Fun Places to Go in Destin

Happy Monday!  Hope you had a great weekend.  We got lots done around the house, it rained a lot and we tried to map out the rest of our Summer.  Olive heads off to kindergarten in just a few weeks so we are feeling extra motivated to ENJOY Summer.

I'm excited to share some of the fun spots we tried and some new activities in the Destin area while we were at the ocean this year.  We tried to find kid friendly things to do because we did almost everything together as a family that week of vacation.

1. Dewey Destin's Harborside
They've got a great seating area outside and a great double decker deck.  The seafood is always delicious.  They serve jalapeno hush puppies.  Their key lime pie is delicious and everyone loved the food they ordered.  Go early for the best seats and very little waiting.

2. Harbor behind Dewey Destins
So many fun boats, fresh catches of the day and tons to see.  My kids loved spotting big birds, fish in the water, fresh catches up close and checking out the boats.

3. Chapala Mexican Restaurant and Grill - yummy Mexican off the main strip so it wasn't crowded.

4. Hungry Howie's Pizza - good take out pizza.  They advertise their flavored crust options, but we just went with the original crust and it was good.  The cheesey bread was really good.

5. The Donut Hole -

Amazing breakfast spot.  Worth all the hype.  Arrive before 8am for the best selection.  My father in law always headed there bright and early to pick up donuts for us to go.  We have never eaten in the restaurant, but have heard it's great.  All of their donuts are amazing - the key lime pie donut was a new favorite for us this time.

6. Publix - they have such fun food options!  We don't have a Publix in Indiana so it's always a treat to try them out when we head South.  Their key lime pie was really good and we got key lime cheesecake last year.

7. The Crab Trap
Fun restaurant on the beach.  It was a little pricey and the food was just fine.  But the atmosphere was really fun - live music, wiki sticks for the kids, kids meals on frisbees and it was Hawaiian night when we went.  They gave everyone free leis and Olive couldn't decide on one color so they gave her the entire rainbow of 15 leis.  She was in heaven.

8. McGuires Irish Pub
Our #1 favorite restaurant in Destin.  It's a delicious Irish pub and everything they serve is amazing.  We tried some new things this time - soft pretzel appetizer - it was HUGE and SO GOOD.  Their Shepherd's Pie is so good.  We decorated our dollars and added them to the walls.  They have over a million dollars hanging from the ceilings and walls.  Money everywhere you look!

9. Silver Sands Premium Outlet Mall
We had a great time shopping here.  We were staying on the other end of Destin.  It took us almost an hour to get here.  Traffic + construction really slow things down.  The mall is huge so we brought a stroller for Fletcher.  We were surprised to find a playground.  The kids loved it.  It's shaded.  There's a side for little kids and a side for big kids.  It was the perfect spot for kids to run around while mom's shop.  They also have several restaurants here like Panera, cookies, ice cream and more.

10. The ocean :)
I mentioned before that the traffic is really bad in Destin in June and July.  During the days we would head to the ocean and relax in the condo.  It was nice, "free" fun.  Obviously it's not totally free because you pay for the chairs and the condo, but you don't have to pay money to go down to the ocean every night.  We watched fireworks from our balcony, enjoyed the ocean during the mornings and strolled at sunset.  There are lots of water parks, golf courses, arcades, Aquariums, etc, but our kids are a little young for any of that.  The ocean and pool were plenty entertaining for them.

 Now I'm hungry for key lime pie :)