diamond restaurant in northwest Florida. Other restaurants include Hadashi sushi bar, Sandcastles and Barefoot's Beachside Bar and Grill. The onsite Tranquility by the Sea Spa is one of the best in the state — or anywhere. 1-800-367-1271, www.sandestinbeachhilton.com.

Other options: Among the big resorts are Sandestin, Seaside and Rosemary Beach, plus rentals of condos and beach houses throughout the area. To search, www.beachesofsouthwalton.com and click on Accommodations.

On the smaller side: If you like the intimacy and personal attention of a bed-and-breakfast, consider Sugar Beach Inn just east of Seaside (850-231-1577, www.sugarbeachinn.com), Hibicus Coffee & Guesthouse in Grayton Beach (850-231-2733, www.hibiscusflorida.com), Josephine's French Country Inn in Seaside (850-231-1940, www.josephinesfl.com) and the Pensione at Rosemary Beach (850-231-1790, www.thepensione.com).

Information

Beaches of South Walton Tourism Development Council: 1-800-822-6877, www.beachesofsouthwalton.com.

SoWol.com: Online guide to the beaches along Scenic 30-A and the Emerald Coast. www.sowal.com.