Destin offers coastal vacation of beautiful beaches, upscale lodging, fine dining
Destin and Sandestin, sister cities, offer great experiences
Destin has world-class white sand beaches and beautiful emerald green water from the Gulf of Mexico splashing onto its shore. It is one of the first Panhandle cities that developed vacation opportunities equal or surpassing anything you can find on the lower Florida Gulf Coast.
Beyond the beaches are boat rides, sailing, parasailing, kayaking, Banana Boats, a pirate cruise, and fishing for adults and kids. Great restaurants and superb shopping await you. Indeed the “World’s Luckiest Fishing Village,” as the city has been called since the mid-20th Century, has one of the largest recreational fishing fleets in the country for taking vacationers into the Gulf of Mexico for fabulous fishing, even so far as going to the hundred-fathom curve just miles off the Destin shore.
More than 4.5 million visitors come to Destin and Sandestin each year. The cities are built on a peninsula separating the Gulf of Mexico and Choctawhatchee Bay. On the western tip of the peninsula is East Pass, which is the only outlet of Choctawhatchee Bay. There are 12 beach access points in the city of Destin. Among the access points is Henderson Beach State Recreation Area and across East Pass is the Gulf Islands National Seashore.
There are several events in the Destin area. The Destin Fishing Rodeo is held in October each year and draws anglers from around the nation. It has been held annually since 1948. The Destin Seafood Festival is also held in October.
Notable people from Destin include author John Grisham, Dallas Cowboy owner Jerry Jones, actor and Fox News financial commentator Wayne Rogers, pop singer Britney Spears, and celebrity Cajun chef Emeril Lagasse. For shopping, you will find the classy Silver Sands premium outlet mall as well as the Grand Boulevard shops. There is also Destin Commons located in Crystal Beach, which is an outdoor shopping mall. HarborWalk Village is a shopping and restaurant area at the Destin dock and marina.
History
Destin was founded by Leonard Destin in the mid-19th Century as a commercial fishing village, transforming a little-noticed town with barely more than a post office into one of the most-sought-after fishing meccas for professional fishermen and recreational fishing enthusiasts alike. He arrived on its shore in 1835 at the age of 21, sailing in from New London, Connecticut, in his family’s two-masted fishing schooner. He built a fleet of fishing boats and a successful commercial fishing business until he died during the Civil War after he was arrested by the Confederacy for spying in the service of the Union.
In the later 19th Century, a well-known nature writer, Charles Hallock, promoted the Destin area to sports fishermen around the nation. The bountiful seas yielded snapper, grouper, and mackerel like rarely seen before in the world’s oceans. He called Destin shoreline “one of the choicest of the delectable lands,” like what was earlier found along the south Florida shore. Recreational fishermen came in droves to ply the plentiful sea that was the upper Gulf of Mexico, especially off the shore of Destin.
But Destin remained largely undeveloped with dusty dirt roads which were the only way to reach the town until 1933 when U.S. 98 opened, skirting the shoreline, and bringing thousands of tourists, mostly from Alabama, for fishing, boating, sunbathing, and playing in the clear waters near the shore.
Until the early 1960s, Destin remained a small fishing village. Beginning in that decade, though, the city attracted investors and developers, who built dozens of high-rise condominium structures and parking lots, and with those, came more development in the form of restaurants, shopping centers, and entertainment attractions. Its development was so extensive and so uncontrolled, the city became a symbol for how not to develop a resort town.
Sandestin
Just to the east of Destin is Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, which is a more upscale collection of condominiums and attractions built specifically to attract the more affluent tourists. You won’t find many of the gaudy entertainment attractions in Sandestin, but there are luxury accommodations and upscale shopping. Sandestin offers an enclosed vacation with shopping, restaurants, nightspots, tennis courts, swimming pools, and the Village of Baytowne Wharf with street performers, concerts, festivals, and small shops.
Temperature: Average high temperatures range from 61 in January to 89 in July and August. The lows average from 45 in January to 77 in July.
Precipitation: Average rainfall is 62 inches a year, with most of it falling during July, when the average rainfall is nearly 8 inches a year.
Population: Destin population is 13,654. Between 1990 and 2000, the population increased more than 37%. Since then, the increase has been in the 10% to 11% range each year.
How to Get There: The Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport, which is located in Panama City Beach, Florida. It is served by American Airlines, Delta Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines. When traveling by vehicle, take State Highway 293 south to U.S. Highway 98 and turn west.
Museums
Destin History and Fishing Museum, 108 Stahlman Avenue, Destin. (850) 837-6611. Through a collection of artwork, photos, and artifacts, the museum tells Destin’s history as a commercial and recreational fishing center on the Panhandle of Florida.
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Admission: Adults, $5; seniors and military, $4; children age 7 through college, $3; children 6 and under, free.
