In Walton County, commerce is more than transaction—it is texture. The cafés, contractors, hoteliers, retailers, and nonprofits that line our streets and anchor our neighborhoods collectively shape the rhythm and reputation of this place we call home.
There are places where history doesn’t sit behind glass. It walks the sidewalk at dusk. It waits on shaded porches. It gathers—still—when given the right invitation.
Lake DeFuniak has always been one of those places.
Nearly perfectly round and improbably calm, the lake has long served as both compass and common ground for DeFuniak Springs. In the late nineteenth century, it drew educators, thinkers, musicians and families from across the country for the Florida Chautauqua—an ambitious experiment in lifelong learning that once placed this small Panhandle town at the center of a national cultural movement.
On Friday, February 13, 2026, the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa will host women from across the county who are ready to do more than raise money. They’re ready to build. The luncheon kicks off Habitat’s 2026 Women Build Workshops, a series of build days that prove when women lead, communities gain.
The SEASIDE Institute™ has announced the recipients of the 2026 SEASIDE Prize™, a recognition reserved for those whose work has shaped the fields of architecture, urban planning, and community development. The prize is awarded annually to individuals whose contributions have a lasting impact on how places are built and experienced.
In the heart of DeFuniak Springs, where arrivals once stepped from the train and into a season of music and welcome, Henry Park is opening a new chapter. Long a gathering place for travelers, townspeople, and musicians alike, the historic park now stands renewed—its restoration honoring both the community that shaped it and the future it continues to invite.
Every Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend since 2010, the 30A Songwriters Festival has turned South Walton’s quiet winter season into a destination built around music, storytelling, and community. On this episode of the HWY 331 Podcast, host Kerri Parker sits down with festival producers Jennifer Steele and Russell Carter to reflect on 17 years of a songwriter-focused festival that has become a cultural and economic cornerstone for Walton County.
