This page is for
information and entertainment regarding your trip to the Emerald
Coast.
Please see below:
Since
you were last here
A Perfect Day at the Beach
Public Beach Acesses
Welcome Centers
Where to do What
Should you like
more information, please see details below and click
on our advertisers' web sites in the column to the right.
Since
You Were Last Here
There have been some
recent changes to the Emerald Coast due to natural
forces and progress by mankind. Since your last visit, you may notice
the following:
1) The Butterfly House has re-opened at Navarre Park.
2) The Welcome Center in Navarre has been rebuilt.
3) Hurlbert Field has received delivery on an Osprey,
a tilt rotor aircraft capable of
converting from horizontal to vertical flight.
4) A new waterfront park on Miracle Strip Parkway has
opened in Fort Walton
Beach.
5) A completely renovated Marler Park has re-opened
on Okaloosa Island.
6) A huge new condominium and parking deck have been
built at the foot of
Brooks Bridge on Okaloosa Island.
7) Norriego Point, at the end of Holiday Isle, is
eroding quickly and the Destin
Harbor channel is narrowing considerably.
8) A restaurant building once sitting at the foot of
the Destin Bridge has been
physically moved to the harbor’s edge near Boogies Watersports.
9) The dock and walkway at the Harborwalk Marina has
been rebuilt.
10) The large hull of a boat has sunk in the Destin Harbor behind
Captain Kidd’s
Restaurant
11) Scuba Tech has a new and much larger capacity
snorkel boat.
12) Pelican Adventures has a new fishing vessel.
13) Airport Road in Destin is being widened.
14) A new shopping center has opened on Commons Drive.
15) A new parking deck has been built behind Destin
Commons.
16) The Destin Winery has closed.
17) The Fancy Flamingo has closed.
18) Two new shopping centers have been built on Hwy.
98 between City Market
and Silver Sands.
19) Destin Jewelers has merged their Destin and
Sandestin locations into a
brand-new store on Hwy. 98 near Holiday Rd.
20) Three new national-chain restaurants have opened
at Silver Sands Outlet Mall.
21) Grand Boulevard Town Center is open just east of
Sandestin. Venues include
retail stores, restaurants and specialty shops.
22) Two new medical clinics, Emerald Coast Urgent
Care in Destin and Palmetto
Family Healthcare on 30-A in Blue Mountain Beach have recently opened.
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A
Perfect Day at the Beach
Less is More……Fun
Some beach goers seem to bring everything they own to the beach, and
others seem to bring nothing and have just as much fun. If you have to
put things in a cart or make more than one trip back and forth to the
room or car, you have brought too much.
The following may help you
manage packing for a fun day at the beach:
Beach necessities: small beach bag, hat, sunglasses, sunscreen,
drinking water, beach towel.
Things you may need:
camera, beach toys (only the ones you have time to
play with that day) beach chair, beach umbrella, small cooler (with
only what you can consume in one visit), flip flops (it is easier to go
barefoot), novel, magazine, cash, raft, trash bag.
Things you do not need:
Shoes and socks: There is nothing worse than trying to put them on
sand-covered
feet.
Radio: The dials, buttons and speakers will fill with sand.
I-Pods: Others have to repeat everything they say to you. Get to know
the ones
around you and enjoy the sound of the waves.
Cell phone: Leave it in the room (you should have left it at home).
Friends, family
and work should not be able to call you. Getting away from
them is part of being on
vacation.
Laptop computer: Does not mix well with salt air, sand and water. You
should have
left it at home.
Textbooks or work related material: You may bring them, but you will
never look at
them.
Bottle opener: Glass is not allowed on the beach.
Keys to other than your car and/or your room: Sand swallows keys.
Wallet: You will more than likely take it swimming.
Watch: Time is not important here.
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Public Beach Accesses
Location
Parking
Bathrooms Picnic Tables
Life Guards
Navarre
End of 399
yes
yes
yes
yes
Okaloosa Island
Emerald Promenade
yes
yes
yes
no
Seashore Beachwalk
yes
yes
yes
no
Emerald View Beachwalk yes
yes
yes
no
Blue Dolphin Beachwalk
yes
yes
yes
no
Bracken Wayside Pk.
(The Boardwalk)
yes
yes
yes
yes
Beasley Park
yes
yes
yes
no
Destin
Holiday Isle (East Pass)
yes
no
no
no
Holiday Isle (Jetties)
Limited
no
no
no
CR 2378 & Restaurant Rd Limited
no
no
no
Scenic Hwy. 98
Limited
no
no
no
Huthinson St. & Scenic 98 Limited
no
no
no
Scenic Hwy. 98 (Old Pier) Limited
no
no
no
James Lee Park
yes
yes
yes
no
Beaches of South Walton
Miramar Beach
yes
yes
no
yes
Dune Allen
yes
no
no
yes
Ed Walline Park
yes
yes
yes
yes
Scenic 30-A and CR 393
Blue Mountain
Limited no
no
no
Scenic 30-A and CR
83
Gulfview Heights
yes
yes
yes
yes
Grayton Beach
Limited no
no
no
Bramble Grove Place
yes
yes
no
yes
Inlet Beach
yes
yes
no
yes
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WELCOME CENTERS on the
Emerald Coast
Panama City Beach Information
Center
17001 Panama City Beach Parkway
Panama City Beach, FL 32413
850-233-5070
www.800pcbeach.com
Open Daily 8 – 5:00
Navarre Beach Visitor Center
8543 Navarre Parkway
Navarre, FL 32566
850-939-3267
www.navarrefl.com
Open Mon- Fri. 9-5, Sat. 10-4, Sun. 12-4.
