Helpful Destin, Florida Vacation Information

Sitting on a round harbor off East Pass, which lets broad and beautiful Choctawhatchee Bay flow into the Gulf of Mexico, Destin is justly famous for its fishing fleet, the largest in the state. It's also Northwest Florida's fastest-growing and most upscale vacation destination, with a multitude of high-rise condominiums, the huge Sandestin resort, several golf courses, and some of the Panhandle's best restaurants and lively nightspots. By and large, Destin attracts a more affluent crowd than Fort Walton Beach, its more down-to-earth neighbor.

Although Fort Walton Beach has its own strip of white sand on Okaloosa Island, it is a city whose economy is supported less by tourism than by the sprawling Eglin Air Force Base. Covering more than 700 square miles, Eglin is the world's largest air base and is home to the U.S. Air Force's Armament Museum and the 33rd Tactical Fighter Wing, the "Top Guns" of Operation Desert Storm in 1991. Once a prehistoric Indian settlement, a Civil War era encampment, and a thriving shoreline tourist destination in the 1930's, Fort Walton Beach is the largest municipality in Okaloosa and Walton County.

For as long as most local residents can remember, this entire 30 mile stretch of beach has been referred to as "Destin." Lately, however, each little hamlet has sought a separate identity. These days, the area between Destin and Panama City is known as the "Beaches of South Walton."

Destin/Ft. Walton Weather and Climate:

* Average daily temperature — January: 49?F, August: 81?F
* Average annual rainfall — 68.6"
* Wettest Month: July (9.1" of rain)
* Driest Month: April (4.2" of rain)
* Average annual snowfall: Less than 1" per year

Interesting facts about Destin:

* Destin is one bauble along the famous Florida stretch known as the Emerald Coast. Many miracles of nature dazzle locals and visitors alike, including the sugar-white sandy beaches and pure sparkling emerald waters of the Gulf of Mexico which present a beautiful backdrop to the luxurious resorts with golf courses conference facilities.
* Don Francisco Tapia was commissioned to survey the Florida coast and in 1693, drew the first known map of East Pass and its shores.
* Known as the "World's Luckiest Fishing Village", the largest and most elaborately equipped fishing fleet in the State of Florida docks at the Destin Harbor. Destin is known as one of the finest fishing locations in the entire world.
* Destin is also referred to as the "Billfish Capital of the World" because more billfish are caught here each year than at all other Gulf ports combined.
* Destin also boasts the Gulf's widest variety of game fish, including cobia, scamp, triggerfish and king mackerel.
* In addition to fishing, recreational opportunities include golf, tennis and watersports, including diving and snorkeling.
* The 100 Fathom curve draws closer to Destin than any other spot in Florida providing the speediest deep-water access on the Gulf. This phenomenon makes the area one of the top five off-shore shelling destinations in the world.
* The homes of Destin residents lit up with electricity in 1947 and Destin opened its first Community Center. In order to raise funds for the Center, the first Destin Gulf Coast Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo was held in 1949.

Source : http://www.vacationsmadeeasy.com/