Things To Do In Destin With Kids

There is so much to do in Destin with kids. The Emerald Coast, the gulf beaches on the Florida panhandle, are the perfect spot to travel with the whole family. These beaches are known worldwide for their white soft fluffy sand and clear green tinted water. There is so much to do in Destin and surrounding towns.

We love the beautiful white beaches on the gulf of Florida’s panhandle. We may be a bit partial, my husband and I met in Panama City and my parents live in the Destin area.

Regardless, these beaches are known worldwide and people from all around the globe come to visit to see the crystal clear green tinted waters.

Below are some off the wall ideas on adventures and things to do in Destin with your kids.

What’s Inside?

Things to do in Destin with kids

We think that sitting on the beach is great, listening to the waves crashing and having the sun kiss your skin is the ultimate luxury, especially when you are coming from up north in the dead of winter. However, The Emerald Coast has much more to offer than their immaculate beaches! There are plenty of things to do in Destin with kids.

Being from NH we love finding a good hiking trail, so this time we decided to discover some of Florida’s natural beauty and go on some hiking adventures.

Rocky Bayou State Park, Niceville, FL

This state park was what I assume Florida looked like before much of civilization came in and settled in the area. We loved steering away from the white sandy beaches to see what other natural wonders can be discovered in the area.

This State Park has camping, kayaking, hiking, paddle boarding and more. We decided to rent some kayaks and explore! It was only $15 for an hour. It was breathtaking! We saw spanish moss, beautiful crystal clear springs, and huge oak trees.

Thankfully I didn’t see any ‘gators! If you have older kids this would be a great thing to do near Destin. Your kids will get to experience “the real Florida” and be taken back to a time where the land was wild.

Fort Pickens, Pensacola, FL

This place was incredible! Fort Pickens is a historical military fort that was built in 1834. In 1947 the fort retired and soon after it was open to the public to explore. The coolest fact that I found was that prisoners from the Indian Wars out west were taken to the east coast to be held captive. Geronimo was held at Fort Pickens with several of his fellow warriors.

Captives from Indian Wars in the West were transported to the East Coast. Your kids are sure to love the creepiness of this fort! Although this is about an hour drive west from Destin, it is a an incredible thing to do with kids that will provide you with an unforgettable experience.

Okaloosa Island, FL

This is the home of my favorite beach in the country. That is saying something! You have to experience for yourself, but it feels like you are sitting in the tropics. The sand is so white and soft and the water is clear and green. (Unless the ocean decides to shed its seaweed, then it is full of seaweed for a week or so). This Island is just over the bridge to the west of Destin. Okaloosa is full of fun shops and restaurants as well. We love taking our kids to the beach stores to buy a special toy while my husband and I usually buy t shirts. Quintessential tourist behavior, right? One of our top things to do in Destin Florida with kids.

Oak Tree Nature Preserve, Mary Esther, FL

Turkey Creek Boardwalk, Niceville, FL

Timberlake Trails, Fort Walton Beach, FL

These three were perfect hiking trails for the whole family. My kiddos love exploring and running through the woods. These trails were beautiful and really displayed Florida’s natural wonder. These trails are perfect things to do in Destin with kids that is different from the beach.

Eden Gardens State Park, Santa Rosa Beach, FL

Wow this is a magical place. It was like stepping straight into Charleston or Savannah. There were massive oak trees with beautiful spanish moss hanging from the branches.

We also visited when all of the azalea flowers were blooming. It was a beautiful state park with a large historic mansion in the middle. A very picturesque location! An amazing location to take kids.

The beautiful gulf coast of Florida is loaded with activities any day of the year and has plenty of things to do with kids. Above are a few ideas and suggestions that might spark some ideas on what to do with your family.

Be sure to check out the video below for a great visual and inspiration of things you can do in the Destin area with kids.

Crab Island, Destin FL

Crab Island is such a fun unique thing to do in Destin, FL. It is not exactly an island, but a large sand bar that is right at the mouth of the Choctawhatchee Bay.

You will see many boats gathered here as you cross the bridge from Destin onto Okaloosa Island.

Does it cost money to get to Crab Island?

Crab Island is free to the public, it is basically just a big pile of sand in the middle of the water.

You do, however, have to ride a boat to get there. There are plenty of places in Destin to rent jet skis and pontoon boats. Because we are a military affiliated family, we rented a pontoon boat from the MWR.

Once you get close to the sand bar that is Crab Island, you just throw your anchor down, and stay a while! The water goes as shallow as your calves, so the closer you go into the middle, the more shallow it will be.

There are lots of businesses that come out to make it more fun. In the warmer months there are ice cream dinghies, pontoons with slides, water trampolines and more! Find the best time to visit Destin Florida.

Final Thoughts

There is so much to do and explore in the Destin area and lots of things to do in Destin with kids. We love doing outdoor adventures in the forests as well as spending time on the beautiful white sandy beaches.

Be sure not to stay in just Destin, explore the surrounding areas as well. The entire Emerald Coast area is a special place for us and we hope that you make some amazing memories there as well!