If you enjoy the beach, but not the crowds, often a coastal state park might be a good fit for you. Folks tend to not want to pay an entrance fee for a park when they are able to access the beach for free elsewhere. However, the price for greater seclusion and the beauty of a well-preserved and protected coast may be well worth it. Henderson Beach State Park is one of those such places. Located on the Emerald Coast of Destin, it features private access to about 1.14 miles

For our final Destin restaurant review, I will share my thoughts on dinner at Azul Mexican Fusion. This restaurant first caught my attention when they defined their cuisine as Mexican-Mediterranean fusion. Talk about the unexpected. If that was not enticing enough, I read several reviews raving about their sunsets by the bay watching boats going in and out of the Harbor Walk Marina. I thought… “Say no more. Count me in.” Naturally, I was excited to go. Water. Boats. S

Our next review may seem out of place for a coastal dining destination, but I assure you it is a must-visit dining experience. McGuire’s Irish Pub is a highly popular restaurant amongst locals and visitors alike. According to their website, they have received numerous awards and accolades such as Best Brewpub, Best Burger, Best Steakhouse and Best All-Around Restaurant just to name a few. They have even garnered attention from NBC’s Today Show and various well-respected ma

Next up for review is Fudpucker’s, not to be confused with the chain Fuddrucker’s. This lunch and dinner establishment claims to be a beachside bar and grill, but it is not located on the beach. However, if you are looking for a family-friendly, food-filled, quirky tourist trap, have I found the place for you. The beachside reference comes from…wait for it… “The World’s Greatest Alligator Park” called Gator Beach. Yes, you heard me right. This restaurant not only serves

Our next breakfast spotlight in Destin is Ruby Slipper. The concept for this restaurant is absolutely genius in my opinion. Have you ever wished you could have a real authentic restaurant brunch any day of the week? Well, Ruby Slipper has answered that call. From coffees to cocktails and bennies (benedicts) to sammies (sandwiches), their menu hosts many of the treasured options that come with the ideal brunch spread. Ruby Slipper is a chain that was started in New Orlean

Crackings is a family owned and operated restaurant that began in 1998. They are a breakfast, brunch, and lunch establishment. They currently have 2 locations, one in Destin and the other in Santa Rosa Beach (Grayton). I typically only go to a breakfast restaurant when I am on vacation. I find that most breakfast restaurants smell greasy or like dirty dishwater and the floors are either sticky tile or carpet that hasn’t been changed in at least a decade. Thus, I’m a litt

To get my feet wet with my first featured destination, we are going to do a flash back to May when I briefly visited the Destin and Fort Walton Beach area of the panhandle. Over the course of the next 7 posts, I will give a quick overview of the restaurants I dined at to give you a little sample of what is to come. Nicknamed “The World’s Luckiest Fishing Village,” Destin was named after a fisherman from Connecticut, Captain Leonard Destin, who settled there around 1850. It