Located at the end of Destin across from the Harbor Walk missing going to the jetties would be a shame. The jetties are a favorite location of all the local fisherman and offer a great place to see dolphins. While sitting on the jetties you can see both the bay and ocean. The view is beautiful and every time we went (which was once a day) we were to see at least 10 dolphins fishing or playing in the bay.
3. The Back Porch
You must eat at the Back Porch when you are in Destin. The food is wonderful and the view can’t be beat! The restaurant offers a great view to watch the sunset on the beach. They even have a key lime drink. My favorite thing to order is their fish meal which includes a delicious twice cooked baked potato and veggies.
4. Catch a sunset at the pier by Dewey’s Destin’s
This is a bit tricky to find…so pay careful attention! There are two Dewey Destin locations in Destin. One is one the main road near Harbor Walk and there is another if you take a right on the access road before the bridge headed toward Fort Walton. The one you want is the one that is off the main road. (This is a wonderful restaurant to eat at by the way- they have a wonderful fish sandwich)! Next to the restaurant there is a wooden pier. This is a wonderful spot to take a bottle of wine and watch the sunset. This is another great dolphin spotting location as well.
5. Baytown Wharf Sandestin
The Baytown Wharf is another tricky place to find. It is actually located in Sandestin but you can only gain access to it by turning into the Hilton and stopping at the guard gate. You must tell them you are going to Baytown and they will give you a guest pass. Baytown Wharf is a really neat place with lots of shops, restaurants, nightlife, and activities for the kids. The entire plaza is connected by really neat connecting bridges that are lite up at night (pictured above). Don’t be surprised to find tree houses and forts throughout the property. If you follow the property to the back you will find a restaurant in the back (in the above picture) that offers an AMAZING fish sandwich for $15. You can eat outside under lights and they have a live band every night. Baytown is also a great place to bring kids as there are all sorts of fun activities for them there. Fair warning: this is the place all the high rollers and celebrities visit so don’t be surprised if you run into someone famous!
6. AJ’s to see Ronnie Satterfield
AJ’s is connected to Harbor Walk. They have an outdoor bar and tiki hut (shown above) that features the local celebrity, Ronnie Satterfield, every night except for Wednesday night. Ronnie is awesome! He is a wonderful entertainer and I would highly encourage you to go at least one night to hear him play (fair warning: except to pay $15 for a drink)! The smaller picture above is my husband with Ronnie and a random man. My husband was a huge Ronnie Satterfield fan. We even bought his CD!
7. Fort Walton Pier
Fort Walton Pier is one of the places to go if you want gelato or want to shop. The pier costs $2 to walk down if you just want to walk or $7 I think it was to fish (in my opinion not worth it). But the surrounding shops are a lot of fun! There is a surf shop on the second level (above the night club) that I love! The sells Toms and had some really awesome deals when we were there (I got two pairs of adult Toms for $55). The gelato shop is on the first floor. They also have volleyball nets to play volleyball on the beach if you have a group.
8. Harbor Walk
Harbor Walk is another really fun spot to check out! Located near AJs Harbor Walk is really neat at day or night. At night all the yachts have come in and you can see them all and there is usually nightly entertainment. This is another good place to shop or get a Starbucks and watch cartoons on their giant inflatable screen.
9. Talk a Walk on the Beach
Destin is home to some of the prettiest beaches. I’ve never been to Destin and not seen dolphins which I still think is awesome. The sand is great and you can usually find gorgeous sea shells in the sand.
10. Visit the Public Beach Across from Harbor Walk at night
Chase a crab across the waters or simply enjoy watching the yachts come back in…this public beach makes a very romantic location at night.
I hope you enjoyed my 10 must dos in Destin list! If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask!
BONUS Added 5/8/19: We returned to Destin again this year on a fun family vacation and were able to visit the Buccaneer Pirate Cruise. It was SO much fun! Our kids had a blast and I had to come back and add it to this post. You can read all about it here.
Hi Chelsea, We lived in Destin until five years ago and I miss all these wonderful places. Now we go back once a year as tourist.
Aw, Sherry I'm so jealous! I would LOVE to live there….maybe one day in retirement?
Thanks for sharing those pics, this must be an interesting one. Keep it up.
So glad I found your post on Pinterest! We're going there this summer and can't wait to check out your recommended spots. We'll be staying right in Baytowne Wharf.
How wonderful! I'm jealous! I love Destin and Baytowne Wharf! Let me know what you think of my favorite spots in Destin! 🙂
We are heading to Navarre next week, but will definitely have to check out some of these spots in Destin, they sound like so much fun!!!! Thanks for posting on Pinterest!!!!
Oh Navarre is SO nice! Enjoy!
Just came back from Destin! What a beautiful place!! We had a great time!
Did you try out any of the places above?