Fort Walton Beach / Okaloosa County

With lots of bright and sunny days year-round, Fort Walton Beach on Northwest Florida's Emerald Coast provides a heavy dose of fun, especially welcome when much of the country is experiencing the harshness of winter.


The beautiful region is best known for white-sand beaches, emerald-green waters, and festivals (more than 300 per year, including culinary, sporting, and holiday celebrations).

Wildlife viewing is another popular activity, with sea turtles, sandpipers, dolphins and more, making the area their home. Snorkeling and diving near the 100 Fathom Curve, or tubing and canoeing in the Blackwater River State Forest and Eglin Reservation, can also all be part of a day's activities.

For those looking for more adventure, opportunities for parasailing, windsurfing and waterskiing abound.

The Okaloosa Regional Airport is serviced by five airlines, and the area is also just a short drive from Pensacola.

Visit the official web site for more information

 

 

Jacksonville Florida Beach Activities . . .

 

Immerse yourself in Jacksonville’s 21 miles of wide, uncrowded beaches. Visitors will find plenty to do, with diverse activities, family fun, restaurants and nightlife, souvenir shops and oceanfront hotels blending into the scene without crowding views of the shoreline.

Start your exploration of the beaches with a refreshing walk along the wide, paved boardwalk or take to the sea on foot. The Jacksonville Beach Fishing Pier launches out nearly a quarter of a mile into the Atlantic Ocean and offers great views of the coastline. Admission is only $1 for pedestrians, fishermen are $4.

Explore the beach’s colorful history with a stop at the Beaches Museum & History Center in Jacksonville Beach. With its replica boardwalk filled with photos and displays, visitors will be whisked back in time to an era when Jacksonville's beaches were the playground of politicians, celebrities, gangsters and socialites. The museum is also home to one of four Visit Jacksonville Visitor Centers.

If you prefer water immersion to dry land, take a surf lesson from a local surf shop like Aqua East or search the ocean for dolphins and sand bars that come and go with the tide. Kayak Amelia offers family-friendly guided excursions, including the Shell Hunter and Island Hopper tour where paddlers discover what the tide leaves behind on sand bars – sharks’ teeth, shells, crabs and more. Or head out to sea on the Dutton Island Dolphin Adventure. You'll not only catch glimpses of dolphin, but also Florida’s birds and manatees.

 Learn more about our beach activities

A Day at the Beach . . .

Found along northeast Florida’s "First Coast," Jacksonville Beach offers vast stretches of gorgeous beach, a newly redesigned golf course, a famous fishing pier and boatloads of water activities.

 

Beach volleyball, surfing, fishing and a wide variety of eateries – Jacksonville Beach has it all.

Visitors and natives alike are delighted by dolphins rolling just outside the surf line. Surfers are drawn to the area by some of the best waves in the region. Devoting some time to Jacksonville Beach and its surrounding attractions unearths a unique combination of history, leisure and recreational activities.

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