15 Things you must Know before Moving to Destin FL

Congratulations to you if you just made the decision to move to Destin, Florida. Or, maybe you are just considering it, kind of sit in the back of your mind and you just want to know more the area before you move here. Well, I'm going to help you out by giving you 15 things that you must know before moving to Destin, Florida, so stick around.

15 Things that you Need to Know before Moving to Destin, Florida.

1. GREAT BEACHES

Of course, we all already know that there are great beaches out here. So, if you're looking to spend a day out on the beach, you can go to Henderson Beach State Park, Norriego Point. There's Barracuda Street, if you're in the Crystal Beach area, there's June White Decker Park off of Scenic Highway 98. You want to kind of get away from the Destin crowds, you can head a little further west towards Fort Walton Beach where you can get to Okaloosa Island, there's John Beasley Park. And, Okaloosa Island also has seven public beach access points along Santa Rosa Boulevard. So, there's limited parking at each, but they do have showers and the restrooms. That's what I really love about getting to the the beach through Okaloosa Island because of those, they have the gazebos, bathrooms and showers and all that good stuff. Just make sure you head out there pretty early if you're here during peak season or if you're trying to get to the beach during the rush crowd, I would call it, during the spring and summer or on Saturday mornings, Sunday mornings. Make sure you head out early to get your good spot. But again, if you want to stay in Destin, there's several public beach access points you can get to.

2. UNPREDICTABLE WEATHER

Be prepared for the unpredictable weather. I mean, you can look at the weather channel all day or check out your weather app, but you still really just don't know for sure what's going to happen. So, if you see that there's 30% chance of rain, that 30% could just hit it maybe 11 o'clock in the morning and that's it for the rest of the day. Or, maybe between the hours of 12 and 4, it could drizzle a little bit here and there and that's what you're you're looking at your 30%. Or if you have an overcast, you'll think it's going to rain all day, you might even feel a sprinkle or two, but it never actually rains. So, just make sure you kind of keep eye on that. I like to personally look at the radar just to see or the rain bands maybe if it actually is going to hit the Destin area. So, you don't want to just cancel out your plans or change out the timing of your plans just because you think going to rain all day or it's going to rain during the entire time that you plan to be out and about or even out on the beach. That might not necessarily be the case, but just be prepared. Even if you make a run to the store and you don't have a jacket or an umbrella, but next thing you know, you're exiting the store and it's pouring, you didn't expect that. You might want to have a light jacket or maybe a small umbrella with you if you do check the weather ahead of time and see that there may possibly be some rain during the time that you're out. Again, just be prepared for some unpredictable weather here in Destin.

3. FUN THINGS TO DO

There are so many fun things to do in Destin, Florida. Especially if you like to be out on the water or have small adventures out in the water. There are lots of places where you can rent jet skis, pontoons, kayaks, you can go parasailing, you can also go on cruises. There's fishing charters, there's sunset dolphin cruises, there's even a pirate ship that you can catch a ride on. You can also go snorkeling and if you don't want to necessarily be out on, you know, in the gulf or go fishing around a boat, you can check out Big Kahuna's Water Park. Tons of fun out there. If you just want to kind of stay in the pool area, that's a great place for some family fun. You can also go on helicopter rides for you to just check out the beautiful coastline here on the Emerald Coast, but there's just so many fun things to do. So, just make sure you, maybe even set up an itinerary if you do plan on spending a day out with friends and family.

4. INDOOR FUN FOR RAINY DAYS

There's also lots of things to do for those rainy days. So, if you're looking for some indoor activities, don't you worry because there will be some things that you will be able to find, especially if you have the little ones There's arcades in Destin, there's Fat Daddy's Arcades, there's also an arcade at The Track. There's also bowling, there's Hurricane Lanes, and there's also Uncle Buck's Fish Bowl located in the Destin Commons. If you like some challenging activities, you can check out Escape Zone. Fun little activity for people to get together and see how well they can work together to escape. There's also Urban Air Adventure Park, it's like a indoor trampoline park. They also have indoor ziplining in there, there's laser tag. So much fun for kids and teenagers in there. Adults can enjoy it as well. So, if it is a rainy day when it's the weekend or you have some time off, don't be disappointed because there's a lot of fun things to do indoors.

5. LOTS OF AIR TRAFFIC

Be prepared for a lot of air traffic. So, Destin does have the Destin Executive Airport, a little small airport. They just have one runway, but there's a lot of air traffic coming from that airport. And Destin is also located close to military bases. So, we do have Hurlburt Field and Eglin Air Force Base located nearby. So, you might see a lot of military flights swinging over Destin and you also have those helicopter rides that I previously mentioned. So, if you don't mind a little bit of the noise, it shouldn't be a problem. But just be prepared for those of you that are maybe coming from an area where it's really quiet and secluded area. All you hear is pretty much the nature sounds. A little bit different here in the Destin area. Of course, you're going to hear sounds of the waves, lots of traffic noise, and a lot of the traffic up in the air.