Art Galleries/Museums and Artistic Entertainment
The Redbird Art Experience, 2001 98 Palms Boulevard, Suite 103, Destin. (850) 865-7943. If you feel creative, here’s a place to go. You get to make your own artwork using recycled materials. And you get to see the work of others.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day except Sunday, when they are closed.
Judy Shillingburg’s Special Touch Gallery, 34 Harbor Boulevard, Destin. (850) 424-3212. This gallery offers watercolors from local artist Shillingburg. She paints seascapes and beachscapes, as well as sealife and boats in stunning detail and color. She sells her work in limited edition Giclée digital archival quality ink prints. Call for hours.
Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation, 4323 Commons Drive, Destin. (850) 650-2226. This organization hosts concerts and art shows. Check the website for scheduled events.
Fusion Art Glass, 585 Grand Boulevard, Miramar Beach/Sandestin. Offers works by artist Russ Gilbert, the gallery’s owners, and more than 150 other artists from around the country. The work includes blown glass sculptures, fine art, glassware, and jewelry. Stunning work often with a seaside or ocean theme.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
Crab Island
HarborWalk
Places to Have Fun
Buccaneer Pirate Cruise, 100 Harbor Boulevard, in HarborWalk Village, Destin. (850)269-0896. Join Commodore Courageous, Irene The Pirate Queen and the rest of their theatrical crew on a pirate-themed ship that entertains children and adults alike. Make a reservation 48 hours in advance to ensure your place on the ship. The Buccaneer is a 100-foot, triple-deck motored ship and can hold up to 149 passengers. Gift shop and snack bar on board.
Hours: The ship sails at various times depending on the day. Generally, they have cruises at 9:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m., and 6:30 p.m. (Sails begin at 12:30 p.m. on Saturdays).
Admission: Adults, $36; seniors, $32; children 4 to 14, $22; children 3 and under, $1.
Crab Island, Choctawhatchee Bay, just off the Destin bridge. This is a unique adventure. You have to have boat to get to it. (A jet ski, paddleboard, or kayak can get you there too, though it is a bit of a distance from the shore.) No boat? Catch the Crab Island excursions from shore. The water is shallow enough for adults; depths run from 1 foot to 4 feet in most places. That’s because it is an underwater sandbar. Sitting in the bay are a floating bar with beer and mixed drinks, a waterpark of slides, obstacles, and other water activities, and a floating ice cream stand. You can purchase a seafood lunch, Mexican food, or a sandwich, then rent a jet ski or a paddle board.
Escape Zone 60, six locations along the Emerald Beach from Sandestin to Pensacola. Destin’s is at 1077 Highway 98 East, Destin. (850) 650-0023. This is an escape room on steroids. In Destin, they have “Zombie Apocalypse,” and “The Crime Scene,” where you can solve the crime and “UFO Investigation.” At the Sandestin location (10859 Emerald Coast Parkway West, Miramar Beach; (850) 666-5151), there’s “Escape Vegas” or “Escape the Pirate Ship.” Other locations are at Panama City Beach (“Death Row” and “Navy Seal: Mission Impossible”), Fort Walton Beach (“Mummy’s Tomb” and “Mystic Mansion”), Navarre (Houdini Escape), and Pensacola (“Crime Scene: The Bank,” and “The Asylum”).
Hours: 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. (times begin at 1 p.m. at some other locations).
Admission: $28 per person ($24 per person in Pensacola). Children under 9 not allowed in the room.
Henderson Beach State Park, 17000 Emerald Coast Parkway, Destin. (850) 837-7550. Get out of the amusement park and go for an amazing beach experience on 6,000 feet of white sand along the Gulf of Mexico. You can take a walk on the three-quarter-mile nature trail or have a picnic at the pavilion. Pets are allowed and there’s a campground where you can pitch a tent on one of 60 campsites that are connected to the beach by a boardwalk. This was the first acquisition for the state park department under its Save Our Coast conservation program.
Hours: 8 a.m. to sundown daily (unless you’re camping, when you can stay all night long).
Fees: $6 per vehicle ($4 if you don’t have passengers). Pedestrians, bicyclists pay $2.
Baytown Adventure Zone, The Village of Baytowne Wharf, 9300 Highway 98, Miramar Beach. (850) 428-2736. Experience a zip-line, climb a rope course, fly with hydroflight, swing on a bungy ride, climb the tower, drive a euro bugg, play miniature golf, or drive toy tugboats at Baytown Adventure Zone.
Hours: Daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Admissions: Cost of all the experiences, $110; or half of them for $55. Individual adventures are from $10 to $20.
HarborWalk Adventures, 10 Harbor Boulevard, Destin. (850) 603-4241. Offers zipline that gives you a great view of the harbor and marina. They also have a tower with a free fall, and rock wall, trampolines, and a mirror maze.
