8 Things to Do with Your Family in Destin

Let young minds run wild with imagination when you embark on a fantastically detailed and realistic Gulf of Mexico pirate adventure. From Destin’s HarborWalk Village, this two-hour experience promises non-stop entertainment as you head out to the open sea in search of treasure.

Expect everyone to be roped into water fights, sword battles, plenty of singing and dancing, and even the chance to watch real treasure be hauled from the seabed. Of course, if there’s any grumbling from the little ones during your family’s time in Destin, you could always threaten to have them walk the plank!

There are views and then there are views, and to get the best you might have to take to the skies – by way of parasailing. Destin and the Emerald Coast make for an incredible place to take flight. You’ll be rewarded with a memorable perspective back towards land that’s quite different to anything you’ve seen from the city itself.

Parasailing is an activity that’s suitable for the whole family, and it could prove to be the highlight of your trip to Destin. Several operators run parasailing trips along the Emerald Coast, including Just Chute Me! along the Harbor Boardwalk.

If the ocean hasn’t got your family wet enough already, Big Kahuna’s Water & Adventure Park will step up. This large, long-running theme park has more than 40 rides, slides and pools on hand to make sure everyone gets their share of aquatic thrill.

Attractions ranging from a giant wave pool to a lazy river offer different levels of adrenaline-fueled fun, while several rides are especially designed with small children in mind. In fact, you could easily spend a day at Big Kahuna’s without even touching the water, thanks to the handful of dry theme park rides and a mini-golf course.

Most head to Destin for its spectacular beaches, and there are certainly enough to choose from. But families looking for a stretch of sand to keep everyone happy could do worse than Crystal Beach, a scenic spot packed with convenient facilities to make beach life easy.

Crystal Beach is only a 10-minute drive from Destin, just past Henderson Beach State Park, and it has everything from picnic tables for lunch to toilets and showers for changing at the end of a day of sunbathing and splashing. Destin Commons outdoor mall is also close by, and there are even places to stay right alongside the sand.

Every family getaway needs to incorporate time for the kids to let off steam and run down their energy levels before bedtime. That’s easy to achieve at Wild Willy’s Adventure Zone, on Okaloosa Island and just a 6-minute drive from Destin’s Harbor Boardwalk, where the focus is firmly on fun.

Everything from laser tag to a 4D movie theater is on offer here, alongside a T-Rex-themed mini-golf course complete with animatronic dinosaurs. There are also arcade games, a ropes course, a rollercoaster ride, and of course, places to fill up on pizza and ice cream.