Destin, Florida is a city in NW Florida located in the Panhandle. They have gained notoriety as the…read morebeaches are magical with Emerald Waters and Powdery White Sand. Interesting fact, the sand is that way from granite deposits that flow from North GA and beyond all the way down into the Gulf as silt. Because of the beaches, the area attracts more and more tourist every year and IMO is getting more luxurious as the years go by. I've noticed better restaurants, more aesthetically pleasing looking buildings and just a more upscale feel with each visit. I'm writing this here because I noticed many of the beaches along the 6 mile coast are PRIVATE. I'm not sure which beach to actually post this review but I find that simply horrible, ridiculous, backwards and restrictive! Who adds gates with Codes to a beach?!?! I can understand a handful of properties and major resorts but to secure majority of the coastline with Controlled Access? In my particular visit I stayed at a resort and had the codes for entry/exit but found many people having difficulty simply getting to the beach! I don't think they knew the beaches would have controlled Access! Even to exit, you need a code! That's shameful! It was frustrating to see people struggle with umbrellas/coolers and chairs only to have to find the Public Beach and have to walk back to their car. May I add the city also doesn't have any form of boardwalk to enjoy a long walk down the coast or some form of transportation to maneuver the public/private beaches! You're basically on your own! I'm curious Who/When/How that got approved because that's definitely some backwards N. Florida, My Property, ME, ME, ME planning! I'm not a resident but I believe some things on this planet are public and Imo a beach is one of them! Plus their has to be better ways to protect and maintain these beaches than blocking them off from the general public. Any who, for anybody planning a Trip to Destin, Please do your homework! Visit the website below which has hyperlinks for all the beaches which explains access points/fees/sizes of the beach and more details. I'll also attach a picture which shows a few of the main Public Beaches. It does appear the largest beach is Henderson Beach with1.22 miles of shoreline. Seems like the general "Dump the masses" area. The others are significantly smaller! smh. Any who I hope this helps! One Last detail, We had many umbrellas and chairs however this was literally the 1st beach that didn't have Umbrellas for sale on the beach. It's just very restrictive down there and is worthy of a review! https://www.cityofdestin.com/281/Beach-Information

Great beach there's a restaurant at the park The Crab Trap. Very expensive one drink was $19, the…read morebeach is very nice has very fine soft white sand great place for kids the water is calm 50 yards of shore still waste deep. There is also a restroom and cloth changing station.

It is almost time to say goodbye to Paradise, two more days and we will have to go back to reality…read more We thoroughly enjoy the park, the beach and the restaurants in the area. It is always going to be 5 star review for the Resort but this time if this review was for the Ranger I would give a ONE star because he has decided to not buy dog poop bags and some people just don't clean up after their dogs if you don't provide the basics because they are not prepared and I don't blame them because you expect to find bags like in ANY other Florida State Park to find poop bags all over. Now instead there is dog sh!t in some places that the Ranger should go and pick it up himself just because he is trying to save money to finish construction of his new office and moving resources from one budget item to another is not the solution, please poop bags are a must Mr Ranger, adhere to your budget and buy some bags so whoever is unprepared can clean up after their dog.

Great trails, great park! We did 5 miles of trails and saw a lot. The terrain varied from paved, to…read moretrails, to sand to dunes. The trails are marked and there are several maps along the way. It would be hard to get lost. There are selfie spots along the trails too!! There are also trolleys that take you to the lake and to the beach. I would come back when in the area again for sure.

Great beach. Quiet compared to many other beaches in the area. Tram to the water -- every half…read morehour. Shallow beach so easy for children. Loved the sand dunes.

A hidden gem of a beach. Less crowed than most of the beaches around. There's a man made ref you…read morecan paddle or biggie board out to as well and see lots of cool fish. A tram runs every 1/2 hour to take you from the parking lot down to the beach.

Make reservations as by appointment only. Great lecture about military history and then guided…read moretour. We went a couple years ago.

So, this place sounds amazing, and is probably amazing...if you can get in. My understanding is…read moreyou're required to be a member AND make an appointment. We thought it was a nature preserve that we could go and enjoy, similar to a local or state park, where you'd pay a fee for a day pass etc. Not the case. We called and were unable to reach anyone.

Destin is OVER! The private beaches have taken over. The public beaches are terrible & few. Destin…read moreUSED to be nice. Its garbage now with huge areas of beaches roped off & no one is using them while most aren't allowed. We WASTED our vacation coming here this year. Do not come. If you want to be packed on a "private" resort beach on chairs for rent ONLY for $55 per day! This is FLORIDA not St Thomas. The mayor sold all the beaches. Its terrible, over priced & now for nothing but empty chair packed beach. Seriously do not come.

Nice white sand. Clean beach. Parking available. Calm waters. Restaurants nearby. Great for…read morefamilies or alone for relaxation.

Friendly workers and easy to book! Small space to park so if you can come in one vehicle. I come…read moreever year to Destin and I would definitely use them again and I recommend them to anybody! I also called around before I booked with them and they had the best prices for the pontoon boats.

We were referred to Sailing South by another very reputable local…read more Operator that we used in the past, but was booked for this week. Amanda and others at Sailing South were very very professional and Welcomed our family's reservation - they even offered a great Combo package of a brand new Pontoon/WaveRunner that made the trip awesome!! When our group arrived - they had everything ready and got us checked-in Quickly and got us out on the water in minutes. The deck hands were very thorough on all the safety and operational instructions. We had a great afternoon on Crab Island - and returned to the same helpful Staff at SS. They were great, by far the Best Pontoon rental experience We have ever had after coming to Destin for 16 years now. We now have found Our place to always get The Best service & deal in destin - I highly recommend these folks !!! Five Stars !!! Thanks for making our trip today awesome ! Terry Moffett and Family Dallas, Texas

Pretty nice dog park. Large dog area grass was blocked off, probably trying to grow it back. Great…read morefor dog on vacation needing some socialization!

This is the BEST dog park i have ever been to. Poop bags and trash cans are plenty and ALWAYS clean.read more