From 7:00 to 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 26, Scenic Highway 30A will be closed to all traffic. The closed stretch runs from East Water Street in Rosemary Beach west to Bridge Lane. The 15th annual 30A 10K Thanksgiving Day Races start and finish at East Water Street. Nearly every holiday plan in town has to work around those three and a half hours. Turkey pickup, race packets and the drive to dinner all shift either to Wednesday or to after the road reopens.
Thanksgiving here starts on Wednesday afternoon. For a few hours on Thursday morning, Rosemary Beach is a town you get around on foot.
Three and a Half Hours Without a Highway
The 30A 10K race site lays out the closure in detail. Highway 30A closes at East Water Street, the start and finish line, and stays closed east to west as far as the 10K turnaround at Bridge Lane, just east of The Big Chill. Watersound Parkway also closes for the 5K, from its intersection with 30A north to the Camp Creek Inn entrance.
The races start in waves, so the road fills up over the morning:
- 7:30 a.m. 10K start
- 7:35 a.m. 1-Mile Fun Run start
- 9:30 a.m. 5K start, using the Watersound Parkway route
- 10:30 a.m. Scheduled end of the closure on 30A
The 5K starts two hours after the 10K, so traffic doesn't ease halfway through the morning. Watersound Parkway is in use until the end of the closure. For a household in Rosemary Beach, the simplest plan is to be wherever you want to be before 7:00 and stay there until the road reopens.
So the Errands Move to Wednesday
Two Wednesday deadlines decide whether Thursday morning goes smoothly.
- Edward's Fine Food & Wine takes Thanksgiving orders through Sunday, Nov. 22 at 3 p.m., or while supplies last. Pickup is Wednesday, Nov. 25, between 2 and 5 p.m., and you schedule your time slot when you order. Payment is due when you order, and all sales are final. You can order at 850-231-0550 or at the restaurant. The 2026 menu lists oven-roasted turkey breast at $25 per pound and honey-baked ham at $20 per pound.
- Race packet pickup is Wednesday, Nov. 25, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at The Big Chill. There is no packet pickup on race day. The Big Chill sits at the far end of the course, near the Bridge Lane turnaround. Anyone in the house who is running has to make that trip on Wednesday.
These windows overlap from 2 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday. A household that has both a runner and an Edward's order can handle both in one afternoon on 30A. Registration for the 1-Mile Fun Run closes Nov. 24 at 11:59 p.m., the day before packet pickup.
Barrett Square Gets the Finish
Awards and the post-race party are in Barrett Square. According to the organizers, participants get a DJ, local vendors, breakfast and a complimentary Mimosa and Bloody Mary bar. Every finisher gets a race shirt and a 30A 10K, 5K or 1-Mile Fun Run medal.
The field is stronger this year. The 30A 10K is the RRCA Florida State Championship 10K for 2026, so the RRCA will give its own awards to the overall male and female finishers, the 40+, 50+ and 60+ divisions, and adaptive male and female champions. The race already had a reputation outside the region. Its organizers note that Southern Living named it one of the top 10 turkey trots in the South.
The series is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and has raised more than $1 million for its charity partners to date. This year's registrations support four Walton County nonprofits:
- Children in Crisis
- Bailey Brigade
- Children's Volunteer Health Network
- Habitat for Humanity of Walton County
So even a resident who isn't running spends Thanksgiving morning close to a charity race finish line. The awards are in Barrett Square, the start is on East Water Street, and the course follows the highway along the edge of town.
The Tables Open Around the Closure
Three of the four Thanksgiving meals listed below start at 11 a.m., half an hour after the closure is scheduled to end. WaterColor LakeHouse starts its buffet at 10. Here are the meals confirmed for 2026 in and near Rosemary Beach:
| Where | Format | Hours on Nov. 26 | Pricing | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Havana Beach Bar & Grill, Rosemary Beach | Brunch buffet | 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. | $85++ adults, $45++ children 12 and under | Reservations required |
| Cuvee 30A, Inlet Beach | Thanksgiving dinner | 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. | $99.99 adults, $49.99 children under 10 | No turkey-to-go this year |
| Fish Out of Water, WaterColor | Turkey and dressing plates plus the à la carte menu | 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. | Not listed | No reservations, first come, first served |
| WaterColor LakeHouse, WaterColor | Buffet | 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Not listed | Reservations required |
Havana's buffet is the only one of these in Rosemary Beach, and it runs longest into the evening. It fills the Main Dining Room, the Hemingway Room and the Ballroom. The menu includes Thanksgiving classics, coastal dishes, a prime rib carving station and desserts. Reservations need a credit card. A $50 fee applies to cancellations within 72 hours of the event, and a 22% gratuity is added to every check. Since the buffet runs from 11 to 7, you can plan around the race, a nap or a late family arrival without feeling rushed.
The Pearl and Havana are coming into the holiday after a hard October. WJHG reported that The Pearl closed after Walton County's mandatory evacuation order for Hurricane Isaias, had minimal damage, and was welcoming guests back by that Sunday morning. General manager Kyle Davis told the station that most of the returning guests were there for fall break.
If you're bringing a meal home, the timing differs from the restaurant tables. Edward's pickup is on Wednesday, so a turkey from there is already in the house before the road closes.
The Square's Next Two Dates
Barrett Square hosts the finish on Thursday, and it will host the next two dates on the town calendar too.
As of late October, Rosemary Beach has not posted its 2026 Tree Lighting Ceremony. In 2025 it was on the Friday after Thanksgiving, from 6:00 to 6:30 p.m. in South Barrett Square, with Charles Dickens Carolers, Santa, the lighting itself and carriage rides. The Merchant Holiday Open House followed it the same evening, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. in Town Center, with holiday shopping and refreshments. If the town follows that pattern again, the race, the tree and the first holiday shopping evening would all happen within about 36 hours of each other, in Barrett Square and Town Center. Check the town's events page for the 2026 date before you invite guests for Friday.
The next confirmed date is Saturday, Dec. 5. The Rosemary Beach Holiday Tour of Homes runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Check-in is at North Barrett Square, and from there it's a self-guided walk through decorated homes along the town's streets and boardwalks. The Rosemary Beach Foundation organizes it as a charity event. The Foundation's Eventbrite listing calls this the eighth annual tour. Tickets start at $28.52 and are non-refundable.
The tour is the season's other big event on foot. Thanksgiving morning has runners on the closed highway, and nine days later visitors walk the town's streets and boardwalks between decorated homes. Both events are based in Barrett Square.
If you're hosting family in Rosemary Beach over Thanksgiving week and want help planning around the 30A closure, the Barrett Square finish or a Tour of Homes Saturday, The Morar Group is glad to share what we know about how this town handles its holidays. Text or Call Us to Start Your 30A Conversation.
