Visiting Fort Walton / Destin area in July for a few short days

[Familia]

This is just a short trip as a couple.
We love to walk, but are not beach people…meaning, we would not swim, will not be out in the middle of the hot day, etc.

We will have a balcony & a view, which is perfect.
But, we’d love to walk along the beach or shop along a quaint street. Anything quaint?  Prefer to stick close to Okaloosa.

And, here’s an uninitiated question: if we park at a beach access, are those free? Don’t mind paying, just want to know how parking works (never been to beach areas in FL or anywhere much really)…and…are there bathrooms around? I seem to need one per hour LOL, so wondering how that can spoil the fun when out & about.

Thanks for any tips on adult interesting small things to do. We’re pretty content just seeing things, so do not need touristy attractions or anything. 

[Acorn]

I went last June. I loved wading along the shore in Navarre beach area for shells. We were staying in Fort Walton but the beaches there did not have shells. 
We all enjoyed walking the fishing piers in Destin and Navarre. It is a couple dollars for non-fishing walkers. I liked watching the fishing, and saw sea turtles and dolphins. 
There are several public beaches with parking lots and bathhouses. The one at Navarre was free. We also drove to some that were part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore and paid admission for the day. We love hiking and wanted to look for native wildlife, so we also went to Topsail Hill and BlackWater State parks for hiking and kayaking.

Edited May 13, 2022 by Acorn

[shawthorne44]

Destin.    One of the few places that you can Snuba.   I highly recommend that.  A cross between Scuba and Snorkeling and you don't need certification.  You breather with a mouthpiece that has a hose attached to a little boat on the surface.  You aren't very deep so worst case, you can just go to the surface.  But, it is like snorkeling without the bother of going to the surface.  

[El...]

Destin has several gorgeous public beaches where parking is free! It's so beautiful. 

[Familia]

16 hours ago, Acorn said:

I went last June. I loved wading along the shore in Navarre beach area for shells. We were staying in Fort Walton but the beaches there did not have shells. 
We all enjoyed walking the fishing piers in Destin and Navarre. It is a couple dollars for non-fishing walkers. I liked watching the fishing, and saw sea turtles and dolphins. 
There are several public beaches with parking lots and bathhouses. The one at Navarre was free. We also drove to some that were part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore and paid admission for the day. We love hiking and wanted to look for native wildlife, so we also went to Topsail Hill and BlackWater State parks for hiking and kayaking.

This all sounds awesome. With my unfamiliarity of FL, though, only through ‘what you hear’, aren’t there alligators in the water?? Shivers! But, I love to kayak.

[Familia]

16 hours ago, shawthorne44 said:

Destin.    One of the few places that you can Snuba.   I highly recommend that.  A cross between Scuba and Snorkeling and you don't need certification.  You breather with a mouthpiece that has a hose attached to a little boat on the surface.  You aren't very deep so worst case, you can just go to the surface.  But, it is like snorkeling without the bother of going to the surface.  

This sounds great for DH. I have no desire to go under the water. Thanks, I’ll look that up for him!

[importswim]

36 minutes ago, Familia said:

This all sounds awesome. With my unfamiliarity of FL, though, only through ‘what you hear’, aren’t there alligators in the water?? Shivers! But, I love to kayak.

I live in the area. Haven't seen an alligator in the rivers/bay/sound/ocean at all since 2014 (when I moved here). Sharks, however... LOL! You'll be fine. 

Do you like traffic? Destin is crazy in the summer so just be prepared for a busy time.

If you want quaint then you'll want to drive down 30A. It's East of Destin but a close drive: Seaside, Alys Beach, Rosemary Beach...etc... each town has a different feel. Seaside is where they filmed The Truman Show and they have food trucks and bathrooms and a neat independent bookstore to browse through. The whole area is a a little hoity toity but it's still super fun to walk around.

You said you're not beach people but you'll probably want to walk on it at some point. If you're in Destin I wouldn't drive to Navarre just for the beach (even though I'm biased and it's my favorite) because getting back through FWB and then through Destin traffic makes you want to gouge your eyes out with a dull plastic ice cream spoon for entertainment... If you're in FWB and west of their "downtown" area then Navarre would be an easy drive.

ETA: Just read you wanted to stay close to Okaloosa. If you're on Okaloosa island then you're close to the beach and I'd just walk along that one. All of the beach will be the same experience. 🙂 

Edited May 14, 2022 by importswim

[Familia]

39 minutes ago, importswim said:

I live in the area. Haven't seen an alligator in the rivers/bay/sound/ocean at all since 2014 (when I moved here). Sharks, however... LOL! You'll be fine. 

Do you like traffic? Destin is crazy in the summer so just be prepared for a busy time.

If you want quaint then you'll want to drive down 30A. It's East of Destin but a close drive: Seaside, Alys Beach, Rosemary Beach...etc... each town has a different feel. Seaside is where they filmed The Truman Show and they have food trucks and bathrooms and a neat independent bookstore to browse through. The whole area is a a little hoity toity but it's still super fun to walk around.

You said you're not beach people but you'll probably want to walk on it at some point. If you're in Destin I wouldn't drive to Navarre just for the beach (even though I'm biased and it's my favorite) because getting back through FWB and then through Destin traffic makes you want to gouge your eyes out with a dull plastic ice cream spoon for entertainment... If you're in FWB and west of their "downtown" area then Navarre would be an easy drive.

ETA: Just read you wanted to stay close to Okaloosa. If you're on Okaloosa island then you're close to the beach and I'd just walk along that one. All of the beach will be the same experience. 🙂 

I appreciate every little bit of this - thanks!!

[ktgrok]

2 hours ago, Familia said:

This all sounds awesome. With my unfamiliarity of FL, though, only through ‘what you hear’, aren’t there alligators in the water?? Shivers! But, I love to kayak.

Assume any freshwater has an alligator. But they don’t bother people in canoes, kayaks, etc.  seriously, it’s not an issue. 

[lauraw4321]

These are the best beaches in the world (IMO).  Eat at The Donut Hole. 

[pitterpatter]

We love 30A. You might drive down it and stop at the little villages/towns along the way. We stayed at Okaloosa a couple of years ago when we needed a hotel we could cancel at the last minute, if need be. We usually rent VRBOs along 30A. There isn't a lot to do in that area besides enjoying listening to the waves. We did do some geocaching as we walked along the beach.

You might try Bruster's for ice cream. And, there's a Pizza by the Sea in Destin, I think now. We like the twisty breadsticks.

I'll have to think on other things.

[pitterpatter]

I agree that the Donut Hole is good. We especially like the powdered sugar varieties.