The Florida Panhandle beach town makes a laidback, water-filled getaway.
“Look at this shell, Mommy!” my daughter, Abby, squealed as her face popped out of the water. It was my six-year-old’s first time snorkeling, and while she wasn’t a natural, she was quickly adapting. It helped that the water was crystal clear and only 3 feet deep. As we cruised back to shore, three dolphins leapt past the boat in cinematic fashion. That moment confirmed that the calm, warm waters of Destin were the perfect place to introduce her to one of my favorite water activities.
While Atlantans flock to hamlets along the scenic highway 30A in the Florida Panhandle, I find myself drawn to Destin, a five-and-a-half hour drive or a one-hour flight from Atlanta. Destin’s kitschy charm, found in mini golf courses, ice cream stands and souvenir shops, makes it easy to slip into vacation mode.
Here, you never need to dress up, and with several public access points along 24 miles of shoreline, you’re never far from those powdery, white sand beaches so synonymous with the Emerald Coast.
Our home base was the towering Emerald Grande, a hotel within the mixed-use development of HarborWalk Village. The hotel’s set-up made an ideal landing pad for a family getaway with spacious suites and apartments, Gulf views and proximity to the development’s restaurants and shops. While the hotel isn’t directly on the beach, it offers a complimentary 10-minute boat shuttle to its private beach, equipped with lounge chairs. Though you are giving up direct beach access by staying at Emerald Grande, you could easily park at the hotel and not have to move your car the rest of the weekend— a luxury in Destin, where roads become clogged with traffic.
HarborWalk Village is an excellent jumping-off point for all things fun. Our snorkeling excursion with Destin Snorkel left from the marina just a few steps away from the hotel. The two-hour shelling tour is geared towards kids with shallow water stops, but the company also offers classic snorkeling and SNUBA (a snorkel-scuba hybrid) excursions. There’s plenty to do within HarborWalk Village, too. Beyond the tourist attractions, which include an amusement park and caricature artists, are unexpected culinary gems. At East Pass Seafood & Oyster House, I enjoyed locally caught fish prepared with Creole flair, while Café Café perked me up with its bold cold brew and hefty cookies.
We did manage to get off property, however. Our first stop was Crystal Beach Park where Destin-Fort Walton Beach offers free stand-up paddle boarding lessons to kids on Saturday mornings through their Little Adventures program. Abby and I both worked up an appetite playing at the beach (her on the board, me splashing in the waves), so our next destination was Dewey Destin’s Seafood. With counter-service ordering and shaded waterfront dining, we felt perfectly comfortable enjoying our grilled grouper sandwiches in our cover-ups.
That evening, we booked a bonfire beach experience through the hotel. After a sunset boat ride, we were greeted with a fire on the now-empty beach, where we roasted marshmallows and made s’mores. I laughed as my daughter frolicked in the surf beneath the first stars and knew that a core memory was being made. Heading back to the boat, sticky with sand and s’mores, I was already thinking about our return trip to Destin.
VISIT DESTIN-FORT WALTON BEACH
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