Emerald Coast Highlights – Fort Walton Beach
Unfolding along the Florida peninsula is a beautiful region called the Emerald Coast. Its name comes from the bright green waters of the Gulf of Mexico that abut its sandy shores. The Emerald Coast begins in Pensacola to the west and stretches 100 miles east to Panama City. Halfway between them is the true heart of the Emerald Coast: the sister cities of Destin and Fort Walton Beach. Flanking the mouth where the wide and beautiful Choctawhatchee Bay empties into the gulf, these cities offer a premier vacation destination. Although Destin is becoming quite popular and exclusive, if you enjoy a more down-to-earth vibe, you must visit Fort Walton Beach. If you’re looking for an extraordinary beach vacation in a city with a laid-back attitude, you’ll enjoy your time here and never run out of things to do. Start your planning with great vacation rentals in Fort Walton Beach.
The main attraction near Fort Walton Beach hotels is the spectacular coastline. The beaches here are clean, soft and white. They have been named the “safest in the country”, as well as being on lists of the “most beautiful beaches”. They are so addictive that you may just relax each day with the sun on your face and your toes in the sand, enjoying a light breeze and the sound of waves crashing on the shore. Maybe you wake up to bomb or build a sand castle. The length of the coastline near your Fort Walton Beach vacation rental is lined with coastal dunes. Rising up to 50 feet high, these dunes are particularly susceptible to human encroachment. Thus, more than 60 percent of them are protected by law, so you can walk through them in their natural state right in front of your cozy inn.
The warm emerald waters of the Gulf may invite you in. With so much water around your hotel, you’ll find plenty of recreational water activities to enjoy. Although this area of the Gulf of Mexico is too far north for coral reefs, there are plenty of artificial reefs and shipwrecks, even airplanes, to explore, so diving or snorkeling in the clear water is a delight. You may be accompanied by manta rays, dolphins or large loggerhead turtles. If you prefer to stay above water, you can still see marine life on a glass-bottom boat tour. Perhaps spend a day away from your Fort Walton Beach lodging on a deep-sea fishing cruise.
Freshwater fishing is also plentiful here, with some swamps and several area rivers providing plenty of options. The Blackwater River is popular for canoeing, tubing, or kayaking. You will also find beautiful areas on land. You can visit nearby Eden State Gardens, a century-old estate overlooking Choctawhatchee Bay. Mossy oaks and picturesque gardens of azaleas and camellias transport you to an earlier time. There are even underground tours. You can head to Marianna from your Fort Walton Beach vacation rental to tour the Florida Caverns, the only limestone caverns in the state.
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