Hi! I have not been on this site in a while but I know you will know this answer better than anyone else.

I am trying to plan our summer vacation and now we have a 1.5 year old who will be 2 by the time we travel. I have not been to either Destin or St Pete. Which beach would be better for us with a child that young taking restaurants and all that into consideration? BTW, we love seafood and so does she but obviously these need to be casual/family oriented type restaurants (think Hymans, Shucks etc). We will eat out each night.

Last year we did Charleston but that was easy since we do that every year anyway and I know what to expect. Thanks so much.

beachdreams, one thing I would keep in mind is the terrible, unpredictable red tide problem St. Pete area and on South to Sanibel has had the last two years. Good friends of ours are going to the Panhandle beaches (Destin) instead this year just because of that. Surely either place will have some good family-oriented restaurants?

I'm partial to Destin myself but the relatively flat beaches and typically calm surf is perfect for a toddler.
Never had problems finding family-style restaurants either - many along the beachroad...
I really just wanted to refer you to the Destin forum on the TripAdvisor site = it is fairly active and a good resource for restaurants, etc.

Destin is a nice, white sand, green water beach with family priced hotels and family restaurants abundant. North of St. Pete is Indian Rocks Beach. A 20+ yr old Holiday Inn with suite type rooms is across the street from a beautiful flat beach with a handfull of family seafood restaurants in walking distance. A great niche beach destination. If you are planning on going to other attractions like Bush Gardens or Disney, Indian Rocks is a 30 minute slow drive off the freeway. The benefit is you are in an uncrowded relaxing destination, but its tough to get to and from.

The summer is "high" season in Destin. It will be very crowded,congested, and expensive. The Gulf Of Mexico is rarely calm in the summer months. I cannnot comment on St Pete as I haven't been to St Pete in many years. However, I live near Destin and visit often and my husband works in Destin and nearby Fort Walton Beach several days each month.