Kickin' Off Fall with Festival Fun

EMBRACE change...

Autumn has commenced and that means the season for outdoor events is in full swing! 

With the transition from summer to fall behind us, we can now enjoy all that the months of September through December have to offer both locals and visitors of our festive area. The season starts off with exhilarating rides, exciting games and delicious food at the fair. The fun continues when the Destin Fishing Rodeo begins on the first of October, hosting people from all over as they compete for cash prizes and bragging rights in an array of categories. The weekend of October 6-8 is going to be full of entertainment as the Destin Seafood Festival and the Navarre Fishing Rodeo take place, bringing food, fishing, arts, kids' activities and more.

You don't have to look far to discover something fun to do on the Emerald Coast in the fall. Grab your family or friends and experience these happenings for yourself!


September

26-30   Northwest Florida Fair

Ride the rides, play the games, see the animals and have an overall great time at the fair! Visit the fair's website for a coupon for $2 off admission tickets. NWFFair.com

Photo courtesy of NWFFair.com

October

1-31   Destin Fishing Rodeo
Head to nearby Destin for this enormous, month-long fishing celebration! Known globally as “The World’s Luckiest Fishing Village,” Destin is home to some of the world’s best angling opportunities. Compete in the tournament for generous cash prizes or head to HarborWalk Village for exciting weigh-ins, free live music and fireworks. DestinFishingRodeo.org

Photo courtesy of Life's A Beach Publications archives

1   2nd Annual Destin Charity Cornhole Tournament
Participate or be a spectator at this popular sporting event at Destin Commons that benefits Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center! Sets of cornhole boards will be auctioned off to benefit ECCAC. ECCAC.org

Photo courtesy of ECCAC.org

6-8   Destin Seafood FestivalThis Emerald Coast tradition brings thousands of visitors and locals alike to celebrate Destin’s fantastic local cuisine. One of the area’s largest annual celebrations, the festival kicks off during opening weekend of the famous Destin Fishing Rodeo, so guests can enjoy two awesome events packed into one unforgettable weekend! Join us alongside the Destin Harbor for live music, fireworks, and of course, delicious seafood! DestinSeafoodFestival.com

Photo courtesy of Life's A Beach Publications archives

7-8   Navarre Fishing Rodeo

Be part of the coolest fishing event around! Fish from the shore, a charter, a kayak, or from the pier to participate in this classic tournament, then head to Juana’s Pagodas for post-fishing food and fun! NavarreFishingRodeo.com

Photo courtesy of Navarre Fishing Rodeo's Facebook page

For information on more events happening this fall, be sure to visit LifesABeachllc.com.

Have a beachy week!

39th Annual Destin Seafood Festival

The COUNTDOWN is on...

Get ready to start salivating because Destin's biggest seafood festival is happening in just two and a half weeks! The much-anticipated annual Destin Seafood Festival is excited to invite you to another year of live musical entertainment, artsy vendors, kids' activities and, of course, mouthwatering seafood.

Photo courtesy: Life's A Beach Publications

The festival will take place October 6-8, 2017. There will be three main entrances: Heron Harbor at 314 Harbor Boulevard, Fishing Fleet Marina at 210 Harbor Boulevard and HarborWalk Village at 10 Harbor Boulevard. As of right now, parking locations for the shuttle bus are at Big Kahuna’s, the Destin Target and the Marler parking lot. The Destin Seafood Festival Facebook page will keep the public informed of shuttle stops.

Photo courtesy: Life's A Beach Publications 

For special tickets, don’t miss out on your chance at passes for the VIP tent, which are currently on sale for a limited time on the festival’s website, DestinSeafoodFestival.com. VIP incentives include access to the private VIP area with restrooms that overlook the Destin city as well as complimentary food and refreshments like seafood, gumbo, catered treats, soft drinks, water, beer, wine and cocktails. The exciting lineup of musical performances includes True Soul, Continuum, Gunner, Night Tripper, Southern Drawl and Black Eyed Blonde. The full list of musicians can be found on the website.

Photo courtesy: Life's A Beach Publications 

Stay tuned for updates and further information on this year’s event at Facebook.com/DestinSeafoodFest or by visiting the website. 

Photo courtesy: Life's A Beach Publications

For further information on the festival, please visit DestinSeafoodFestival.com, e-mail info@DestinSeafoodFestival.com or call 850.428.7783.

High-Flying Fun for All

THERE'S something for everyone...

The Life's A Beach team hopes that everyone had a safe and enjoyable weekend, despite Hurricane Irma's surrounding presence. We are so thankful the storm did not have a direct hit on our beautiful area!

Looking at the week ahead, we have some featured, local events that are sure to inspire your inner adventurer.

15       National Drive Electric Week Exhibit

More than 30 electric cars, motorcycles and bikes will be on display at Destin Commons. Learn all about driving electric! Vendor booths, vehicle presentations and test drives will also be present. To learn more about this "green" event, visit DestinCommons.com.

