Oftentimes we’ve asked about things to do, places to eat and where to shop in Destin.
Here is a list of recommendations for things everyone will enjoy
Have fun.
For a complete list of excursions, options check out this link.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links at no cost to you.
Have fun In Destin Florida
Big Kahuna Water Park
For families visiting in the summer and looking for a water park to cool down and have fun – Big Kahuna’s water park is the place for you! over 40 water attractions, including water slides, tube slides, wave pool, lazy river and even mini-golf. Great way to cool and enjoy the summer heat!
Click here for a great deal on Big Kahuna Water Park
Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park
The perfect place to feel the water splash from dolphin tails, getting close to tortoises, sharks, stingrays, and even alligators, Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park
is the place for you!
Enjoy a tank where you can pet hermit crabs and starfish. The place offers shows throughout the day. If you wish to help with the animals or swim with the dolphins and stingrays, we recommend that you make reservations in advance.
Click here for a great deal on Gulfarium tickets
Dolphin Sunset Cruise
Destin offers the best dolphin cruise! So many dolphins in this area you are almost guaranteed to see some. Tours are usually about 2 hours long, and some dolphins come close to the boats and you can see their noses! It is such a great experience!
http://affiliates.tripshock.com/go/3133
Fishing Trip
Destin is the perfect place to fish all year long, so don’t miss the opportunity to take a fishing trip! There are many different options, from kids-friendly to adult party style, private trips, day trips or night trips. So many options!!
Just pick the fishing trip that best suits you.
Fish you can find in each season.
- Winter: Snapper, Triggerfish, Tuna
- Spring: Snapper, Amberjack, Cobia
- Summer: Snapper, Mahi Mahi, Marlin.
- Fall: Snapper, Shark, Sailfish
If you are here in the fall, be sure to check out the Destin Fishing Rodeo!
Click here to find a fishing trip in Destin, FL
Magic Show
For the magic and tricks fans, go and see a magic show in Destin.
It’s a local family-friendly Maximum Magic Show, and if you book online, you will get a 10% discount with coupon code “Magic10”.
Click here for discount on Magic Show
Wild Willy Adventure Zone
Click here for discounts on Wild Willy Adventure Zone
Pirate Cruise
A 90 minutes duration of extreme fun for the kids, you are going to be entertained with gun squirting and sword fights, face painting and pulling a treasure out of the ocean and shooting the cannon! It is an excellent time for the family.
Click here for more info about Pirate Cruise
Parasailing
Click here for great deals on Parasailing in Destin
Kayaking
Click here for discounts on Kayak rentals
Stand Up Paddle Boarding
Click here for a great deal on Paddle Board rental
Boat Rental
Sailing to Crab Island is probably one of our favorite things to do in Destin!
You will meet a floating restaurant on the water! The water is about waist-high, and you can hang out on the boat or spend hours jumping off the ship and into the clear turquoise water and enjoy the vibe. Insider tip: Go early!!! It’s highly recommended!
Click here for a great deal on Boat Rental
Banana Boat
Click here to book your Banana Boat Excursion
Catamaran Sailing Trip
Click here for a great deal on Sailing Trips
Helicopter Tour
Click here to book a Helicopter Tour in Destin
Golf
Click here for a great deal on golf packages
Gator Beach – Exhibits + Bar & Grill
located below The Big Deck at Fudpucker’s. You can see over 100 live alligators in a Unique environment. You’ll be able to feed them as well. They also have a baby alligator tank and offer daily shows and tours.
Click here to check out showtimes at Gator Beach
Uncle Buck’s Fish Bowl & Grill
A fascinating underwater experience! Custom bowling balls
with octopus, mermaids, camouflage and more! Underwater scenery of sea turtles, sharks, stingrays and other saltwater species! A deep sea dive like no other.
You can also eat at their grill restaurant and order your food & drinks right to your lane. They don’t take reservations.
For more info and Menu at Uncle Buck’s click here
Scuba Diving
Click here for more info about Scuba Diving in Destin, Florida
Shop In Destin:
Destin Commons
lots of shopping and dining options.
