Best place to have a beer with the locals:
Adams suggests going down to the docks,
where there are plenty of watering holes and
friendly faces.
Best place for seafood: Dewey Destin
Seafood. Two locations: 202 Harbor Blvd.
(on the harbor) and 9 Calhoun Ave. (
overlooking Crab Island). The city’s founding
family brings a casual atmosphere and a
bounty of seafood without the use of warming lamps in order to preserve the freshest
experience.
Best place to grab a burger: McGuire’s
Irish Pub, 33 Harbor Blvd. They serve traditional Irish fare and tasty steaks, but Adams
suggests trying one of their burgers for a
special experience. “They’ve got a burger the
size of an anchor,” Adams said.
Best place to watch the sunset: Enjoy
it with a burger because on land, Adams
said you can’t find a much better view than
McGuire’s. On the water, Destin Harbor,
Crab Island, and inside Choctawhatchee
Bay are all good choices.
Best party spot: Crab Island wins hands
down. Next to the Destin Bridge, it can
attract hundreds of boats filled with people
looking for fun. From a floating tiki hut
to various boats selling drinks and snacks,
Crab Island is known as the place to relax
and visit with fellow partygoers. There are
children’s activities, too, but only in certain
places. It’s mostly a place for grown-ups
to let their hair down and enjoy the atmosphere. “People go there for the whole day,”
Adams explained. “If you want to socialize
and party on the weekend, that’s definitely
the place to go.”
Eglin AFB
Fort Walton
Beach
Mid Bay
Bridge Road
Choctawatchee
Bay
Okaloosa
Island
Gulf of Mexico
DESTIN AREA BOAT RAMPS:
Lion’s Park (Niceville)
2 ramps, free, 30 parking spaces
N 30 30. 39 W 086 28.52
Lincoln Park (Niceville)
2 ramps, free, 10 parking spaces
N 30 30. 27 W 086 29. 15
Joe’s Bayou Boat Launch
(Destin) 5 ramps, $10 fee
N 30 24.63 W 086 29.45
Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou
State Park (Destin)
1 ramp, ramp fee,
32 parking spaces
N 30 39.06 W 086 26. 14 4181
Fort Walton Landing
(Fort Walton)
2 ramps, free, 20 parking
spaces
N 30 24.07 W 086 36. 24
Ross Marler Park
(Fort Walton)
1 ramp, free,
20 parking spaces
N 30 24.01 W 086 35. 33
Liza Jackson Boat Ramp
(Fort Walton)
2 lanes, $7 launch fee
N 30 24. 20 W 086 38. 17
