Florida State Parks

Florida's Emerald Coast has quite a few state parks preserving the natural beauty of our many beach communities. In Destin, I often frequent our Henderson Beach State Park. Starting in downtown Destin and ending in the Crystal Beach community of Destin, this park is a great way to get away from crowded beaches and buildings. Being centrally located in Destin is wonderful because it allows the area to still have a touch of pristine untouched nature amidst development. My husband and I biked there today before the showers began. Today was apparently "state park" day because it was free to get into all state parks throughout Florida today.  The park was busy with beach goers. The gazebos had visitors seeking refuge from the sun and the beach and crystal waters were had lots of families enjoying their day at the beach. I was surprised, however, at how much empty and open space there still was. The state was even building more boardwalks and gazebos and parking for future park goers.

It was all very nicely done. The facilities look and operate great and there was even Dunes Dogs hot dog vendor busy supplying lunch. 

Some other wonderful State Parks in our immediate  area of the beach are St. Andrews State Park in Panama City, Topsail Hill State Park and Grayton Beach, both in the Beaches of South Walton, just to the east of Destin.

For more on Florida's State Parks, visit the Florida State Park Online Guide here. 

This image is from a photo contest on that site and was taken at St. Andrews State Park. The photographer is Vicki Jordan.

Kite Fest On Okaloosa Island

Yesterday was a little overcast but a perfect day for flying kites and enjoying music on the beach. Kitty Hawk Kites at The Boardwalk on Okaloosa Island hosted a kite day and to my surprise and delight, when I arrived at the beach, the sky was filled with wonderfully bright and fantastic kites. There was also a live DJ and and activities for the cheer leading competition that is in town right now. It seems there is always something fun and family friendly going on at the Boardwalk on Okaloosa Island...

Lunch Break/Beach Break

I took a look at our beach cam just before lunch time and realized it was much too beautiful of a day to not dine on the water. So Terry and I headed down to Scenic Highway 98 to find a spot with a view. We stopped at Pompano Joe's and we were pleasantly surprised to find it bustling with our winter guests. While overlooking the gorgeous Gulf of Mexico, we enjoyed the Coral Reef Nachos, the Grilled Amberjack Sandwich and Soup special, and marveled at how lucky we are to live, work and play in such a beautiful setting.

Surfing on the Panhandle

Northwest Florida's Gulf Coast can have nice, surfable waves, especially in the winter. Yesterday at key breaks in Destin, Fort Walton Beach and the Beaches of South Walton, tough surfers who could handle the cooler water and air temperatures were out in numbers.

Panama City Beach usually has a great line up, too.

These surfers were having fun despite the grey morning. Luckily by noon, the sun was peaking out and the day turned pretty.

This spring Southern Resorts may begin working with Ride on Surf School, owned by local surfers offering surf lessons. It is a wonderful sport to learn!

For current surf conditions, you can always check official NOAA buoy readings and for a real time view of the beach in Destin, visit Southern Resorts beach cam!