Destin Chamber of Commerce
4484 Legendary Drive (Regatta Bay)
Destin, FL 32541
850-837-6241
www.destinchamber.com
Open Mon.-Fri. 9-5
Emerald Coast Visitor’s Center
1540 Miracle Strip Parkway, SE
Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548
850-651-7647 or 800-322-3319
www.destin-fwb.com
Open Mon.-Fri. 8-5, Sat.-Sun. 10-4
South Walton Information Center
25777 US Highway 331 S (Corner of Hwy. 98 E. and
Hwy. 331)
Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459
850-267-3511 or 800-822-6877
www.beachesofsouthwalton.com
Open Daily 8-5:30
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Where to do what along the Emerald Coast
Bike Paths and
Trails
From Hwy. 98 to C-30A on Hwy. 283 and 395
30-A bike path in Walton County runs for 13.5 miles
from Blue Mountain Beach
west to Hwy. 98.
Old 98 bike path runs for 2.5 miles from the Walton
County line to Miramar
Beach Road.
Point Washington State Park bike trails run for 3.5,
5 or 10 miles. The trail head is
located on County Road 395, 1.1 miles south
of US Hwy. 98 in South Walton.
State Road 399 bike path runs for 25 miles along the
beach from Navarre to
Pensacola Beach and into Gulf Breeze. (May
be damaged due to Hurricane Ivan.)
Stunt Kite Flying
Norriego Point at the end of Holiday Isle in Destin
Henderson State Park (J-25) ó Okaloosa Island
National Seashore
Bracken Wayside Park (The Boardwalk)
Kite Surfing and Wind
Surfing
Gulf Islands National Seashore on Okaloosa Island
Beasley Park on Okaloosa Island
Small Craft Boating
(In protected waters with boat ramps)
Fort Walton Beach behind Emerald Coast
Conference Center
East Pass Fuel and Supply (Across the street
from Scuba Tech on Destin Harbor)
Grayton Beach (Just east of the Red Bar)
Grayton Beach State Park
Lakewood Drive in Seagrove, just off 30-A
Phillips Inlet (Just off Hwy. 98 in Bay County)
Skate Boarding
Shoreline Park, Gulf Breeze Park
Fort Walton Beach, BMX/Skateboard Park, Jet Drive
Surfing
Emerald Promenade Beach Access on Okaloosa Island
Okaloosa Island fishing pier
Colners Beach Access on Okaloosa Island
East Jetty
Crystal Beach Pilings (Old Pier)
Behind Pompano Joe’s Restaurant
Ed Walline Park (H-41)
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BEACH INFORMATION:
Home
Recreation
and Attractions
Dining
and Entertainment
Shopping
Accommodations
and
Real
Estate
Tourist
Services
Magazine
Distribution Locations
General
Information
"Shell seekers seek knowledge, beauty and serenity."
Edward Johnson
Recreation/Attractions
Web Sites
Affordable Pontoons
Bayside Waters
Bluewater Bay
Resort
Boogies Watersports
Destin Watertoys
Dolphin
Cruises/Southern Star
Edwin Watts Golf
Emerald Coast Science Center
Gator Beach at Fudpucker's
Glass-Bottom Boat
Dolphin
Cruise
Good Time Tours
Kitty Hawk Kites
Liquid Surf and Sail
Mid-Bay Bridge
Olin Marler’s
Dolphin
Cruises
Pelican Adventures,
Fishing
Pelican Adventures,
Snorkeling
Ripley's Believe It or Not
SeaBlaster. Destin’s
Original
Sky Pirates Parasail
Snorkel & Dive with
Scubatech
Sunshine Pontoon
Rentals
The Track
Windswept Dunes
ZooWorld
Dining and Entertainment
Web Sites
The Black Pearl
The Crab Trap Seafood
House
& Oyster Bar
Floyd’s Shrimp House
Fudpucker’s
Beachside
Bar and Grill
Grand Boulevard
Harbor Cigars
Howl at the Moon
Landry’s
Seafood
Nightown
Old
Bay Steamer
Rick's Crab Trap
Staff's Restaurant
Sunset Charlie's
The Swamp
Shopping Web Sites
Botanical Salon
& Day Spa
Build-A-Bear Workshop
Fired Up!
Footprints
Fudpucker’s Trading Company
Grand Boulevard
Hugs and Hissyfits
Little Bo Feet
Old Time Pottery
Silver
Sands Factory Stores
Soothing Arts Massage
Therapy
Accommodations/Real Estate Web
Sites
Aqua
Beach Colony Resort
Beach Rentals
of
South Walton
Destin West
Dune-Allen Realty, Inc.
Emerald Coast Vacation Rentals
Fun Destin
Jetty East
Navarre Properties
Seagrove on the Beach
Tourist Services Web Sites
Gulf Coast Immediate
Care
Palmetto Healthcare
Photocraft
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