Recently, we were invited on a family trip to Destin, Florida. I have heard people talk about Destin and how beautiful it is, but we had never been. I can honestly now say that it may be a place we visit every year from here on out. If you are looking for a great family vacation spot, Destin is it.

I guess I never really realized that you could find water like the Carribean in the United States. Destin has clear blue water and white sandy beaches. It is the closest thing I have seen to Carribean islands, and I have been to many beaches in the United States.

Not only are they known for the clear water, but it is also a very family friendly place to visit. Here are some of the takeaways from our trip.

Things to Do

• You can take tons of boat tours, fishing excursions, and dolphin cruises. In fact, the top 10 things to do in Destin are water related. You can even rent a floating tiki hut to take you to the sandbar for the day!
• There are a few water parks and kid activities on land for a day of fun too. The kids will love activities like Big Kahuna’s Water and Adventure Park.
• You may want to visit the local parks with free playgrounds. We ventured over to the Fort Walton area and let the kids play on a few playgrounds in the area.
• The fishing is great! If you don’t go out in a boat, the Okaloosa fishing pier offers equipment rentals and bait. The pier is so long, and our son was thrilled to catch many fish from there. There is also a boardwalk right next door for those who don’t fish.
• There is no shortage of shopping and food. There are obviously a ton of great seafood restaurants around the area. You can also find your normal shopping stores and some outlets for a day or two of shopping.

Places to Stay

There are a lot of different options when it comes to places to stay in Destin. For this trip we stayed in a house rental through VRBO. There are a ton of house rentals there, but you can also choose other options. There are a number of great hotels, and there are even RV parks for camping.

There are also different areas of Destin that you can stay in. You can choose the Downtown Destin area, where there is a lot of activity, or something a little more peaceful. Downtown is the life of the party. There are rides, stores, and restaurants all around. But beach areas, like Miramar or Crystal, are much less commercialized and a lot calmer. So, you can choose what is right for your family. We stayed right in the middle because we like the best of both worlds.

All in all, our trip was wonderful. I hope you will consider taking your family to Destin and that you enjoy it as much as we did. Be sure to check out my post on the items you should pack for a perfect beach day before you go!

-Kristy M., Mommy to Many