Oh my goodness, this place is Caribbean beautiful. Heck, we’ve been to some places in the Caribbean that can’t measure up to Destin, Florida. We had no idea just how much we would like it here when we chose this as our stop for a few days.
The sand is sugar white, dries to a soft powder, and brushes off completely. The water is bright blue close to shore, and emerald green just beyond the small breakers. The main drive along the beach is lined with beautiful homes and vacation rentals, as well as high rise resorts. Parking is plentiful and free(!), and people are polite and friendly. We found out that down the coast in Panama City Beach, Florida, a hot spot for college spring breakers, a liquor on the beach ban was imposed this year, so they all tried to move up the coast to Destin. The law enforcement runs a tight ship in this charming, family-friendly place, and they weren’t having it. If I let my imagination run just a little, it’s easy to imagine this place as a movie set. I kid you not.
First moment my feet hit the warm sand. I’m so happy!
The Emerald Coast, as it’s known, includes Destin, Ft. Walton Beach, and where we are, Destin-adjacent Miramar Beach.
The video below is a promotional video for the Emerald Grande, and we’ve never stayed there, but it’s such a great representation of what I’m trying to express about the beauty of Destin’s coastline I thought you might enjoy seeing it.
There aren’t many RV resorts in the area, and since it was spring break, our choices were few. Upon arrival at Geronimo RV Resort, we thought we might have made the wrong choice. Let’s just say the appearance from the street doesn’t paint a very good picture. Once inside, it was really quite nice. The sites were spaced out, well groomed, and the Nicole in the office could not have been nicer. It’s a family run place, and while we were there, two cousins appeared to be running the show, Nicole’s cousin being the more serious, taking care of business kind of guy. Good ying and yang arrangement.
On the same street as Geronimo RV Resort, but closer to the beach by only a couple short blocks is Destin RV Resort, a place that we’d hoped to stay at, and could have if we were willing to move to a different site after a couple days. Once there, we found Geronimo to be far better for us. Destin RV may look good on the internet, with its brick pavers and all, but the overgrown tropical landscape at each too-close-together site would have made us feel positively claustrophobic. Another example of things working out for a reason.
Hi-rise resorts in the background, this is our home for the next three days.
Nicely spaced apart campsites, with lacy trees.
Nice concrete pads, and heat-busting grass.
We started out our first full day with an on-the-beach lunch at Whale’s Tail Bar & Grill. We went there not expecting anything much more than a killer location on the beach, ordered something simple to eat, a cold beverage (c’mon people, it’s non-alcoholic more than you think), and took in the view. All was right with our world.
The restaurant is located upstairs, where we ate. Food to-go looked to be done quite frequently, but the view and breeze enticed us to stay.
Downstairs at the Whale Tale, a walk up bar and restrooms for easy access from the beach.
After lunch we ran a few errands, and that was all the day allowed us for the time being. We may be seemingly carefree and willy-nilly, but real-life comes calling frequently, and we had work to do. Back at our camp, I took care of some office duties, and Steve put on his property manager hat for a bit. He then handled a few RV maintenance to-do’s, some of which needed to be taken care of by a pro. Quite frankly, at 16 years old and 100,000+ miles, we were surprised we didn’t have any major trouble with our old coach until now. We made it all the way to Florida! We’ll take that as a win! Since we needed advice regarding a mobile RV repair, Nicole was quick to supply four names and numbers, and recommend one in particular. If you ever find yourself in need of a top-notch mobile RV repair, we highly recommend John Parker, Gulf Coast RV Service, LLC in Navarre, Florida, 850-791-4660.
It’s a short 7-8 minute walk to the beach from Geronimo RV, but Steve and I wanted to be a little further west on the same beach, where there’s chairs and umbrellas to rent, and snacks and cocktails to purchase.
Before all the beach goers show up for the day. Yes, that’s Whale’s Tail in the background.
The beach is calling, and we must go.
Our spot for the day!
I am one incredibly happy woman.
I know I’ve been whining about the rain for the last couple of weeks, and now I’m going to revel in the sunshine! Steve isn’t all about the beach for hours on end, but I told him I need a beach day. Need it like I need air. The weather’s perfect, the water’s stunning, and the sand had my name written all over it. We packed a picnic, and off to the shore we went. Under the shade of an umbrella, settled in our rented chairs, we took in every moment. Our fellow beach goers were as happy to be there as we were, and we quickly became part of their group. I joined in a game of boys against girls corn hole. The boards and bags were travel-sized, so small compared to full-sized corn hole, I dubbed it popcorn hole. The smaller holes, lighter bags, and beach breeze made it tricky to get it on the board, much less get it in the hole. In one round I landed 3 in a row right through the hole! I’ve never done that before, and I seriously doubt I’ll ever manage to do it again. Good times, good times.
Corn hole, rather, popcorn hole on the beach
It’s a glorious day enjoying surf and sand!
Riding the bull, on-the-water style. SO funny to watch!
A few pretty girls in teeny bikinis strolled by, and I realized the perfect way to get Steve to stay at the beach. No, I didn’t take any photos. What do you take me for?
More than a few people mentioned Harborwalk would be a good place to go check out, so we headed over one afternoon. It’s a shopping/restaurant/marina/ boardwalk in Destin. Every boat has a marquee sign for its slip, listing the name of the boat and its captain. It was a really nice touch. Harborwalk reminded me of San Diego’s Seaport Village, with the addition of a marina, and done with more of a Floridian vibe rather than a Spanish-Californian vibe (well, der).
The backside walk, away from the boardwalk.
Haha
HAHAHA
So, this is how Destin received its name.
It’s difficult to see in my photo the art created to memorialize this tree.
My selfie game is so weak…
I LOVE THIS!
A suggestion from several locals, and folks that have been coming to Destin for years, was to eat at Captain Dave’s. There are quite a few waterfront restaurants to choose from, and this may not have been our first choice. Thanks to the advice from those in the know, we didn’t miss out on this great place. The food was delicious, the location perfect, and the sunset was the cherry on top.
Scored a fantastic table for dinner.
Oh my goodness, this view.
The sunset, oh my, this sunset was a vision.
And that, dear reader, was it for us at Destin, Florida. We’ll be on the road early in the morning, bound for Tampa.
Keep looking up!