DeFuniak Springs blends Main Street charm with lakeside living
DeFuniak Springs is less than half an hour from Florida beaches and bayous. Originally envisioned as a hunting resort in the late 19th century, DeFuniak Springs is home to the nearly 40-acre Lake DeFuniak, which is one of two perfectly round spring-fed lakes in the world. A Main Street community with shops, restaurants and a picturesque historic district, DeFuniak Springs is a growing community that’s looking to add over 500 new homes over the next couple of years. “It’s more of a day trip destination,” says Kim Wennerberg, a DeFuniak Springs native and owner and broker of Kim & Company. “We’re a little bit of a Hallmark town – small, quiet, very quaint and charming.”
Seasonal celebrations held around Lake DeFuniak
The Main Street Farmers Market is held on Baldwin Avenue March through October, while Food Truck Friday takes place on the fourth Friday of every month. Lakefest is held annually in late May and features cardboard boat races, toy duck hunts and a tractor show. The annual Oktoberfest celebration brings seasonal beer, German cuisine and a stein-hoisting competition to the downtown area, and the lake is transformed for the festive Christmas Reflections in December. “The entire lake is lit up with over 10 million lights every Christmas,” Wennerberg says.
New restaurants and DeFuniak Square
DeFuniak Springs has a vibrant downtown area filled with all kinds of restaurants and mom-and-pop shops. Iron & Grape Italian Kitchen is the newest restaurant that opened by the lake in late 2024, while Ed’s Restaurant is a local favorite that’s self-described as the “home of the pub burger.” The 4C BBQ Bar & Grill serves beef brisket, pulled pork and 10-ounce ribeyes and has weekly karaoke nights. DeFuniak Square is the local shopping mall that has a Bealls, a Harbor Freight and a Winn Dixie, and there are even more fast food restaurants and grocery stores by the highway including Walmart.
Victorian-style homes and Florida architecture
The downtown area has many Victorian-style homes dating back to the 1880s, while homes on the outskirts veer more towards Florida architecture. Most manufactured homes are less than 1,000 square feet and cost between $50,000 and $100,000, while cabins and A-frame houses can have up to 5-acre lots with gardens and white picket fences and cost $150,000 to $450,000. Log cabins, craftsman and contemporary homes built on 20 acres with boat access range between $500,000 and $900,000.
Three Walton County elementary schools
DeFuniak Springs is zoned for the Walton County School District, which oversees 15 campuses and has an A-minus on Niche. Mossy Head School serves kindergarten through fifth-grade students and earns an A-minus, while West DeFuniak and Maude Sanders Elementary respectively earn a B-plus and a B. Walton Middle School has a Gifted & Talented program, and Walton High School has a 95% graduation rate. Both schools have a B-plus.
Local lakes and recreational facilities
Besides the lake it’s named after, DeFuniak Springs has many parks and community spaces around the city. The DeFuniak Springs Recreation Complex has three softball fields, an Olympic-sized soccer field and skating and roller blading area. The Wee Care Park has sand volleyball courts, batting cages and a splash pad, and Lake Stanley and Juniper Lake Park both have playgrounds next to its two lakes. The Chautauqua Hall of Brotherhood is a 1900s-era auditorium that hosts live music and youth theater performances. Florence Park was freshly remodeled in 2024, and the Eagle Springs Golf & Recreation Park has a 190-acre course that’s free to play for golfers 15 and under.
Multiple highways between Alabama and Freeport beaches
There are multiple freeways that run between DeFuniak Springs and throughout Walton County. U.S. Route 90 and Interstate 10 connect the city to Crestview 28 miles west and Ponce De Leon 12 miles east, while Florida State Road 83 leads to Alabama 19 miles north. GoWal buses take passengers 16 miles south on U.S. Route 331 to Freeport and Choctawhatchee Bay. “We’re about 30 minutes to the closest beach,” Wennerberg says. “It’s definitely a draw for the area.” The North Walton Doctor’s Hospital is located on the south side of the city and is open for 24 hours. The Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport is 35 miles southwest.
