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Planning a trip to Destin and Fort Walton Beach
Getting to Destin and Fort Walton Beach
Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport, 6300 West Bay Pkwy., Panama City Beach (tel. 850/763-6751), in Panama City Beach, is one of two gateways for this region. It’s located within St. Joe’s West Bay Sector, with service by most of the major carriers.
Flights arriving at and departing from Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (tel. 850/651-7160) actually use the enormous strips at Eglin Air Force Base. The terminal is on Florida 85, north of Fort Walton Beach, and is served a number of carriers. All of the major car rental operations are at both airports.
Quickie Taxi (tel. 850/716-6545), provides cab and airport shuttle service around the area. Rates vary by destinations. Uber and Lyft are also options.
Getting Around Destin and Fort Walton Beach
Emerald Coast Rider (EC Rider; tel. 850/833-9168) operates buses around the Destin and Fort Walton beaches areas Monday through Friday from 8am to 7pm, with buses arriving at designated stops every 45 minutes. Fares are $2 per person.
For a cab in Fort Walton Beach, Quickie Taxi (see above) is likely your best bet, along with Uber and Lyft. In Destin, contact Taxi Sunrise (tel. 850/586-5694). Fares are usually $5 at flag fall and $3 each additional mile.
If you’re on 30A, the free Seaside shuttle runs every 15 minutes from 6am until midnight with a free parking lot just north of the Scenic 30A intersection in Grayton Beach.
Time in Destin and Fort Walton Beach
The area is in the Central Time zone, 1 hour behind Miami, Orlando, and Jacksonville.
Visitor Information for Destin and Fort Walton Beach
For information on both Fort Walton Beach and Destin, contact Destin Fort Walton Beach Visitor Center, 1540 Miracle Strip Parkway SE (tel. 800/322-3319; Mon- Sat 9am-4pm, Sun 10am-4pm.). The center is housed in a tin-roofed, beachside building on Miracle Strip Parkway (U.S. 98), on Okaloosa Island at the eastern edge of Fort Walton Beach. Stop here for brochures, maps, and other info.
For information on Rosemary Beach, WaterSound, Alys Beach, Seaside, WaterColor, Santa Rosa, Sandestin, and about eight more beach towns, contact Visit South Walton (tel. 800/822-6877 or 850/267-1216). Its visitor center is at the intersection of U.S. 98 and U.S. 331, in Santa Rosa Beach (daily 8:30am-4:30pm).
How to Find a Street Address in Destin and Fort Walton Beach
Don't worry about getting lost, as most of what you'll want to see and do in Destin and Fort Walton Beach is either on, or a few blocks from, U.S. 98, the area's main east-west drag. Finding a street address is another matter, because even many local residents don't fully comprehend the bizarre naming and numbering system along U.S. 98.
In Fort Walton Beach, U.S. 98 is known as "Miracle Strip Parkway," with "southwest" and "southeast" addresses on the mainland and "east" addresses on Okaloosa Island.
In Destin, U.S. 98 is known as "Highway 98 East" from the Destin Bridge east to Airport Road, and street numbers get higher as you head east from the bridge. East of Airport Road, however, the post office calls U.S. 98 the "Emerald Coast Parkway" -- although locals still say a place is on "98 East." The highway is also known as the Emerald Coast Parkway in Walton County, but the street-numbering system changes completely once you pass the county line.
Adding to the confusion in Destin, "Old Highway 98 East" is a short spur from Airport Road to the western side of Henderson Beach State Park, and "Scenic Highway 98 East" parallels the real U.S. 98 along the beach from the eastern side of Henderson Beach to Sandestin.
In other words, call and ask for directions if you're not sure how to find a place.
Getting Around
The Okaloosa County Tourist Development Council (tel. 850/651-7131; www.destin-fwb.com) operates a free Island Shuttle trolley during the summer months along the length of Santa Rosa Boulevard on Okaloosa Island. The two trolleys run every 30 minutes Sunday through Thursday from 7am to 10pm, and Friday and Saturday from 7am to 1am. They also connect the island to the uptown bus station, on Eglin Parkway Northeast, on the Fort Walton Beach mainland.
