In this week’s Weekend post, I shared John and I took a quick weekend trip to Fort Walton Beach (FWB), which is about 10 minutes from Destin. This week has been such a taxing week – I think I’ve said everyday this week: I wish we could go back to the beach. It was such a relaxing few days and I’m pretty sure I need a vacation…from the vacation. Don’t we all?
At any rate, while we were in FWB we at lots of food, drank lots of cocktails and obviously spent tons of time at the beach (one of my favorite parts of the trip). I thought that I would share a short guide on what we did, where we ate and all that good stuff in case you’re interested in a quick beach getaway.
Getting Around:
Our hotel was just steps from the beach. We did drive into Destin where the main highway is super busy, from what I could tell, all the time. But if you’re concerned with only beach life, chances are, if you stay in Fort Walton Beach or Destin, most of the hotels or even some of the homes/condos are literally, just steps away from the beach – I love it.
Where to Stay:
There are TONS of options whether you’re in FWB or Destin. If you’d like to have your own home, obviously there’s tons of places for rent for the weekend too. We decided to stay at the Wyndham Garden Hotel, which was a really large hotel. This isn’t the nicest hotel on the beach but it was extremely close to the beach and the pool was pretty popular too.
They have a tiki bar near the pool where you can order food and drinks, free DVD rentals, a vintage game room, lots of activities for the kiddos and this is where we got engaged! So there’ll always be a special place in my heart for the Wynhdam Garden Hotel.
Bonus: Free beach chair rentals with an umbrella. SCORE!
Friday:
Once we were settled in, we decided to quickly grab something to eat at our hotel’s tiki bar.
The food at the bar is pretty simple and to the point. We both had their blackened chicken sandwich with fries and of course we had two margaritas to accompany it. The tiki bar at the hotel is a fast and easy way to grab a bite to eat before heading to the pool or the beach.
Beach
The beaches are beautiful here. I’ve always loved the beach so I was in heaven here. We both fell asleep out here the first day were at in town. We both had a pretty long and tiring week so a nap was absolutely necessary.
Friday Night:
After getting over the initial shock of getting engaged, we had to eat. So off we went to Old Bay Steamer. I picked this restaurant after doing a bit of research earlier in the week and saw they had just what I wanted: big bowls and steamers of fresh seafood. I was sold.
The food was delicious. Everything was seasoned and not one part of the steamer was bland and the service was great. I can’t imagine a better celebratory engagement dinner.
The restaurant gets pretty busy but it’s really large so the wait goes pretty fast. You may be able to make reservations for large groups.
If you go:
Old Bay Steamer
102 Santa Rose Blvd.
Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548
There are liquor stores all over FWB but this particular was close to both Old Bay Steamer and our hotel. We knew we wanted to be prepared for our Saturday beach day, so we took a trip. I loved this place simply because of this photo:
The counter of shame. It’s huge collection of everyone who’s used a fake idea there! I found this to be so hilarious. Prices were reasonably priced and you can get a few laughs while you’re there.
If you go:
106 Santa Rose Blvd.
Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548
Saturday
Our first priority was breakfast so we headed to Another Broken Egg Cafe. Yes, I know it’s a chain but I never went to the one in Atlanta so I figured we’d try it here.
Very hearty, filling food. So much so, that we decided afterwards to we would do a little walking around and shopping before heading to the beach for the day. Another Broken Egg gets a bit busy so be prepared to wait just a few minutes. Our wait wasn’t too bad about 20-25 minutes. They do have mimosas if you’d like something other juice, coffee or water.
If you go:
979 US Hwy. 98 #4
Destin, FL 32541
One of the stops we made Saturday morning was at Goodwill. I love stopping at different Goodwill shops or any thrift stores when out of town to look for photo props.
I picked up a couple of cool vintage glasses that I can’t wait to use for cocktails. Not pictured, I bought a beautiful yellow baking dish – Love it! The glasses were .79 each and the baking dish was 3 bucks.
If you go:
747 Harbor Blvd.
Destin, FL 32541
Saturday Afternoon
Back to the beach
Naturally, we went back to the beach. I’d suggest you do the same.
Saturday Night
I heard lots of amazing things about this restaurant so we HAD to try it. It’s located in a gated community in Destin and has a lovely view of the ocean. If you decide to sit outside, you have a view of people arriving to dinner on their boats. How glam!
Because of the lighting and not being super prepared, I’m not including any food photos but know…the food is delicious. They start you out with a bowl of hush puppies so naturally, I was in heaven. We split a meal and I’m so glad we did. For an additional $7, we were able to split a full entree and get our own sides.
Bonus: the twice baked potato is ridiculously good. I still have dreams about it.
If you go:
775 Gulf Shore Drive
Destin, FL 32541
Afterwards, we were pretty stuffed so we took a late night walk on the beach and turned in for evening…food coma.
Sunday
Sunday we made a decision to wake up at 6:30am (eeek) to sit on our hotel’s balcony and watch the sun come up. Beach sunrises and sunsets are like nothing I’ve ever seen before. If you go, please take the time to do this.
Just a warning: this place gets pretty busy. We drove by Saturday around 10ish and there was already a very long line outside. The key to enjoying The Donut Hole is to go super early or very late. We went Sunday around 7:30am and it was perfect. Don’t get me wrong, it was still busy even at 7:30 but we were able to get right in (we sat at the bar).
The food came out quickly and the service was great. I had an egg sandwich and John had a breakfast burger. We obviously couldn’t leave without without getting a bag o’ donuts. I really liked their donuts. The regular glaze wasn’t overly sweet, which I liked. It allowed you to actually taste the dough and not just the icing.
Note: I can’t stress enough…GO EARLY!
If you go:
635 Hwy 98 E
Destin, FL 32541
Before we left, we made a stop at De’France Indoor Flea Market Antiques.
This place is HUGE! We were not expecting this. Lots of great items from kitchen decor, some clothing, children items…I mean, the options are endless.
Sure, there’s some pretty creepy things in there but I loved it! Definitely stop here if you enjoy the art of thrifting and antiquing. I ended up buying a vintage tea towel and cute set of mini milk bottles. Can’t wait to share on the blog! This place is over 13,000 square feet and they do lots of DIY classes and workshops!
If you go:
235 Miracle Strip Pkwy.
Fort Walton Beach, FL 32547
Next time we go:
Love the idea of checking out Goodwills while traveling! I've found some great food props at Goodwill back in Wisconsin but haven't checked out any since moving to Florida.
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