On this slice of Florida coastline, the sand is the color of moondust and the water in the Gulf of Mexico looks like green nectar poured by the gods. As the sun goes down, vacationers who have spent the day bronzing in designer swimwear retire to the white high-rises along the shore to prepare for their evening out.
It’s hard to believe that until recently, Destin was a mere pinprick on the Florida Panhandle—a region long known as “the other Florida” and jokingly called the Redneck Riviera. In the 1980s, fishermen’s shanties still lined the waterfront and the biggest attraction was the revolving restaurant at the Holiday Inn.
Then the real estate developers stepped in and dubbed this strip of barrier island the Emerald Coast. Today, Destin, about 50 miles east of Pensacola, is rapidly catching up with the posh environs of West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Naples. Mediterranean-style mansions have sprouted on Destin’s streets, along with pastel shopping enclaves and multi- million-dollar gated communities.
There’s no shortage of places to shop in the area. The Destin Commons mall has its own main street and a central plaza with a stone fountain. Silver Sands Factory Stores calls itself the country’s largest designer outlet center. Its 100-plus shops range from Brooks Brothers and Viking to Bose and Le Creuset.
Golfers consider the impeccably groomed, par-72 course at the Regatta Bay Golf & Country Club to be one of the region’s best, with its numerous wetlands and highly stylized bunkers. The 2,400-acre Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort is so big it has its own zip code. This colossal playground between the sparkling Gulf and sailboat-dotted Choctawhatchee Bay has 2,000 guest accommodations and no less than four top-ranked golf courses. A New Orleans–flavored village named Baytowne Wharf is part of the resort, and that’s where you’ll find Hammerhead’s Bar & Grille, a dockside restaurant serving excellent char-grilled lobster and a drink laced with five different rums called the Category 5 Hurricane. At the other end of the spectrum is the quaint Magnolia & Ivy, a tea salon that also sells antiques and gifts.
Despite all the recent development, visitors can still get close to nature on Jolee Island, an enchanting five-acre preserve on the Sandestin Resort. Its pine groves and tangled underbrush are home to cedar waxwings and yellow-rumped warblers. Nearby, at the Gordon Davison Nature Walk, a boardwalk snakes through a subtropical wonderland of bamboo, magnolias and buckthorn. The quiet is so deep that you can hear a pine needle drop.
For more active outings, Boogies Watersports on Destin’s Harborwalk Marina organizes snorkeling trips, parasailing and pontooning. During their dolphin cruise, you’ll see Atlantic bottle-nosed dolphins (and many, many minnows) swim under the glass bottom boat.
A breezy drive along 30-A, a classic two-lane coastal road that stretches for about 20 miles between Destin and Inlet Beach, highlights the area’s transformation. What was once an isolated landscape of dunes and lagoons is now populated with mansions and towering townhouses, all vying for a precious glimpse of the water. Many of the towns are ultramanicured, master-planned hubs whose architecture evokes the English and Dutch Caribbean. The most notable of these is Seaside, an almost-too-cute village where The Truman Show was filmed. Stop at Bud & Alley’s for the hearty oyster stew.
But before you reach Seaside you’ll pass through Grayton Beach, the oldest community on this winding byway. Clapboard houses are hidden behind burgeoning foliage, and the attractions are more funky than fashionable. The Zoo Gallery sells hand-thrown pottery and quirky T-shirts (the zebra is a common motif). Across the street, the surfside Red Bar is a rambling mess of a building with a rusted tin roof and garage-sale decor. While it’s a far cry from the sparkling newness of the Emerald Coast, the crab cakes may be the freshest and best you’ll ever encounter.
WINE TASTINGS
“It’s a sophisticated crowd here,” says Darren Moss, manager of Seagrapes
Wine Cave in Destin. “Most people come from major cities and understand and appreciate fine wine.” Here are some hot spots to sample.
Cuvee Beach Cellar & Wine Bar 36120 Emerald Coast Pkwy.; 850-650-8900; cuveebeach.com. About 100 glasses of vino are poured every evening.
Chan’s Wine World 4424 Commons Dr.; 850-269-2909; chanswine.com. Wine dispensers for DIY tastings.
Vin’tij Wine Boutique & Bistro 10859 Emerald Coast Pkwy.; 850-650-9820; vintij.com. 1,000 labels for sale and a cozy wine bar.
The Grape 4107 Legendary Dr.;
850-654-7273; yourgrape.com. This
super-modern bar offers weekly tastings.
Seagrapes Wine Cave 9100 Baytowne Wharf Blvd.; 850-267-2526;
sandestin.com. California wines, novel wine accessories and a lounge stocked with issues of Wine Spectator.
SHOP
Destin Commons 4300 Legendary Dr.; 850-337-8700; destincommons.com
Silver Sands Factory Stores 10562
Emerald Coast Pkwy.; 850-654-9771;
silversandsoutlet.com
Zoo Gallery 89 Hotz Ave.,
Grayton Beach; 850-231-0777;
thezoogallery.com
EAT
Hammerhead’s Bar & Grille
320 Baytowne Wharf Dr.; 850-351-1997; sandestin.com
Magnolia & Ivy
147 Market Street Inn; 850-267-2595; magnoliaivy.com
Bud & Alley’s
2236 E. Hwy. 30-A, Seaside; 850-231-5900; budandalleys.com
Red Bar
70 Hotz Ave., Grayton Beach; 850-231-1008; graytonbeach.com
PLAY
Regatta Bay Golf & Country Club
465 Regatta Bay Blvd.; 850-650-7800; regattabay.com
Boogies Watersports
2 Hwy. 98; 850-654-4497; boogies.destinfanatic.com
STAY
RCI-affiliated resorts in Destin include:
Bay Club of Sandestin
For more information,
visit RCI.com or call
Weeks: 800-338-7777
Points: 877-968-7476
Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort
9300 Emerald Coast Pkwy. W.; 800-470-7389; sandestin.com
Pelican Beach Resorts
1002 Hwy. 98 E.; 888-735-4226; pelican-beach.com
NOTE: Information may have changed since publication. Please confirm key details before planning your trip.