Although Destin used to be a sleepy fishing town it is now a family vacation destination and has been for nearly the last 30 yeas. You can't beat the white sandy beaches and the emerald green waters of the Gulf. I find Rosmary Beach, Seaside, Grayton Beach, etc. to be a little "stuffy" and although Destin has attracted some, how should i say..."characters" as of late it is still our prefered beach on the Gulf and we visit every June. All restaurants are family friendly, there are plenty of places to shop if you should become tired of beach-ing it, there is even a HUGE waterpark called The Big Kahuna if you are into that sort of thing. We typically prefer to spend the day on the beach and out to dinner in one of Destin's many established eateries for fabulous gulf seafood caugt fresh that day

Our favorite places to eat are Gilligan"s on the harbour (great fried shrimp and fried catfish...all u can eat for about $12US), the Boathouse Oyster Bar (a lovely dive in every sence of the word) and Dewey Destin's. We also love Harbour Docks for a little more upscale dining. Of course even in the finest restaurants flip flops are standard so don't worry about bring fancy clothes. Don't miss breakfast/brunch at the Donut Hole...YUM! But go early as the line gets long.

For shopping Banana Bart's is "old Destin" and you'll find great trinkets and souviners at great prices. Plan to spend awhile there...lots to look at.

Of course nothing beats sunset on the beach! My only complaint is that we cannot take our Lab as dogs are not allowed on the beaches in Destin.

I am a beach snob. I went for a wedding with a little bit of an attitude and was shocked and surpised.
Loved it. Beautiful

I am a Houston native, but I lived in Destin for about three years. I also visit there about once a year. I graduated from Ft. Walton Beach, (six miles from Destin) high school.

Destin has white beautiful sand and clear blue/green water.

I recommend that you eat at the Back Porch. I waited tables there for a little while and the food is decently priced and tasty. The view is even better. It is situated on the beach and they usually have the windows open.

Another tip. You are only about a 30 minute drive from Watercolor and Seaside. Go to Seaside and rent bikes. It is about 20 bucks for four hours and you can bicycle all along the streets and in the back of Watercolor where there are trails.

We have stayed at the Best Western in Destin twice. It is clean, inexpensive and in a good location across the street from the beach.

Go to the Donut Hole for breakfast, and I recommend Harbor Docks for lunch. Harbor Docks is on the bay and has a great view. Both restaurants have decent prices, Donut Hole is inexpensive.

I recommend AJ's for drinks and don't forget to walk along the docks.

Also, go to Baytowne Warfe and take the courtesy boat over. They have neat little shops and restaurants. Fun for the kids if it is during the day. Not so much at night.

Silver Sands outlet mall does have decent prices and I do recommend parasailing.

San Destin is a wonderful place to get away to on the gulf coast.
October & November is a quiter time, with the weather mild.
There are plenty of hotels or condos for rent, so you want find a easier place to get a place to stay.
We used a friends timeshare this past November(2007). The hotels are very nice in the area & we have use them on earlier visits. This is a great place just to go to and relax, with wonderful beachs to take those nice morning or evening walks on. I would tell anyone who needed to get away for some quite time that this is a great place to do so in the fall. There are alot of great places to eat out if you so desire.