Please join us on Friday, March 18, and Saturday, March 19 for the first-ever Soirée on the Bay! The event is presented by and hosted at the stunning Dugas Estate in a lavish gathering of fine wine, food, and spirits. The beneficiary of the event is Children's Volunteer Health Network. The weekend will include vintners, incredible food, live music, fireworks, and VIE magazine's exclusive 100th Issue celebration, all for a great cause!

VIE was thrilled to hear of the return of the local favorite Harvest Wine and Food Festival. The festival is produced each year by Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation (DCWAF). It returned on Saturday, November 6, for its fifth annual event after a year’s hiatus due to the pandemic and raised over $100,000 to help children in need in Northwest Florida. The mission is simple: to connect wine enthusiasts to raise money to benefit children in need in NW Florida. Cheers to all of the distributors, chefs, sponsors, and guests for making the grand tasting such a wonderful event year after year!

The Say It Southern Getaway is a must-attend event. For those of you who don’t know, Courtney Goolsby and Sarah Stone Smith are the creators and cohosts of the Say It Southern (SIS) podcast and The Getaway. They are champions of women entrepreneurs who love to tell stories about Southern women and their passions. I knew from the second I listened to my first SIS podcast that I wanted to find a way to be involved in this event and it did not disappoint! The long weekend took place along the beautiful beach towns of Scenic Highway 30-A in Northwest Florida with around forty guests from around the Southeast and beyond. We all left with new friends, renewed energy, and new ideas on how to live our best lives and have fun while doing it.

Digital Graffiti at Alys Beach is pleased to announce the appointment of John Colette as the festival’s new curator. Colette takes the reigns from his award-winning and highly regarded predecessor and colleague, Brett Phares, who curated the festival for 14 years from inception, a contemporary with whom Colette has long worked. To Colette’s mind, Digital Graffiti is a dynamic platform for art to reach people, an abundantly open experience with unlimited opportunities for perceiving art in a conjoining of ideas, creation, space, technology. The 15th Annual Digital Graffiti at Alys Beach festival, underwritten by The Alys Foundation, will be held May 13-14, 2022.

With the upcoming grand re-opening following a multi-million-dollar renovation, Santa Rosa Golf & Beach Club (SRGBC) is hosting a hiring event to fill numerous positions. The hiring event began on September 20 and will continue throughout the month of October. Applicants are required to make an appointment, which can be arranged by emailing zach@santarosaclub.com. “While it sometimes feels as if these changes have happened overnight, we have been rebranding for a few years now,” said Sarah Brazwell, membership and marketing director for Santa Rosa Golf & Beach Club. The transformation of the course and club is sure to be a hole in one.

This summer's heatwaves don't seem to be going anywhere. Record-breaking triple-digit temperatures have been battering the US, and the Sunshine State is no exception. For those seeking a reprieve, a cool pool (and frozen drink!) may provide the perfect respite. We've rounded up 15 of the best hotel pools in Florida to beat the heat, from Key West and Fort Lauderdale to The Palm Beaches, The Panhandle, Celebration, and more.

Celebrating incredible success in its first year as an affiliate of The Corcoran Group, Corcoran Reverie – a boutique brokerage specializing in the high-end home market with offices in Seagrove Beach and Destin – hosted Reverie 365: A Celebration of Success on Thursday, May 20, 2021, at the firm’s Seagrove Beach office. Corcoran Reverie welcomed more than 300 guests to the celebration that included live music by Yacht Rock Schooner Trio, a live painting by local artist Maxine Orange, and a silent auction that raised $6,130 for The Sonder Project – which Corcoran Reverie matched – bringing the total donation to $12,260.

Soleil Soiree will include the ribbon cutting and launch celebration of the VIE show home, a blessing of the house, and information on the show home and the Heritage Dunes north community. The event will take place at the homesite, 68 Heritage Dunes Lane North, on Thursday, June 24, beginning at 4:00 p.m. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be performed in partnership with the Walton Area Chamber of Commerce. A private beach reception will follow with small bites and cocktails catered by Éclat 30a.

In an effort to minimize the spread of the coronavirus and prioritize the health and safety of the community and participants, the Seaside School and Seaside School Foundation have decided to move forward with a Virtual Seaside School Half Marathon & 5k for its 19th annual event. By participating virtually, you will help aid these incredible learning environments and their cherished students.

Black Bear Bread Company, LLC. announces the successful reopening of its natural wine bar Bar Room last month. Located in the Shops of Grayton, Bar Room has expanded with new evening hours along with additional seating via a newly-constructed deck, offering an inviting covered, open-air ambiance.

While the beloved annual Digital Graffiti festival at Alys Beach has been rescheduled for October 2–3, 2020, the team at Alys Beach will honor the original dates of the event with a virtual celebration. #DGfromhome will be hosted on the Alys Beach Instagram and Facebook pages and on 30A.com during the week of May 11– 17.

There are thousands of businesses that have stepped up to the plate to do their part for their neighbors, customers, and people as a whole during this time. Here is just a sampling of those who are making a difference and bringing hope to the world!