Newspaper Page Text
GET OUT OF TOWN
Head for the Hills • Coastal • Weekend Trips
A Weekend in Destin
White sand, blue water, delicious seafood, and memorable sunset cruises
the dolphins. I’ve been on these types of
tours before and it's usually hit or miss,
but we were inundated with dolphins.
They were racing alongside the boat,
leaping out of the water, and being very
playful.
The nearly 1.5-hour cruise ended
with an incredible sunset view across
By Jacob Nguyen
If you’re ready for a break from
Tybee Island and want something
less raucous than Panama City,
then head to Destin, Florida for
its famous white sand beaches and
crystal blue water.
Destin is a little over five hours
away from Atlanta, so my friend
and I left around 9 a.m. on Friday,
gained an hour crossing into the
central time zone, and were having
lunch on the beach by 1:30 p.m.
Our first stop was the Crab
Trap (crabtrapflorida.com), which
was just a short walk from our
Airbnb. We were seated on the
porch overlooking the beach and
ocean. We ate a mound of crab legs
with corn on the cob and a side of
gumbo.
Then it was time to hit the
beach. The water is clear and warm,
and it really is the reason to visit
Destin. We spent the majority of
our time lounging and swimming.
Be sure to bring a beach umbrella
and plenty of sunscreen!
Evening is the best time to
explore Destin and check out
some of the attractions and sites.
Destin FFarbor Boardwalk is the
epicenter of the town and is full
of restaurants, bars, souvenir
shops, and where to find sunset
and dolphin cruises, parasailing,
charter fishing trips, and snorkeling. You
can book any of these activities and see
options at destinboardwalk.com.
The boardwalk is a little hectic
with tourists, but we decided to book
a sunset cruise with Southern Star
(southernstardolphincruise.com) to see
A heron at Destin Harbor.
the harbor as the boat took us back
to the boardwalk. The cruise was $35
per person, but it was worth it in my
opinion.
Then it was on to what I consider the
best restaurant in Destin — Boshamps
Seafood and Oyster FFouse (boshamps.
com). Yes, it’s pricey,
but so delicious we
ate there two nights
in a row. The seafood
gumbo and Oysters
Rockefeller were my
favorites. There’s
usually a long wait,
but you can sit on the
dock overlooking the
harbor until a table is
ready. You might spot a
frolicking dolphin or a
blue heron.
After another day on
the beach, we headed
back to the boardwalk
to take a FFydrojet boat
tour (hydrojetboats.
com). These are long,
sleek speedboats that
take you on hour-long
tours of the harbor,
so if you feel the need
for speed then hold on
tight. This tour might
not be for everyone. It’s
bumpy, you get wet,
but it is so much fun.
We didn’t see many
dolphins this time, but
the boat experience is
really what you pay $35
per person for.
One last food
recommendation
is to have breakfast
at The Pancakery
(thepancakery. com).
There’s usually a wait
here, too, but you can
browse the adjoining
beach shop until they
text that your table is
ready. The Blueberry
Hill stack of pancakes
topped with fresh
berries is amazing.
While we stayed
in a really comfortable
Airbnb just across the
street from the beach
(the website Worldwide
Traveler says there
are more than 300
properties available in
Destin), there are plenty
of hotels. Whether you
want something upscale
or no-frills motel, there are plenty of
options at hotels.com.
For more about visiting Destin go to
destinflorida. com.
Dolphins frolic in Destin Harbor.
RoughDraftAtlanta.com
JUNE 2023 | 13