There’s a large AMC movie theater just a few minutes from our beach house.
Click here for a list of events and directory at Destin Commons
Village of Baytowne Wharf
Click here to view a complete directory and schedule of events at Baytowne Wharf
HarborWalk Village
Check out the calendar of events at HarborWalk Village
Silver Sands Premium Outlet
Click here to view a complete store list at Silver Sands Premium Outlet
Where To Eat In Destin :
Pascalli Kitchen
This is a chef-run local restaurant that offers high quality take out food. This is seriously our favorite place to eat as they have so many yummy options from fresh & hot Beignets (you gotta try them!!!), breakfast sandwiches, pizzas by the slice and amazing baked goods. This is a family run business and they really do everything with so much love and passion! We love picking up and taking it to the beach where we can enjoy it with the best view of the gulf. I mean, can you really top this view paired with fried sugary sweets??? This is a must!
Click here for location & Menu of Pascalli Kitchen
Pompano Joe’s
This fun beachfront restaurant features great Caribbean style seafood options! We really like their reggae rolls and their garlic crusted fresh grouper. Since this place is right on the beach, we love going here during the sunset to enjoy the beautiful view and the chill vibe of this place.
Click here to see location and Menu of Pompano Joe’s
The Surf Hut
This laid-back beach front restaurant offers great seafood dishes, burgers, and cocktails with the best views of the gulf. We love this place because they have great vibe and food, and also have a great sand play area so you and your family can enjoy beach games while you wait for your food, or just chill with a beautiful colorful drink and watch the view. We love their frozen margaritas and the fish tacos as well as the fresh catch of the day and the captain platter with fried fish, shrimp, scallops, oysters and a cup of gumbo! You can even get a big drink in a bucket that you can later let the kids play with, but I do warn you- you will get tipsy after drinking that whole bucket yourself (don’t ask me how I know).
Click here for more info and Menu for Surf Hut
Aegean Greek Restaurant
Augean is a great place to grab some Mediterranean food! This authentic Greek place features some really yummy dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We really like their Spanakopita, Greek Souvlaki, Gyro, and Mousaka. Happy hour is everyday 6pm-8pm where they offer discounted dishes.
Click here for Menu and location of Aegean Greek Restaurant
First Watch
First Watch is one of our favorite places for breakfast! This health-minded coffee chain has great breakfast, brunch and lunch options like omelets, pancakes, french toasts, fresh orange juice and fresh and healthy fruit shakes. Our personal favorites are the avocado toast and breakfast tacos, and the kids love their cinnamon french toast & chocolate chip pancakes. They of course also serve fresh brewed coffee to help you wake up! The rustic farmhouse design of this place also makes me extra hungry. We love coming here for late morning brunch!
Click here for First Watch menu and location
Real Thai Fusion
Thai food is one of our favorites Asian food restaurants so we hit this local authentic place pretty often! This small family owned restaurant in Miramar beach features traditional Thai cuisine dishes so if you like Thai food, you seriously gotta try Real Thai Fusion. Some of our favorites dishes are the Papaya Pok Pok salad, Tom Kha soup, green curry and the Royal Pad Thai of course! Also make sure to try the Mango Sticky Rice or the Fried Banana for dessert! We visited so many Thai restaurants across the US, and this one is our family’s favorite so I highly recommend you try it while visiting Destin. **Note: Closed on Sundays
Click here for location and Menu for Real Thai Fusion
Fuji Sushi & Seafood Buffet
We really like Asian buffets because when the kids and us are super hungry, and don’t feel like waiting for our food to be ordered and prepared, we go to Fuji buffet where everything is already pre-made and we can just pick whatever we feel like eating! They have a large selection of sushi and seafood appetizers, lots of main dishes options, and desserts! They even have a made to order noodles station. We always eat too much when we go here because everything is super yummy so just don’t plan on going to the beach after eating here!