Admission: From $11 to $27 per ride, specific to the ride.
Indian Bayou Golf Club, 1 Country Club Drive East, Destin. (850) 837-6191. This is an 18-hole semi-private club.
Kelly Plantation Golf Course, 307 Kelly Plantation Drive, Destin. (850) 650-7600. Golf Magazine called this course one of the best on the Emerald Coast.
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Places to Eat
Breakfast
Pancakery, 960 Highway 98 East, Suite 104, Destin. An excellent place. Good food and good service. Try their banana fosters pancakes. Also serves waffles, omelets, eggs benedict, and crepes.
Hours: 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Crackings, 979 Highway 98 East, Suite 4, Destin. Serves cinnamon rolls, lobster gouda grits, crosseignets, crawfish eggs toofee, eggs benedict, creative omelets, French toast, and pancakes. Huevos rancheros and turkey and avocado or a deep South wrap or other great dishes for brunch. They also have a lunch menu. They also have a location in Grayton Beach, Florida, on County Highway 30A.
Hours: 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Breakfast Table Café, 385 Harbor Boulevard, Suite 102, Destin. (850) 353-2694. Home style cooking.
Hours: Daily from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. except closed on Wednesday.
Lunch
Pazzo Italiano, 34904 Emerald Coast Parkway, Destin. (850) 974-5484. This restaurant was voted the best Italian food in Destin. Old world Italian with a selection of pasta and pizza. Great food. They have a dinner menu as well.
Hours: Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
The Back Porch, 1740 Scenic Highway 98, Destin. (850) 837-2022. This is a seafood and oyster house with locations in Destin and Panama City. Great old Florida beach ambiance, it has been a tradition on the Gulf Coast for more than 40 years. Specializes in Gulf of Mexico seafood. They have smoked tuna dip, calamari, crab claws, and peel-and-eat shrimp. Their specialties are grouper & grits, grouper Destin, blackjack Tuna, back porch mahi, blackened red snapper, and much more.
Hours: Daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Lulu’s Destin, 4607 Legendary Marina Drive, Destin. (850) 710-5858. This is one of the three Lucy Buffett’s seafood restaurants (she’s Jimmy’s sister). They always have a serving of fun with their meals. They also rent paddle boards and kayaks, or you can take a scenic plane ride. And live music is a must. The food is good, and they specialize in Gulf Coast seafood like red snapper and shrimp. They also have amazing cheeseburgers in paradise and wonder fish, jerk chicken, and pulled pork sandwiches. Open for dinner, too.
Hours: Daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Boathouse Oyster Bar and Grill, 288 Harbor Boulevard, Destin. (850) 837-3645. This is a great place on the water and is open for lunch and dinner. They serve the amazing Apalachicola oysters, and their gumbo is famous. They also have other seafood dishes, including shrimp and locally caught fish. The ambiance is old Florida oyster bar on the water.
Hours: Daily 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.
Sunset Bay Café, 158 Sandestin Boulevard North, in the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, Miramar Beach (Sandestin). (850) 267-7108. This café overlooks Choctawhatchee Bay and celebrates Old Florida charm emphasizing fresh, local ingredients. They serve only sustainable seafood. Lunch items include Grouper Artichoke, a shrimp platter, and shrimp and grits. They offer a full-on breakfast menu, too.
Hours: Daily 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Pompano Joe’s, 2237 Scenic Gulf Highway, Miramar Beach. (850) 837-2224. There’s a Caribbean flavor here. Their entrees include Taste of the Islands (Reggae rolls and coconut shrimp plus gumbo), sautéed salmon or grilled salmon salad, and a fried combo platter.
Hours: opens at 11 a.m.
Dinner
Graffiti & the Funky Blues Shack, 707 Harbor Boulevard, Destin. (850) 424-3511. The Funky Blues Shack is a bar with live music. Next door is the Graffiti Italian restaurant. Great combination. Good food and good music. The Graffiti has a short menu of entrees: Chicken Parmesan, Fettuccine Bolognese, Lobster Ravioli, and Graffiti Grouper. But they also serve pizza and sandwiches, including hamburgers, chicken sandwich, and a shrimp po boy. By all accounts, the food is excellent.
Hours: The entrees are available 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Other items available all day. Business hours for the Funky Blues are 7 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Vin’tjj Food & Wine, 500 Grand Boulevard, #100K, Miramar Beach (Sandestin). (850) 650-9820. This is located in the Grand Boulevard Shopping Center in Sandestin. Serving local ingredients, this restaurant has amazing dishes such as pecan chicken, pan fried oysters, shrimp and grits, mango ginger salmon, balsamic glazed meatloaf, and a seasonal fish dish. The desserts are creative and amazing.
