Though I have traveled to Florida many of times, I have never been on the Gulf coast side. As a last minute decision to travel during the busiest time of the year, Forth of July week, we decided to try somewhere we have never been before: Destin, Florida. The drive to Destin was about 8 hours from where we live but the scenery was so beautiful that it made the drive worth it!
Going through Santa Rosa we crossed a very cool looking bridge and I seen a sign for a place called Niceville, which made me wonder how it acquired it’s name. In Okaloosa, there was a boat village and all this was all part of what the tourist guides call the “Emerald Coast”.
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Being that this was a last minute decision, there was no formal agenda. I knew I wanted to enjoy the beach and relax. So by the end of our trip we had actually did three main things: enjoy the beaches/ocean, see what the Harbor Walk was all about and take a dolphin/shell cruise.
Enjoying the beaches/ocean:
We were ready for some sand and ocean so the first beach we visited was Henderson Beach State Park. This was the day that I learned what the beach flags really meant. I have never paid attention to the flags but this day the flags were yellow and the waves were very rough. It felt like we were being beat to death by the hard waves. We stayed until we were roasted from the sun, beat by the ocean and the normal daily storm came rolling in but it was too beautiful not to enjoy it. Over the course of our stay, we did visit other beaches and just to let you know, there are a lot to choose from. You can totally spend all your time just beach hopping around the area.
See what the Harbor Walk is all about:
Next on our unplanned agenda was to visit the Harbor Walk.
There are all types of restaurants, fishing boats, boat cruises and shops to see. During this week the Harbor Walk also hosted special events like live bands, parades and nightly fireworks.
We decided to eat at one of our favorite restaurants, Margaritaville before we finished the evening out watching the sunset.
Take a dolphin/shell cruise:
The last thing we decided to do is travel down to Panama City, Florida to take a dolphin/shell cruise.
The prices were very reasonable and it included a hotdog, chips and drink. You also had the option of purchasing more drinks, food and adult drinks if you liked. The boat ride to Shell Island was pretty awesome. Seeing the other boats, watching the birds follow the boat and getting to visit Shell Island made the trip so worth the money.
The topper to the cruise was actually getting to see the dolphins….
My best tips for visiting Destin, Florida is:
- Know where the beaches are before you book your hotel, Destin is more for boaters so you will have to drive to get to the beaches if you stay near the Harbor Walk.
- Make sure you take plenty of sunscreen because we forgot to put any sunscreen on and got sunburned on the first day. Thankfully, I always remember to pack my Banana Boat Aloe Aftersun Gel when we travel to any beach so the sunburn was not so bad. (I’ve been using it for years because I know it works.)
- Take a waterproof case for your phone so you can take plenty of pictures without the sand or water messing up your phone. My husband’s work gave him 2 cases earlier this year and I was so thankful to have them!
We had a great time even though it was a last minute decision and we didn’t have a clue to what we would do while we were down there. I loved the Gulf side of Florida and I can’t wait to visit more places on the Emerald Coast!
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