Spring Break

A favorite destination spot for Kentuckians is Destin, Florida. So after living here for almost 10 years, we finally decided it was time to check it out.

Using Brad's hotel points, we stayed at a wonderful Marriott Hotel at Sandestin Resort.

 

The first beach we went to was the Sandestin Beach, right next to the resort hotels.

This beach was quite busy, with lots of families, and plenty to do, like para sailing.

There were also plenty of great places to eat,

like "Hamburger Paradise",

and "Bayou Bill's"

which had the most delicious grab legs,

and interesting decor!

But on Easter Sunday, we ate in.

Also on Sunday, we did some sight-seeing at a quaint little town called Seaside  (unfortunately the "Duckies" shop was closed, so Aubrey could only dream about the various duckies inside).

But there were plenty of other sites to see,

and beautiful beaches to explore along the South Walton coastline.

On Monday, we had fun shopping at the Silver Sands Outlet stores, and did more sight-seeing along Old Scenic Hwy 98 and the Emerald Coast Pkwy where we explored all of the Fort Walton Beaches.

Everywhere we went there were amazing beaches, oyster bars, and souvenir shops where you could find anything,

even a bottle of shells with Brittney's name spelled correctly!

The girls had fun watching the surfers

and walking the beaches, boardwalks, and peer of Okaloosa Island.

The thing that surprised me the most was the varied landscapes,

  and unique shrubbery along the beaches.

The other wonderful thing about the beaches of Destin was how different they all were.

You could spend a day with tons of tourist and people doing a million different beach activities,

or enjoy the peaceful tranquility of beaches that were almost deserted.

The kids, of course, enjoyed the latter of the two!

The sand was so fine and soft along the Santa Rosa Sound,

and the water was the perfect temperature.

The kids also enjoyed sun bathing, body surfing,

and just soaking up the sun after a very long, cold Spring in Kentucky.

Destin Harborwalk and Marina was also so fun to explore with it's 

many hotels with interesting architecture,

cobblestone paths,

more oyster bars,

and super fun family entertainment. . .

There were also plenty of things to do and see that required no money at all,

like checking out the yachts

(and dreaming you owned one)

  watching the fishing boats come and go

with their large 

and small catches of the day,

watching the pelicans eat the discarded fish,

bonding over fun photo moments,

and exploring yet more beaches and awesome bridges.

We had the time of our lives at Destin, and even Brad, who was sceptical about going, said he would go there again in a heartbeat!