Hours: Daily from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. for dinner; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for lunch. Brunch on Saturday and Sunday runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Boshamps Seafood and Oyster House, 414 Harbor Boulevard, Destin, (850) 424-7406. Waterfront restaurant at the Destin Harbor and its has live music. Specializes in Gulf to Table Southern food. There are lots of dishes with locally sourced ingredients: blue crab claws, Alabama feta cheese dip, a good selection of fried and based oysters, seafood gumbo or corn and crab chowder, and entrees include gulf snapper, Angus filet, Southern fried chicken, Gulf grouper coated with pecans or pan roasted, a chargrilled Angus ribeye or Bobo’s burger. This family has been in the fine dining restaurant business for 30 years and recently took off the white tablecloths and got a new location for a more casual dining experience.
Hours: Daily 11 a.m to 9 p.m.
McGuire’s Irish Pub, 33 U.S. Highway 98, Destin. (850) 650-0000. Like its sister restaurant in Pensacola, this pub is a restaurant with a sense of humor. It also has great food, including naked mahi-mahi, cedar-planked Alaskan salmon, Gulf wahoo, yellow fin tuna. They also have amazing steaks and pork chops. Their steaks are U.S.D.A. Certified Prime.
Hours: Dinner served from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Fine Dining
Marina Café, 404 Harbor Boulevard, Destin. (850) 837-7960. Several fresh seafood selections plus prime steaks, pastas, sushi, and pizzas. Named one of Florida’s top 500 restaurants. Entrees include seared yellow fin tuna, Gulf swordfish, Gulf grouper, cobia, tile fish, Andouille crusted Louisiana redfish, pan roasted Scottish salmon, Creole barbecued jumbo shrimp, free range chicken, steaks, and pork chops.
Hours: Daily 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Bijoux, 9575 U.S. Highway 98 West, Suite 22, Miramar Beach (Sandestin). (850) 622-0760. A coastal French restaurant, with creative dishes by a fine New Orleans-trained chef. Entrees include seared diver scallops, grouper almandine, roasted airline chicken, rack of lamb, ribeye, filet mignon, ahi tuna, Gulf shrimp and grits, king salmon. For starters, try the crab beignets, lobster spring roll, duck confit, or tuna carpaccio. Focuses on fresh locally grown ingredients.
Hours: Most days, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. – until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Closed Monday.
Ocean Club Restaurant, 8955 U.S. Highway 98, Miramar Beach. (850) 267-3666. The entrees include veal piccatta, grouper topped with shrimp and crabmeat, grouper almandine, fried lobster tail, soft shell crab, pan roasted Ashley Farm chicken breast, filet mignon & fried lobster, tournedos of beef with shrimp and crabmeat, ribeye, and lamb chops. For appetizers, try the steamed Prince Edward Island mussels Provençale, smoked Scottish salmon, or the buttermilk fried calamari.
Hours: Dinner served daily from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Seagar’s Prime Steaks & Seafood, located in the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort and Spa, 4000 Sandestin Boulevard South, Miramar Beach. (850) 374-6935. A New York-style steak house. You’ll find bone-in filet, lamb chops, chateaubriand, porterhouse steak, bone-in ribeye, N.Y. strip, and Steak Diane.
Hours: Sunday through Wednesday, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Thursday through Saturday, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Marlin Grill, 9100 Baytowne Wharf Boulevard, Suite B2, within the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, Miramar Beach. (850) 351-1990. Specializes in steaks and seafood. You’ll find in addition to ribeyes and N.Y. strip or grilled filet mignon, roasted duck, pepper crusted seared tuna, kiwi fried twin cold water lobster tails, sautéed grouper, pork tenderloin, and grilled mahi mahi.
Hours: Dinner is served daily 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
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The Emerald Grande
Places to Stay
Like most coastal communities, there are hundreds of choices for lodging, from luxury hotels to motels. You can find a good listing at Destinfun.com. Below are a few places that stand out.
The Henderson , 200 Henderson Resort Way, Destin. (855) 741-2777. Overlook Henderson State Park from your balcony. This resort takes on the manner of grand historic resorts from the past but has the modern décor and conveniences you would expect from a first-class resort hotel. It is a Salamander Beach & Spa Resort. Four stories with rooms and suites located in the Crystal Beach community just outside Destin. Southern Living listed it as the South’s best resort in 2019. Sits on the beach and has a sea-to-table fine dining restaurant.
The Emerald Grande, 10 Harbor Boulevard, Destin. (844) 651-9124. This impressive resort sits in the middle of all the action found at HarborWalk Village.
Henderson Village Bed and Breakfast, 2700 Scenic Highway 98, Destin. (888) 836-1105. Located on the beach, this adults-only resort has been voted the most romantic on the Gulf coast.