Inlet Beach Underpass

Is it a park? Is it a trail? Well, it’s both, albeit a very short trail – a tunnel under busy Hwy 98 in Inlet Beach. It’s worth a visit because of the unique collection of murals that line the path underneath the highway from northside to southside. The underpass features 10 murals by local artists, curated by the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County (CAA).

Jennifer Steele, president & CEO of the CAA, said, “the theme of the murals was connectivity, and we wanted the murals to be inspired by the artist’s connectivity to the landscape, to the built environment, and obviously our connections with each other.”

The installation includes artworks by Francisco Adaro, Katherine Boggs, Heather Clements, Bradley Copeland, Olga Guy, Wes Hinds, Sarah Page, Andy Saczynski, Andrea Scurto and Lindsay Tobias. Artists were selected from the CAA’s Public Artist Directory, and each created a mural measuring 20 ft. wide x 8 ft. high. 

The CAA also added two replicas of sculptures in the Underwater Museum of Art at the underpass. Those sculptures are The Grayt Pineapple by Rachel Herring McCord, sponsored by Rosemary Beach Realty, on the north end of the underpass and Common Chord by Vince Tatum, sponsored by the St. Joe Community Foundation, on the south end.

The public art component is part of the Florida Department of Transportation’s greater $5.6 million Underpass project and was created by the CAA in collaboration with Scenic Walton, Walton County Board of County Commissioners and Walton County Tourism.