Destin
 

My husb and I are taking a vacation 5/11-19. Can you tell me some things to do there in addition to beach stuff, such as any attractions, restaurants, etc. Also, is it laid back like the Keys or more upscale? Better to rent house/condo or stay in hotel? Would we want to stay right in Destin because I've read several postings about areas surrounding Destin? Also, on kind of a low budget... Thanks.

There is a huge outlet mall just east of Destin proper. You have to be careful when you go in and have an idea of the price of things because I saw stuff that was twice the price it was in KMart.(Housewares etc.)<BR><BR>There is a cool bar on the beach road called Whales Tail. Good for fried goodies and drinks at sunset. Portions are huge tho, so be careful. Most things will feed two.<BR><BR>My favorite restaurant is the Crab Trap, again on the beach road. Excellent she crab soup and one of the few places you can actually get fried clams.<BR><BR>The highlight of the day in Destin is the sunset. Everyone takes their drinkie poo down to the beach to chat and watch the sunset. The sunsets are spectacular. The people are pretty nice too!<BR><BR>They have some boat trips out to fish and look for dolphins and birds and they had a glass bottom boat, but we were happy to just beach it. The beach in that area is wonderful. It almost looks like parts of the Caribbean at times.<BR><BR>There are a lot of strip malls and tons of stores to look thru.<BR><BR>I thought it was pretty casual. I wore a sundress to dinner one night,mostly shorts, slacks kind of things.<BR><BR>I looked in my guide book I picked up down there for some realtors names for you but it didn't have any. If I run across any info I'll repost here.<BR><BR>We're going back again this year and I can't wait! Have a great time.

We were there over Christmas to visit my wife's sister. To me, not much to do there, but then again, I am not a beach person. Supposed to be some good golf courses. May would be a better time to play than late December.<BR><BR>Whale's Tail was okay. Crab Trap was abysmal. Beaches and sunsets are beautiful.<BR><BR>Destin is highly commercial. The only difference between Destin and the Algarve in Portugal is that Destin is not overrun by German tourists. The native's claim it sold its soul to the developers.<BR><BR>Seaside was cute, although the sameness can wear on you after a while.

Lindsay: Could not agree with you more! We were there last September & I found nothing to do other than sitting on the beach (which is beautiful). The restaurants were terrible. Seaside was a one hour diversion. If I saw one more "Wings" store with their overpriced crap, I was going to scream. The natives should be ashamed.

I'm not crazy about Destin either. We went there regularly years ago - actually decades ago - when our children were small and it wasn't as built up as it is now. Our most recent trip was a couple of years ago and we were really disappointed. All the beaches are lined with condos and/or hotels. And unlike Key West, where you can park your car and walk everyplace, in Destin, you have to drive EVERYWHERE. Traffic is awful, too!

Tracy:<BR>The nicest thing about Destin is that it's close to Pensacola Beach. Now there's a vacation area. As the above posters have said, there really isn't a whole lot to do in Destin except sun on the beach. It's also not a place to save money. Nor is Pensacola Beach for that matter. However, in my opinion, the restaurants in Pensacola Beach are far better than those in Destin. Better night life in Pensacola Beach as well.<BR>Take a ride to Navarre Beach which is a few miles west of Destin. "Jaws" was filmed there at the Holiday Inn area. <BR>

My goodness folks, who pissed in your cornflakes?<BR>You're talking about a beach resort town, what do you expect? <BR>If it's so terrible, stay the hell away from it.

anon: Well....maybe to warn others. I didn't know it was so tacky until I got there. At one time, it was a nice, quiet fishing town with a great beach.

Have you ever been to a typical beach resort city/town that wasn't "tacky"? They all are. Souvenir, tshirt shops, fast food restaurants. They're all alike.

THIS TRACY'S HUSBAND. YOU'VE HELPED ME DECIDE. WE'RE GOING TO THE KEYS!<BR><BR>THANKS:)