On Thanksgiving Morning, Seacrest's Stretch of 30A Belongs to the 30A 10K

The 30A 10K gets billed as a Rosemary Beach race because the start and finish line sits at Barrett Square. On Thursday, November 26, Scenic Highway 30A is closed to all traffic from 7:00 to 10:30 a.m. The closure starts at East Water Street in Rosemary Beach and runs west to the 10K turnaround at Bridge Lane, just east of The Big Chill. That stretch is Seacrest's stretch of the road. Packet pickup, the turnaround, the Camp Creek Lake water station and most of the marshal posts all sit along it. For anyone with a Seacrest address, Thanksgiving week is planned around the race, starting the day before.

The Course Map, Read as a Street List

The race's 2026 volunteer page shows exactly where the course meets the neighborhood. It lists course marshal posts from 6:30 to 9:30 a.m. at W Water St, Geoff Wilder Ln, Seacrest Village, High Pointe, Seacrest Beach, Sunset Beach, the fun run turn, Alys, Sand Cliffs and Watersound Parkway, Seacrest Dr, Clareon Dr, Seabreeze Ct, Pelican Cir at Seabreeze, Camp Creek Rd N, and the 10K turnaround. A separate volunteer slot staffs the turnaround water station at Camp Creek Lake.

Each of those posts sits where a side street meets the course, the kind of junction a car would normally use to pull onto 30A. Rosemary Beach has the starting line. Seacrest has the side streets.

The 5K also has a leg off the highway. According to the official course maps page, Watersound Parkway is closed from its intersection with 30A north to the Camp Creek Inn entrance for the 5K route. That road usually takes traffic up toward Highway 98, so on race morning the closure reaches the main route north as well.

Thursday, Hour by Hour

The race schedule splits the morning into two waves, and that split explains why the closure runs past 10:00.

1. 7:00 a.m. 30A closes to all traffic between East Water Street and Bridge Lane.
2. 7:30 a.m. The 10K starts promptly at Barrett Square.
3. 7:35 a.m. The 1-mile fun run follows right behind it.
4. 9:30 a.m. The 5K starts, putting a second field on the course.
5. 10:30 a.m. The published closure window ends.

A 9:30 start for the 5K means the road stays busy until near the end of the window. That shapes the rest of the day. For Seacrest, Thanksgiving errands on 30A really start late in the morning.

The Day Before Happens in Seacrest, Too

Pickup is the race's first stop, and it isn't in Rosemary Beach. Packets are handed out Wednesday, November 25, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at The Big Chill, which the race FAQ notes was formerly The Hub, at 7000 E County Hwy 30A. There is no packet pickup on race day and no race-day registration.

The same building is also on the Thanksgiving dinner circuit. The Big Chill 30A takes online orders for house-smoked turkey, traditional sides and pies, as full family meals or à la carte. Pickup is Wednesday, November 25, or Thanksgiving morning, according to the SoWal Thanksgiving roundup. The Big Chill sits next to the 10K turnaround on the closed stretch, and 30A there stays closed to traffic until 10:30 a.m. Thursday. Picking up on Wednesday, while you're there for packets, keeps the meal off the race-morning road.

Registering From Next Door

On publish day, registration is still open through the official race page:

Registration opened June 3, and organizers say they expect the races to sell out, so they encourage early sign-up. The 10K is open to ages 6 and up.

Compare that with the other Thanksgiving-week race in South Walton. According to the SoWal roundup, the 5th Annual Sandestin Turkey Trot runs Sunday, November 22, at Baytowne Marina, with registration starting at $40 and proceeds going to the Sandestin Foundation for Kids. The 30A race costs more, and it also lands on the holiday itself, on the road outside Seacrest's front doors.

Where the Entry Fees Go

The race is produced by The 30A 10K Inc., a not-for-profit organization that gives its race profits to four local charities chosen each year. Its charity partners page calls 2026 the race's 15th year and says it has donated $1 million to nonprofit organizations. The 2026 partners are:

• Children in Crisis, which provides safe homes and stability for children affected by abuse, abandonment and neglect, and keeps siblings together whenever possible
• Bailey Brigade, which supports cancer patients and families with financial help, transportation and care packages during treatment
• Habitat for Humanity of Walton County, including its support for the new Teresa Lane neighborhood project in DeFuniak Springs
• Children's Volunteer Health Network, which provides healthcare and mobile dental services for children in Walton and Okaloosa counties at no cost to families in need

If you'd rather work the race than run it, the volunteer page lists course marshal shifts at the Seacrest intersections, plus the Camp Creek Lake water station. Volunteers check in at W Long Green.

Getting In From Outside the Neighborhood

For relatives driving in that morning, the FAQ says parking is limited. Anyone parking on the north side of Highway 98 at 30Avenue and walking into Rosemary Beach is asked to use the underground walking path. That path leads to the start and finish line. A guest heading to a Seacrest house will find 30A closed until the window ends, so the easiest plan is a late-morning arrival time.

After the Road Reopens

The holiday meal schedules line up neatly with the race. LaCo, at 10343 E County Hwy 30A in Seacrest, brings back its Traditional Thanksgiving Buffet from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, November 26, half an hour after the published closure ends. According to SoWal, Chef Tim and the team will serve roasted turkey with gravy, honey-glazed ham, fried Gulf shrimp, mac and cheese and cornbread dressing, with pumpkin pie, pecan pie and chocolate chip cookies for dessert. The buffet costs $64.50 per adult and $29.50 per child under 12. Children 3 and under eat free with a paying adult. LaCo encourages reservations and takes walk-ins as space allows.

If you're cooking at home, the same SoWal roundup lists two to-go deadlines that fall before race day:

• Edward's, 66 Main St. in Rosemary Beach, takes orders for oven-roasted turkey breast or honey-baked ham with sides and pies until 3 p.m. Sunday, November 22, or while supplies last. Pickup is 2 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, November 25.
• Shades Bar & Grill, 10952 E County Hwy 30A in Inlet Beach, sells house-smoked turkeys of 14 to 16 pounds that feed up to six, with a quart of giblet gravy, for $80 plus tax. Preorders are due Monday, November 23, or while supplies last. Pickup is November 24 and 25, between 11 a.m. and midnight.

Both Wednesday pickup windows fall on the same day as packet pickup at The Big Chill. One loop along 30A on Wednesday can cover race packets and dinner before the road closes Thursday.

Friday Moves Next Door to Alys Beach

The day after Thanksgiving, the public calendar moves a few minutes east to the Alys Beach Amphitheatre. The Thanksgiving Turkey Burn, a full-body HIIT circuit led by ZUMA's head fitness professional, runs from 9 to 10 a.m. on Friday, November 27, for $20. That afternoon, Alys in Winter Wonderland fills the same amphitheatre from 4 to 6:30 p.m. with cookie decorating at $3 per set, letters to Santa and holiday photos. Both are listed as public events on the Alys Beach events calendar.

Whether you're running the 10K, staffing a marshal post on Seabreeze Ct or just timing the drive to LaCo, The Richards Group knows this stretch of 30A one street at a time. If race week has you thinking about a place of your own along the course, Allison Richards is glad to talk. Elevate your 30A experience by connecting with Allison Richards.