Month: December 2013

Your luxury vacation rental home may be equipped with a restaurant-quality, top-of-the-line kitchen, filled with double ovens, gas ranges, wine coolers, and warming drawers, but one of the best parts of being on vacation is leaving the cooking and cleaning to someone else. Nothing says vacation and relaxation quite like a leisurely breakfast. Here are three places that guarantee a great breakfast and a good start to you morning. With locations in Grayton Beach, Sandestin, and Destin, Another Broken Egg Cafe is as much a part of the Emerald Coast

It’s been a year full of accolades for the Emerald Coast, and the respected peer review site, Trip Advisor, has just released its list of Destinations on the Rise for 2014. With 54 national and international cities, towns, and beaches on the list, Destin is in exceptional company, and travelers are continuing to recognize it as a world-class family vacation destination. Trip Advisor’s staff compiled the list from millions of peer reviews and searches, looking for feedback on the greatest increase of positive experiences. According to press materials, the list

If you’re not quite ready to give up the holiday spirit, the DeFuniak Springs’ Christmas Lights Display, Christmas Reflections, runs through New Year’s Eve. With more than 8 million lights twinkling and reflecting on the lake, you’ll find just a bit more holiday spirit as your explore the grounds. An assortment of Victorian, animals, toy soldiers, Santa’s Workshop, and a nativity scene, among other festive displays, decorate the grounds. Horse-drawn carriage rides are also available for an additional charge. Admission is $3 per person, and children under 6 are admitted

If you still need a little holiday inspiration this weekend, you can grab some last minute cheer at a few holiday concerts and events. Sinfonia, the Emerald Coast’s most innovative orchestra presents its annual Orchestral Holiday concert Friday evening at Destiny Worship Center. Join the Sinfonia Orchestra and ballet students from The Northwest Florida Ballet as they present exerts from the Nutcracker as well as traditional holiday carols. Sinfonia is dedicated to entertaining, inspiring, and educating the community through imaginative and innovative concert programming. You can purchase tickets on line

It’s not too early to start thinking about your plans for the 30A Songwriters Festival January 17-19 along scenic 30A. For the past five years, the 30A Songwriters Festival has made a name for itself as the place for thoughtful and insightful singer songwriters to debut new material, perform old favorites, and celebrate the very best of folk, country, rock, and blues music. The 30A Songwriters festival showcases local and regional favorites and has featured some of the best A-list entertainment around. Past performers have included The Bangles, John Oats,

Winter is a great time to visit Destin and the Beaches of South Walton; the weather can be warm enough to spend some time on the beach, the restaurants are festive but not crowded, and the shopping and golf is fantastic. Best of all, some of the area’s most popular attractions offer deep off season discounts and there’s little or no wait. If you’re heading to The Emerald Coast for the holidays, there are a number of things you can do to keep your kids unplugged from their new gadgets

The 28th Annual Destin Christmas Parade kicks off at 10:00am on Saturday, December 14th. Local civic and church groups, preschools, dance studios, scout troops, and many more local clubs, businesses, and organizations will march and “float” from the Old Tyme Pottery Parking lot to Stahlman Avenue (near the community center and Maguire’s) to help get residents and visitors into the holiday spirit. Just about everyone in town will either be marching or turning out to view the parade, so you’re bound to run into both old and new friends. You

According to media reports, retirees are opting for second vacation and rental homes in record numbers. For a number of years, The Emerald Coast has played to host to “Snowbirds” from the Midwest, but the variety of license plates seen from October-March is beginning to include tags from both the Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic. When choosing a “snow bird” roost, retirees are looking for a pleasant climate, a variety of housing options, and a community of other retired people. Both the Destin and South Walton Snow Bird Clubs provide retirees

Shelter House, the Emerald Coast’s Domestic Violence Center, and Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort are partnering for the annual Lumineria Run Saturday, December 8. This 5K and 9K race is dedicated to the victims and survivors of domestic violence, and the path will be lined with more than 2,000 luminerias. The 9K distance serves as a reminder that a woman is assaulted or beaten every 9 seconds in the United States, and the public is invited and encouraged to decorate a bag in support of domestic violence prevention, or in

Join Seaside Repertory Theater as they present Every Christmas Story Ever Told throughout the month. This fun, fast paced and funny look at Christmas traditions covers all your favorite Christmas stories and characters. From Rudolph to Ralphie, and everyone in between, no character is spared and no Christmas special is left unscathed. Seaside Rep is the premier theater troupe in South Walton County , and is dedicated to bringing high-quality theater productions to the Emerald Coast. Founded in the Spring of 2001, Seaside Rep entertains more than 25,000 people per

Holiday light displays along the Emerald Coast run from the tasteful and elegant Festival of Trees at Grand Boulevard, to the more creative and colorful homes along Destin’s Candy Cane Lane. If you are looking for some holiday sparkle, be sure to follow the flashing lights to these over-the-top displays. Geek Lights on the Corner, a Christmas lights and music show, will run every night from 6:00 p.m.-9:30 p.m. (10:30 p.m. on the weekends) until January 2nd. Shows begin on the hour and on the half-hour. Each show runs about

Now that the turkey has been eaten, leftovers stashed away for lunch, and Black Friday deals purchased, it’s time to start thinking about where you can see Santa. From Rosemary Beach to Destin, and everywhere in between, the “man in red” is making his list and checking it twice. Here are some places where Santa will be spending the weekend. Santa arrives at the Emerald Grande on Friday, November 29th, and is available for visits and photos every Saturday and Sunday, between 12:00-4:00 p.m, now through Christmas. Santa heads to