For a cab in Fort Walton Beach, call Black and Gold Taxi (tel. 850/244-7303) or Yellow Cab (tel. 850/244-3600). In Destin, call Destin Taxi (tel. 850/654-5700). Fares are usually $2.25 at flag fall and $2.25 each additional mile.
Visitor Information
For information on both Fort Walton Beach and Destin, contact the Emerald Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau, P.O. Box 609, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32549 (tel. 800/322-3319 or 850/651-7122; fax 850/651-7149; www.destin-fwb.com). The bureau shares quarters with the Okaloosa County Visitors Welcome Center in a tin-roofed, beachside building on Miracle Strip Parkway (U.S. 98), on Okaloosa Island at the eastern edge of Fort Walton Beach. Stop here for brochures, maps, and other information. This visitor center is open Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm, Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 4pm.
The Destin Area Chamber of Commerce, 4484 Legendary Dr., Destin, FL 32541 (tel. 850/837-6241; fax 850/654-5612; www.destinchamber.com), offers free brochures and sells maps of the area. The chamber is in an office complex at the entry to Regatta Bay Golf & Country Club, on U.S. 98, a half-mile east of the Mid-Bay Bridge. It's open Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm; closed holidays.
For information on Rosemary Beach, WaterSound, Alys Beach, Seaside, WaterColor, Santa Rosa, Sandestin, and about eight more beach towns, contact Beaches of South Walton, P.O. Box 1248, Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459 (tel. 800/822-6877 or 850/267-1216; fax 850/267-3943; www.beachesofsouthwalton.com). Its visitor center is at the intersection of U.S. 98 and U.S. 331, in Santa Rosa Beach (tel. 850/267-3511); open daily from 8:30am to 5:30pm.
Getting There
The big news is that it's now much easier to get to the area with the opening of Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport, 6300 West Bay Pkwy., Panama City Beach (tel. 850/763-6751; www.pcairport.com), the first international airport built in the U.S. since 9/11, in Panama City Beach. It's located within St. Joe's West Bay Sector, with service by Southwest Airlines (tel. 800/435-9792). Southwest is offering daily flights to and from Orlando, Nashville, Houston, and Baltimore/Washington, D.C. In addition, Southwest offers direct or connecting service to more than 58 destinations, including Dallas, Hartford, Chicago, and Fort Lauderdale, along with the New York and Boston regions. The airport has the unofficial title of "America's Greenest Airport," planned with the help of several of the state's environmental organizations, developers, and local, state, and federal agencies. The airport also aims to boast the first LEED-certified terminal building in the country.
Flights arriving at and departing from Okaloosa Regional Airport (tel. 850/651-7160; www.flyvps.com) actually use the enormous strips at Eglin Air Force Base. The terminal is on Florida 85, north of Fort Walton Beach, and is served by American Eagle (tel. 800/433-7300), Continental (tel. 800/525-0280), Delta (tel. 800/221-1212), Northwest (tel. 800/225-2525), and US Airways (tel. 800/428-4322).
Avis (tel. 800/331-1212), Budget (tel. 800/527-0700), Hertz (tel. 800/654-3131), and National (tel. 800/CAR-RENT [227-7368]) have rental cars at the airport, while Enterprise (tel. 800/325-8007) is located in town.
Bayside Shuttle (tel. 850/581-1505; www.baysideshuttle.com) provides 24-hour van transportation to and from the airport. Fares are based on a three-person minimum: $24 to Fort Walton Beach, $40 to Destin, $18 to Sandestin, and $75 to southern Walton County.
The Amtrak (tel. 800/872-7245; www.amtrak.com) Sunset Limited transcontinental service stops at Crestview, 26 miles north of Fort Walton Beach.