Click here for direction and pictures of Fuji Sushi & Seafood Buffet
Mama Clemenza’s European Breakfast
If you feel like having a more upscale European flare breakfast, head to Mama Clemenzas! They offer a range of European-inspired breakfast dishes and are only open Wednesday- Sunday 8am-1pm. The duck waffles are so good and the white chocolate french toast is like something out of this world! I also love their crab cakes and seafood breakfast eggs. Even your pups are welcome there!
Click here to checkout menu and location for Mama Clemenzas
And as a bonus, show them this coupon for a free glass of wine or a cappuccino.
Osaka Japanese Hibachi & Sushi Bar
Food + entertainment = always fun times! We really like to go to Osaka Hibachi because not only do we love the food, we also get to see it being made while being entertained! So if you like Hibachi or want to try it for the first time, Osaka is a family friendly place we really like to go to!
Checkout Osaka Japanese Hibachi & Sushi Bar here
Boshamps Seafood & Oysters House
Looking for a great beachfront seafood place to get oysters? Boshamps is a great laid-back place to get lunch or dinner and drinks! We really like the vibe of this local family friendly restaurant and the seafood is fresh and yummy! They have live music on weekends and so many great cocktail options. We really like to come here and get cocktails and the oyster platter and enjoy a beautiful evening with friends or family.
Click here for location & Menu and live music schedule of Boshamps Seafood & Oyster House
Mimmo’s Ristorante Italiano
If you are looking for great Italian food for dinner, Mimmo’s is great! The food, drinks, service are all very good and the wood & stone accents are just so beautiful and elegant. They have both indoor & outdoor seating. This place is very popular so it’s best to make a reservation ahead of time. Their garlic rolls are delicious and the risotto & gnocchi and veal marsala are some of our favorites! They also have a variety of pastas, pizzas, salads and calzonas!
Check out Mimmo’s Menu & location here
Destination Little Donuts & Cups And Cones
Looking for something sweet? Destination Little Donuts have a huge variety of donuts! You can choose from the options they have on display or you can make your own. They make it all fresh to order so you just choose from the display and they will make it for you on the spot! This is a great place to try really interesting and good looking donuts! They also offer ice cream and coffee drinks. Once you’re done getting all sugared-up, you can continue to walk around the Destin Commons area for more shops and restaurants options.
Click here to check out location and pictures of Destination Little Donuts
Grayton Beer Brewpub
Like local breweries? Grayton is a great local beer pub to check-out! Great craft beer paired with great food. We really liked their beer selection and the grouper sandwich, seafood platter and their fish tacos are really good! Fun atmosphere too!
Click here for Grayton Beer Breput location and Menu
Shan Kishi Sushi & Japanese food
Feel like having sushi for lunch or dinner? Some of our favorite sushi rolls we ever had were in Shan Kishi! They serve the sushi on a boat display which makes it so much fun and a very photogenic moment. Sushi is excellent and fresh and the service is great.
Click here for location and Menu of Kishi Sushi
Food & Grocery Deliveries
DoorDash Food Delivery
Don’t feel like going out to eat? Get food delivered right to your door by DoorDash! There are so many restaurants in the Destin, FL area that are on DoorDash such as Chipotle, Five Guys, Miller Ale House, Outback Steakhouse, Chick-fil-A, Cracker Barrel, P,F Chang’s, Smoothie King, and many many more! Sign up with this https://drd.sh/nnlAsKRaP6RWCeqI for $10 off your first orders.
Grub Hub Food Delivery
Another great food delivery service that operated in the Destin, FL area is GrubHub. They can deliver food from Panera Bread, Dynasty Chinese Cuisine, Thai 9 Cuisine, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Mellow Mushroom, Yogurt Mountain and much more! Your 1st delivery is free and if you sign up with this link, you’ll also get $12 off your first order.
Click here for your $12 off and free shipping for GrubHub food delivery
Instacart Groceries delivery
If you don’t feel like running to the grocery store, Instacart can deliver your groceries right to your door in as little as 1 hour! They will deliver groceries (and liquor!) from Publix, Fresh Market, Target and more! They will even deliver your favorite alcoholic drink from ABC Fine Wine & Spirits! Get $10 for your first order using this link.
Click here for your $10 your first groceries & liquor order from Instacart