My Experiences with Fort Walton and Destin Florida.

            Everybody needs a vacation sometime in the life. Rather it be a summer vacation or a weekend vacation. Fort Walton Florida and Destin Florida is the place to go. From Oklahoma to Florida it is about 11 hour drive. It is a long drive but there are many spots to stop at along the way.  Florida is a good place to go party, hang out on the beach, or many beach outdoor activities. It is a good spot to get away from your home and family if you are needing a break from life.

            I have been lucky to get to experience Florida during my summer breaks away from college. Florida attracts many people from around the world. Many people come just to go to the beach or go fishing. The most common fish is the red stripper.  On the boardwalk in Fort Walton many people take fishing guides and come back to skin their fish in front of an audience to show off how big the fish are.

Now the beach is the most important fun thing to do at Florida.  How could you not go feel the sand between your feet or the crystal clear water of the ocean. You do not even have to go to the beach driving by is pretty but not as much as actually being able to experience it. Many activities you can do at the beach. You can build sandcastle, bury people in the sand, catch sand dollars, catch crabs, seashells, playing in the water trying to catch fish, or just simply laying on a beach towel enjoying the miles and miles of ocean water. It is a family fun place to be. There are also restaurants on the beach to go enjoy a drink or grab some food.

The best place to be in Florida is Destin going parasailing. Imagine being 1000ft up above the ocean only thing holding you is a strap, a big umbrella looking thing above you catching wind to hold you up, and one heavy thick rope attached to the boat. Talk about and adrenaline rush.

One of my best trips to Florida would have to be two summers ago during the month of June. Me and my family stayed in a condo called Waters Edge Condominiums in Fort Walton Florida. It was a beautiful place and the best part it was right on the beach. The next day waking up to the ocean was something to see. The blue clear waters, the white sand, parasailers up high in the air. I had binoculars and was able to see dolphins. We went and ate at a restaurant called Stewby’s Seafood Shanty. The smell of the place smells of seafood, not the average seafood you buy at the local store, but fresh food such as shrimp, a type of fish, and oysters. There was so much seafood it was amazing.

The next day we were going to go exploring Fort Walton and Destin Florida which is only 30 minutes apart. Fort Walton did not have much fun activities to do except for shopping. We always went to Destin for fun activities. In Destin there was so much to do. In Destin there was parasailing about a 1000 ft above the ocean, going snorkeling seeing different fish species and other species that live in the ocean, and going to the Aquarium. There were so many people that was vacationing in Florida it was unbelievable. They are either fishing, playing volleyball on the beach, freebie, or eating at a restaurant on the beach. We went back to the condo to go to the beach. The sand between my toes was soft and fluffy. The sun was just the right amount of heat beaming down. The water was so clear you could see my foot at the bottom of the water. Fish would swim around me while I was swimming. The taste of the water was salty. The waves hitting against the sand on the beach was a crashing sound.

Overall Florida is a great spot for people from all over the world to enjoy.  It a great vacation if you have children or want to have a break and have an adult only trip. There is a lot of fun activities to do in Destin Florida, but if you need a nice place to relax Fort Walton Florida is the best place to go.

https://www.visitflorida.com/en-us/cities/fort-walton-beach.html you can find more information about Fort Walton Beach at this location.

Comparison/Contrast Table of Places to Eat and Places to Stay

Place to Stay	Cost	Amenities	Food Availability	Parking	Distance to Activities	Comments and Recommendation
Seabreeze INN	$75 and up	Casual waterfront lodging, free wifi, and parking, laundry, outdoor pool	No breakfast	free	In Fort Walton	Super clean nice rooms comfy beds staff is nice
Comfort Inn And Suits	$149 and up	Ocean view quarters, indoor heated pool	Free breakfest	free	IN fort Walton	Nice basic hotel, staff is nice
Waters Edge Codominums	$200 and up	3 bedroom or 4, pull out couch, free wifi, ocean view	No breakfest	free	In fort Walton	Staff is nice and helpful beautiful; place

Place to Eat	Cost	Food Type	Wait Time	Formality Level or Setting	Distance to Activities	Comments and Recommendation
McGuires’s Irish Pub	$20-40	Irish foods	Can be long wait	Casual	In Destin	Very good place to eat and drink and have good time.
All you can eat shrimp and fish	$20 – 30	Fish, shrimp	Depends on how busy it is	Casual	IN Destin	Very fresh Sea Food.
Stewbys’s seafood shanty	$20 -30	Fish, shrimp, chicken	Not wait time	Casual	IN Fort Walton	Fresh sea food. Family place

What to Bring to the Beach.

Going to the beach can be a fun time hanging with family and friends. Enjoying the view, watching children play, and feeling the sand between your toes. Here are some things to bring to the beach and what not to bring.

1. Always have sunscreen. You may think you are getting a tan but actually you are getting burned by the sun. Unless you do tan. I always by the 70% sunscreen that is waterproof. You do not want to be blistered or hurting for the rest of your trip.
2. Having a blanket, towel, or a chair provided by the hotel or condo is the best. You do not want to spend your whole time in the ocean. You may want to air dry before going home. Laying out on a towel or blanket and feeling the warm sun against your body is the best. Sometimes taking a nap is wonderful and relaxing.
3. Bring some plastic shovels or buckets to catch crabs, sea shells, or sand dollars.
4. Wear flip flops because wearing tennis shoes you will have sand all in your shoes. Flip slops are easy to carry or walk in on the beach.
5. Have a beach bag to carry all your towels, sunblock, shoes, and buckets/shovels. You can keep everything together in one spot.
6. Having any electronics at the beach is ok if you want them covered in sand or wet. I suggest leaving them at home.
7. Wearing a swimsuit is best advised. Do not wear extra clothing if you do not have to.
8. If you bring food, then I would bring little amounts because it is the beach which means it is sandy. You do not want to be eating sand.
9. Bring goggles because the ocean plus your eyes do not work together. The salt that is in the ocean will make your eyes burn.
10. Bring some bottles of water because you will be swallowing lots of ocean salts that will leave your mouth dry after swimming.
11. Bring baby powder because the sand will fall off easier on your body.
12. Get and umbrella because the sun may be shining brightly that day and you will not find any trees since it is the beach. You will want shade.
13. First aid kit is a need just in case someone gets hurt.
14. Buying sharpie markers will help to make sure you do not lose anything that belongs to you at the beach.
15. Having Tylenol helps reduce pain like headaches and nausea from the waves.
16. Finally have fun and relax.

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton