A small Southern town finds its glow again
By Kerri Parker
There’s a moment — just as the sun slips behind historic buildings and mature trees — when Lake DeFuniak becomes a mirror. The century-old homes that curve around its shore soften into silhouette, and then suddenly, with the flick of a switch, Christmas Reflections comes to life. Tens of thousands of twinkling lights ripple across the water of one of only two nearly perfect spring-fed lakes in the world.
DeFuniak Springs was built for gatherings. The L&N railroad once delivered thinkers, teachers, and travelers to this very lakefront, where the Florida Chautauqua flourished in a flurry of lectures, concerts, and conversation. It was a hub of culture, a place where ideas arrived before the rest of the state caught up. Time moves on, as it does. The rails quieted. The world chased the beaches to the south — the sugar-white ones along the Gulf that made Walton County famous.
But here in the county seat, around this improbably round lake, the glow never faded — it simply waited.
Today, visitors are drifting back from across the Southeast — families who’ve heard that something special is happening here again — discovering what locals have quietly known all along: DeFuniak Springs is stirring.
Along Baldwin Avenue, old brick storefronts are waking up again, many with the careful confidence of a place rediscovering its footing. Chef Todd Misener, who recently opened Iron & Grape Italian Kitchen, has quietly elevated the town’s culinary heartbeat. His scratch-made pasta and attention to detail draw locals and visitors alike, not with flash or fanfare, but with the steady rhythm of well-crafted meals and the kind of hospitality that doesn’t announce itself. Nearby, other kitchens are quietly staking their claim: Southern comfort cooked with care, flavors that echo New Orleans, and fresh, inventive fare that makes even a quick meal feel like part of the evening’s experience. It shows up in the clatter of plates, the murmur of familiar voices, and the soft glow of dining rooms. It feels less like a restaurant scene and more like a town remembering how good it is to linger around a table.
And for those who arrive from farther afield — and many do — the night has a way of convincing them to linger a little longer. Travelers who prefer something more tucked-away often find themselves settling into century-old homes now offered as guest stays. It isn’t hard to stay the night here. In fact, it feels almost expected — as if Christmas Reflections was meant to be savored slowly, long after the last lights shimmer across the water.
Just down the street, a historic theater has found its breath again, too. National recording artists slip into its intimate acoustics — drawn by the purity of a true listening room — thanks to songwriter Tim Jackson, a full-time resident championing live music as part of the town’s very pulse.
These aren’t manufactured attractions. They’re the signs of a place remembering exactly who it is.
But the crown jewel — the reason families pack up thermoses of cocoa and make the drive — is Christmas Reflections.
The community has transformed its iconic lakefront into a glowing wonderland every holiday season. Through December nights, the breeze carries laughter from the horse-drawn carriage rides. Families stroll the mile-long promenade beneath archways of evergreen and light, the water throwing their reflection right back at them — a reminder that some moments can only happen here.
Every weekend in December, Baldwin Avenue becomes the sort of scene casting directors scout for holiday films — carolers in the street, small-batch hot chocolate, shop windows frosted just enough to catch a sparkle. It’s charming, yes — but never contrived. What’s happening in this town isn’t a revival — it’s a return. A return to gathering for inspiration and connection.
If you’re not here on a December night, standing on the edge of a perfect circle of spring water watching stars and Christmas lights mingle as one — well, you’ll feel like you’ve missed something. Something rare.
And if you come once? You’ll circle back.
Check the HWY331.com/my-calendar for event details.
