|
History: Destin traces it's history to a fisherman, Leonard Destin, who moved to Destin from New London, Connecticut and settled in Northwest Florida about 1845. For decades he and his descendants fished and navigated the only channel passage to the Gulf of Mexico between Panama City and Pensacola, known as Destin’s East Pass.
Destin is no longer a small fishing village - as the rest of Florida has run out of buildable land, the entire Panhandle including Destin has seen very strong construction and growth. The City of Destin was incorporated as late as 1984, and has an informative site that includes more history.
Located in the middle of everything, Destin is the perfect place for a family vacation. It has the area's widest selection of restaurants, plenty of boutiques and other shops including Silver Sands, the largest designer outlet mall in the nation, as well as fun attractions for the kids.
Destin Harbor is a very good fishing port, with an extensive charter fleet. Billfish is a local favorite, with more billfish caught in Destin than any other Florida Gulf Port. Besides fishing, Destin Harbor offers a variety of water sports such as boat rentals, snorkeling and diving charters.
Destin is also home to top-ranked golf courses, such as the four Championship courses at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, located on 7.5 miles of Gulf and bayfront property just East of Destin. The varying landscape of wetlands and marshes, beaches and bayfront, make for a unique and challenging game.
Destin beaches attract visitors from all over the Southeast, as well as those from elsewhere who want to experience a "different" Florida than that found in Orlando or Miami.
The Destin / Fort Walton Beach tourism council publishes a pretty good website. In October, the Destin Seafood Festival and the Destin Fishing Rodeo are held - these are the biggest events of the year in this area.
|
