Things to Do in Destin, Florida

A couple of weeks ago, I got the chance to travel to Destin, Florida, with a group of other bloggers. I was crazy excited because I knew I’d get to see some of my favorite friends and because Destin is absolutely amazing.

The beauty of Destin was apparent everywhere we went, from the white sand beaches to the water, the wildlife and everything in between. I’ve traveled there twice with friends, but would love to come back and spend days just wandering around and getting photos of the beauty.

On this trip, we spent a lot of time at HarborWalk Village, one of my favorite areas of Destin. There are dozens of unique shops, fun restaurants, bars and activities to keep everyone entertained.

Whether you want an active vacation with jet-skiing, paddleboarding and ziplining, or a more laid-back trip of relaxing, shopping and dining, HarborWalk Village has everything you need.

One of my favorite vacation activities has always been relaxing on the beach. I love a long beach day with a good book or an afternoon of fun with a group of friends. I’ve been to dozens of beaches before and have to say that Destin has some of the most amazing sand that I’ve ever seen.

It’s white and fluffy and absolutely beautiful.

Whenever we wanted to enjoy the beach, we just hopped on the complimentary beach shuttle boat from the Emerald Grande resort, where we stayed. It was a nice five-minute boat ride over to the beach, where we were pleased to find nice beach towels, chairs and umbrellas waiting for us.

The beach shuttle is just one of the awesome benefits of staying at the Emerald Grande Resort. The resort is set above HarborWalk Village, so instead of having to drive from a hotel to each activity, we just walked right outside. It was wonderful!

The rooms of the Emerald Grande are all amazing, too. The condos all come with private balconies, gorgeous views, and luxurious furnishings. Our three-bedroom, three-bath condo was beautiful, with plenty of room to spread out and relax, including a full kitchen and living area.

One afternoon, we decided to head out to the Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park.

I’ll admit, I’ve been to aquariums with my kids and assumed this would be similar. I was so wrong.

There are hands-on exhibits, interactive exhibits, wildlife shows and more. I loved every minute of it, but would have to say that my favorite part was the dolphin being right on the other side of the glass from me. It was so amazing!

I can’t wait to bring the kids to Gulfarium somday.

One night, we all headed over to Uncle Buck’s Fish Bowl and Grille to have some fun bowling. I’ve bowled in a regular alley, and even glow-in-the-dark bowled, but can’t say I’ve ever bowled underwater.

Well, I still can’t say that, but the bowling alley definitely looked that way. There were hand-painted marine life everywhere, along with a perfectly blue “underwater” theme throughout the room. Very cool!

While there, we also were able to swing by Lulu’s one afternoon for an amazing lunch. The view was absolutely gorgeous, and I’d love to head back there someday with a few friends to stay and enjoy longer. Lulu’s often has live entertainment near the beachfront tiki bar that would be fun for a family afternoon or an evening out with friends.