Destin

Destin does not have any private, members only, multifaceted country clubs in the true sense of the word. There are quite a few establishments that use the term country club but are almost solely focused on golf amenities and maybe a spot or two to dine. If you are looking for a true private club membership opportunity with various social activities, restaurants and bars, swimming pools, fitness facilities, tennis courts, and other amenities you would come to expect from a top quality club, you may be forced to drive out of town or scratch Destin off your list of possibilities.

Seafood Rules in this tiny beachfront town but you can find everything from classic Italian to down home southern cuisine.

The Destin Commons is an outdoor shopping center with a mix of local boutiques and national retailers selling clothing, beauty, shoes, accessories, and more. Popular stores include Bath and Body Works, Abercrombie and Fitch, Sephora, Steve Madden, and many others.

Silver Sands Premium Outlets is a large, 110+ store outlet mall with stores such as Tory Burch, Coach, Kate Spade New York, Michael Kors, Polo Ralph Lauren Factory Store and Saks OFF 5TH.

Amazing white sand beaches, world class fishing, and challenging golf destinations define the city of Destin. After all, at this wildly popular beach town many things to do revolve around the beautiful coastline it offers.

Because of the tourist industry, you can always find a party in Destin. HarborWalk Village is a great place to spend an evening celebrating any occasion. They feature live music, magic shows, weekly fireworks shows, and weekly Fat Tuesday parades, all with a backdrop of fantastic restaurants and bars. Also located in HarboWalk Village is the Destin Harbor Boardwalk. It is the place to go for charter fishing boats, shopping, and dolphin sightseeing cruises.

Henderson Beach State Park is part of the Florida State Park system and is known for its 30 foot tall snow-white sand dunes. This park also features a nature trail and 60 camp sites in the last remaining coastal scrub area in Destin.

The beaches of Destin are part of Florida’s beautiful Emerald Coast and perennial contenders for best beach contests worldwide. They can be described as cheerful and family friendly with soft sand and shallow, gently sloping water entry. The sand on these beaches is a quartz washed down from the Appalachian Mountains. On its way south it has been ground down to a soft, extremely white quartz powder, resulting in some of the whitest beaches on earth. Water color is typically a clear, emerald green, giving name to the Emerald Coast.

There is some great boating in the Destin area with the large Choctawhatchee Bay flanking the city and the East Pass Inlet allowing for Gulf of Mexico ocean access.  At the popular Crab Island Sandbar, locals and visitors alike gather to anchor up and have a good time on and in the water. On a nice day hundreds of boats can be seen at this local hotspot enjoying the crystal clear water and boating lifestyle. Floating vendors sell food and drinks. You can also rent floating volleyball nets, paddleboards, tiki huts, water trampolines, and much more.

Being a coastal community, fishing is a huge part many locals lives and Destin is home to one of the largest Charter Fishing Fleet’s in the United States.  For the inshore angler, the Choctawhatchee Bay provides ample opportunities for anglers looking to fish the many flats across the bay for flounder, black drum, redfish, and spotted seatrout. The offshore side of things is where Destin really shines. These Gulf of Mexico waters provide some of the very best grouper, snapper, cobia, king mackerel, and tuna bites on the west coast. Additionally, the 100 fathom curve (600 foot depth popular fishing area), draws closer to Destin than any other spot in Florida.
–

Destin schools are controlled by the Okaloosa County School District. The district administers 21 elementary schools, 12 middle schools, and 7 high schools. Okaloosa County School District has 31,093 students in grades PK, K-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 17 to 1. According to state test scores, 71% of students are at least proficient in math and 64% in reading. Niche.com gives the school district an A rating and has it as the 3RD best school district in the state. There are no private schools of note in Destin. However, in nearby Fort Walton Beach you will find St. Mary Catholic School (Roman Catholic), and Calvary Christian Academy (Baptist).

The City of Destin has a total of 8 golf courses, none of which are municipal. Within a short 20 mile drive you will find another 17 golf courses of which 13 are public and 2 municipal.

Kelly Plantation Golf Club offers a semi-private 18-hole golf course located along the Choctawhatchee Bay in Destin. The course was designed by Fred Couples and Gene Bates and has extensive practice facilities including a driving range with target greens, 10,000 square foot practice putting green, and chipping area with practice bunkers.

Emerald Bay Golf Club is another great option for golf lovers living in the Destin area. It was designed by famed course architect Bob Cupp who recently came back to complete a major redesign of the course. This club also features a grille and a guesthouse (private 8 bedroom home) for larger groups wishing to stay on the property.

Regatta Bay Golf & Yacht Club just completed a $2.25 million course enhancement project. Robert C. Walker led the project with the goal of improving and modernizing the course and it’s infrastructure. They also offer the Regatta Bay Golf Acadamy powered by PGA pro’s and Trackman simulator technology.

Another fantastic choice in Destin is the Indian Bayou Golf and Country Club. Presenting beautiful scenery combined with holes that will challenge and intrigue, Indian Bayou features two 9-hole courses along with a bar and grille. The Seminole Course has wide fairways and large greens where pin placement rewards accuracy. The Choctaw Course rewards distance and control with only two par three’s.