As I personally grew up in the south (Georgia) my family went to Destin, Florida just about every summer for a week on the beach. With white beaches and clear blue water, Destin is a major destination (no pun intended…) for southerners as well as tourists from all over the world. The Emerald Coast as it’s known as offers the vacationing visitor all of the activities that one can expect when going to the beach.
Amelia Island is located just off the coast of north Florida in the Atlantic Ocean. This part of the southern United States exudes much history and natural beauty. Fort Clinch is a military base that dates back to 1847 and saw action in both the Civil and Spanish-American wars. Amelia Island is now a vacation destination for anyone looking for coastal enjoyment and seclusion. Fernandina Beach has a historic downtown that offers the visitor a multitude of shopping amenities ranging from surf shops to book stores.
Every Spring at Baytowne Wharf, wine aficionados from around the globe enjoy four very full days of wine, wine, wine at the Sandestin Wine Festival in Destin, Florida. More than 600 hand-selected wines are featured at the party and you can sample all of them, if you dare.
In addition to wine tasting, Emerald Coast festival goers can participate in cooking classes and gourmet dinners with wine parings. They can also attend educational seminars, charity events and fashion shows, play in golf tournaments, meet celebrity vintners, and bid at auctions for rare vintages. Now in its 23rd year, the wine festival attracts over 2,000 connoisseurs and wines from more than 80 vineyards. The 2008 edition raised more than $850,000 for local charities.
Tags: Sandestin, Wine, Festival-Destin, Florida
One of my family’s favorite beach-type pass times is shelling. We hit the beach and drag great gobs of different shells back to the vacation rental - only to be forced to leave 90% behind because we cant pack them all - or they smell funny.
I did find out you can clean seashells so they don’t smell - but picking up “dead shells” is your best bet for this, although that doesn’t guarantee they’ll be ’stink free’.
Tags: Shelling, near, Marco, Island, FloridaWhen Walt Disney decided to build a theme park on swamp land in central Florida, he was probably the only one who had a clear vision of what the future would bring. What started out as a theme park plunked down in the middle of nowhere just a generation ago has now grown into one of the most visited and most celebrated family resorts in the world. And it shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon!
Yes, it can be crowded. So if that’s a problem for you, be careful to choose a time to visit when most kids are in school. However, there’s not really an off-season in Orlando anymore. It has become a 4 season destination.
Tags: Orlando, Florida, VacationFlorida Mountain biking - it sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? How can you mountain bike in a state who’s highest point is only 345 feet above sea level? While it’s true you won’t find any grueling steeps on which to punish your quads, a mountain bike is your best choice for negotiating the sand and swamps of our southernmost state.
If you find yourself in the Tampa St Petersburg area, check out SWAMP (the SouthWest Association of Mountainbike Peddlars) . Hook up with these native riding enthusiasts to see how it’s done in the Sunshine State. They’re an active group with plenty of friendly social events and welcome newcomers to join them.? Hopefully, they’ll share their techniques for dealing with gators on the trail.
Tags: Tampa, Florida, Mountain, Biking
Destin began as a fishing camp, grew up as a commercial fishing center and and now provides some some of the best sport fishing opportunities in the world. The reason is mostly it’s location.
A boat can leave Destin Harbor and be in 60 foot deep water within just a few miles. Within 10 miles, it can be dropping lines in 100 feet of water. And because fishing has always been the lifeblood of the area, the locals have jealously guarded their marine environment and expanded reefs that attract fish to their shelter.
Tags: Destin, Florida-The, World, Luckiest, Fishing, VillageSunny Isles Beach ranks as one of the best vacation destinations in the entire South Florida area. It’s far enough from the hustle and bustle of Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale to be a relaxing family resort. At the same time, it’s close enough (about 30 minutes) to those hot spots that you can enjoy the shopping, partying, people watching and nightlife for which they are famous.
With water, water everywhere, the resort community occupies a strip of land bounded on one side by 2 1/2 miles of white sand beaches on the Atlantic Ocean. The IntraCoastal Waterway runs along the other side and, if you venture a bit east onto the mainland, you’ll find Oleta River State Recreation area for sea kayaking and mantee watching.
Tags: Sunny, Isles, Beach, Florida