Photo courtesy of Destin Commons.

16       Oktoberfest at HarborWalk Village

Don’t miss HarborWalk’s twist on an old German tradition this fall! Enjoy live music on the main stage, a variety of food from local vendors, arts and crafts for the whole family, over 20 German and seasonal craft beers, Stein Hoisting, games and more. For further information on this event, please visit EmeraldGrande.com.

Photo courtesy of Emerald Grande's website event page.

16       Knitting Class at Heritage Museum of Northwest Florida

Have you always wanted to learn how to knit? Now is your chance! During this class, you will learn basic stitches and begin a project of your choice. You will need to bring your own yarn and short, size 8 circular or straight needles. The cost is $15 for museum members and $20 for nonmembers. Please call 850.678.2615 to register. You can visit Heritage-Museum.com for more information.

Photo courtesy of the Heritage Museum website.

16-17 Fly Into Fall Kite Festival

Join Kitty Hawk Kites and the Emerald Coast Kite Fliers Club for two days of free, kite flying fun! Enjoy larger-than-life show kites, professional stunt kite flying demonstrations, free kite flying lessons, a family fun fly perfect for any age and special activities at the Kitty Hawk Kites store at The Boardwalk on Okaloosa Island. For more information, visit KittyHawk.com.

Photo courtesy of Kitty Hawk Kites Facebook page.

For more information on local events, please visit LifesABeachDestin.com or follow us on Facebook.

Have a beachy day!

Having Fun All Fall!

The Emerald Coast isn't just a great go-to summer vacation spot. Now that fall is in full swing around, we're keeping the fun rolling all year long! The beginning of November brings the start of the holiday season, and we have tons of awesome seasonal events to help you celebrate.

This month, enjoy events such as Baytowne on Ice, the 26th Annual Seeing Red Wine Festival, the 9th Annual Blues, Brews, and BBQ Festival, and so much more! Have a gamer or anime-lover in your family? Tickets are still available for FANdom Con Anime Convention, which features live entertainment, contests, and retro gaming rooms, among lots of other awesome things. For your four-legged friends, try the Destin Pooch Palooza at Destin Dog Park. Get a jump-start on your Christmas shopping at the DeFrance Christmas Market, and take pictures with St. Nick himself at Destin Commons.

The area also boasts dozens of awesome outdoor activities this time of year, including hiking and picnicking opportunities at our numerous state parks. For a comprehensive list of activity ideas, pick up our latest issue of Life's a Beach or visit LifesABeachDestin.com.

Reeling Adventures

The summer season brings visitors from all over to THE Emerald Coast to test out their fishing skills here in “World’s Luckiest Fishing Village”. The Gulf of Mexico offers a bounty of red snapper, triggerfish, grouper, scamp, amberjack and MORE! Local charter boat Captains and knowledgeable crew provide visiting anglers the perfect opportunity to explore the local waters with loads of fun fishing activities. The Destin Harbor is home to the largest fishing fleet in Florida and the best place to view more than 100 charter boats bring in their daily catch.  Take a walk along the Destin Harbor Boardwalk and book your charter experience TODAY!

Just for Kids

When school is out, camp is in! Summer camps are a great way for kids to have fun and learn about new things.  The Emerald Coast has some wonderful opportunities for kids to take advantage of the nature, science, wildlife and art in the area.

Gulfarium Sunset Camp

Gulfarium.com/Sunset_camp

AGES: 6 to 14


Enjoy an evening out while your children have an unforgettable experience at Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park.  Includes a dockside encounter with a dolphin, exploratory venture along the beach, ocean-themed activities, and dinner alongside the seals.

Summerwild Children’s Camp

Ecwildliferefuge.com

Ages: entering 1st grade- 5th grade

Time: 9am- 3pm

Weekly summer camps held at HarborWalk Village in Destin, offers budding wildlife rehabilitators, marine biologists, and wild animal lovers the chance to expand their knowledge of our amazing native wildlife with daily live animal encounters. Campers will take part in a practice dolphin rescue, collect and identify specimens at the beach, learn to assess wildlife injuries and determine treatments with the ECWR veterinarian, and enjoy camp games and crafts.

Emerald Coast Science Center

http://www.ecscience.org

Ages 5-12

Time 9am-4pm

Learn all about science this summer! Each week the ECSC offers a new and engaging subject. Separate camps are available for ages 5-8 and 9-12.

July 11-15: Dinosaur Adventures

July 18-22: SciWhy Film Making

July 25-29: Interactive Engineering

ADSO- Kids’ Art Camp

Artanddesignsociety.org

Ages 6-11

Time: 9:30am-11:30pm / 1pm-3pm

The Arts and Design Society of Fort Walton Beach now hosts a week long Art Camp, each day campers will be taught a new medium. At the end of week a reception and art show will be held to celebrate what the children have learned!

July 11-15