"The Emerald Coast" Top 5 Page for this destination Fort Walton Beach by lilbunnygirl

Fort Walton Beach Travel Guide: 163 reviews and 376 photos

enjoying the empty sands - Fort Walton Beach

Honestly, having heard stories of 'The Redneck Rivera', I expected Ft. Walton Beach to be tacky and kind of run-down, and the beach to be nothing special.

I was happy to be proven wrong! Our trip was in mid-September, so while the weather was quite nice, the beach was sparsely populated and I thought very beautiful. The dark green ocean immediately explained the area's nickname, and on my daily walks, I found several whole sand dollars, which is something I've never been lucky enough to discover before!

Twice, we saw dolphins playing very near offshore, which delighted me to no end.

There were plenty of really nice restaurants in the area, and while we didn't get up to much partying, there appeared to be quite a wide range of nightlife options.

Pros and Cons

In a nutshell:Nicer than I expected!

Last visit to Fort Walton Beach: Sep 2003
Intro Updated Mar 2, 2004
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Reviews (4)

Dolphins and Otters and Sea Lions, Oh... Things to Do (1)

I love animals. Really. It's embarrassing the way I start squealing when I see something cute. I will just be honest... more travel advice

By the pool's waterfall - Fort Walton Beach

Excellent Front Desk Service...Poor Maid... Hotels (1)

The government chose our hotel, and overall I couldn't complain. The pool, with waterfall and swim up bar, was... more travel advice

In front of Louisiana Lagniappe - Fort Walton Beach

Seriously fine (and delicious) dining Restaurants (2)

Based on what I could find in the phone book, I had to choose a restaurant to celebrate my birthday at. Having a great... more travel advice

breakfast makes you strong! - Fort Walton Beach

A club worth joining! Restaurants (2)

The menu is somewhat limited, but the price is right, the service is fast and friendly, the views of the Gulf can't be... more travel advice

Comments (3)

GandalfOnTour Sep 4, 2006 at 2:00 PM Report Abuse

Brilliant tip and super photos, thanks!!
BluBluBlu Sep 13, 2005 at 2:22 AM Report Abuse

Looks a great little place! Happy Birthday Lily from sunny London! Blu
spartan Mar 17, 2004 at 2:53 PM Report Abuse

The Ft. Walton Beach/Destin (Emerald Coast) area is truly a beautiful place :-)