Grayton Beach access honors Bets “Beachmama” Haynes while reminding Walton County that public access has always been something worth protecting.

This week, Walton County celebrated the opening of the Bets “Beachmama” Haynes Regional Beach Access in Grayton Beach. If you’ve spent any time at Grayton Beach over the years, you know this isn’t a new beach access. Locals and visitors have been using it for decades as one of Grayton Beach’s most popular pathways to the Gulf.

What’s new is a thoughtfully designed upgrade that finally brings long-requested amenities to a place the community already knows well.

The upgraded facility now includes public restrooms, rinse showers, a boardwalk, a 360-degree observation deck, access to the Beach Tram, and an information station sharing the history of the Grayton Beach community. And let’s be honest. While the observation deck is impressive, the bathrooms may be the most celebrated addition of all.

Anyone who has spent a long day on the beach at Grayton understands the challenge. When nature called, your options were limited. More than a few beachgoers have been grateful for the nearby hospitality of Red Bar, as much for its restrooms as its live music and legendary menu.

The new facilities solve a problem that locals have been talking about for years.

But this story is about more than convenience.

Long before terms like customary use became part of public debate, this coastline was shaped by residents who organized and spoke up for access. In the 1970s and 1980s, those efforts helped preserve what is now Grayton Beach State Park, keeping large stretches of shoreline from becoming something entirely different.

Bets “Beachmama” Haynes was part of that story. Her grassroots advocacy helped convince the State of Florida to purchase and preserve nearly 900 acres of coastal land in 1985, protecting what would become Grayton Beach State Park.

Her legacy is not just about saving land. It is about keeping access open so people can continue to experience it.

In a place where conversations about beach access surfaces in everyday life her legacy feels very current.

The upgraded access at Hotz Avenue does not change Grayton Beach.

It just makes it easier to get there, stay a little longer, and not have to plan your entire day around one very important logistical question.

Need to Know
Location: 44 Hotz Ave., Grayton Beach
Features: Observation deck, restrooms, rinse showers, boardwalk, beach tram access, and local history station
Funding & Maintenance: Walton County Tourist Development Tax (bed tax)
More info: waltoncountyfltourism.com/projects/

And while we’re celebrating upgrades, we’d like to recognize Red Bar for its years of community service in a role never listed on the menu. They know what they did.