6. BRAND NEW HIGH SCHOOL

There's also a brand new high school located in Destin. So, for those of you that were already aware of the fact that Destin didn't have its own high school before. The students had to either go to high school in Fort Walton Beach or Niceville. As of August 2021, they did open the doors to Destin High School. So, that's just an amazing opportunity for a lot of the kids to go to school closer to home, for the ones that are in grades 9 through 12. So, for those of you that didn't know that already, yes, Destin does now have its own high school.

7. SEVERAL HOUSING OPTIONS

There are several housing opportunities. So, whether you're looking for a single family home, a beach house, a condo, a townhome, or really just a home away from the water because you know it's going to cost a little bit more if you live right on the water. Whatever it is that you're looking for, you'll definitely have opportunity to find that match. Just make sure you get with us first before you start your search. That way, we can help you, give you more details. Maybe focus in on the areas that would be right for you and your family if you are looking to relocate here. Or, if you're looking to purchase investment property, we can definitely help you out with that too as far as condos and townhomes. We can pull rental projections for you or pull some rental history for you if you're curious about the numbers. But so much opportunity as far as real estate in Destin, Florida. That's what the Whittemore Group is here to help you with. So definitely, let us know if you are looking to move to a specific area or specific environment that you're really not sure where to find it, we'll definitely be able to help you out.

8. GREAT RESTAURANTS 

There are a lot of great restaurants in Destin, Florida. So, if you love to eat or maybe you just don't like to cook or both, there are several choices for you, regardless of what type of food that you like. I mean, there's seafood, of course, there are steak houses, there's Mexican, there's Japanese food, Thai food, which is one of my favorites. There's barbecue places. There's also great breakfast places in a Destin, there's the Donut Hole, which is one of my favorites. There's Crackings, there's also a place called Another Broken Egg Cafe. So, whatever it is that you have a taste for and whatever your taste buds desire, you will definitely be able to find that in Destin.

9. AWESOME RETAIL STORES

There are awesome retail stores in Destin. So, if your shopaholic, you are in luck and you'll probably end up in a lot of trouble too. So, if you like to do some outdoor shopping and just go from store to store to store, check out the Destin Commons. They have several different clothing stores. There's coffee shops. There's makeup stores like Sephora. There's coffee, of course, you can't go without your Starbucks. And, if you just want to take a break and just head out to the movies, there's also AMC at the Destin Commons. Now, if you like higher-end shopping, there's the Silver Sands Outlets a little further down. But if you like Coach and Nike, SKECHERS, just known brands like that, check out the Silver Sands Outlets. If you like the chain stores, like Home Goods, Marshalls, there's Bealls, Target, and there's Hobby Lobby, that's one of my favs, and Bed Bath & Beyond. Whatever type of store that you're looking for, you'll definitely be able to find it in Destin. That's a place where a lot of people in the surrounding areas go to to shop. You know, if they're coming from Fort Walton Beach or Navarre, Crestview, Niceville. Destin is definitely the place that everybody would head to if they would need a little bit of that retail theraphy.

10. FESTIVALS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR

There's tons of festivals throughout the year. So, you'll be able to enjoy a lot of fun times attending these festivals, especially if you're a foodie. There's lots of food festivals, there's like the Gumbo Festival, there's Chili Festivals, Shrimp and Grits, there's Mac & Cheese Festival. There's also the Taco and Tequila Festival, that's a fun and kind of dangerous one too. But, there's other types of festivals too, like art, music, there's Mardi Gras, and there's boat parades, especially during the Christmas time where a lot of boaters decorate their boats and have their parade on the water. But just make sure you check out the calendar of events in Destin. That way, you can make sure you catch some of these awesome activities and festivals that they have throughout the year.

11. FLOOD INSURANCE

So, just know that flood insurance is not required everywhere when your purchasing property. A lot of people think that, because we're in Florida, you're going to absolutely to have flood insurance. That's not necessarily the case. If you are in a flood zone, then yes, you will be required to purchase flood insurance if your financing. However, even if it's not required to have flood insurance, of course, we do encourage it. I mean, we are right on the coast, we are always in a projective path of hurricanes. So, you just want to be safe than sorry. But just know that just because we're right along the coast, that any piece of property that you purchase is going to require flood insurance. But even if it's not, again, we always encourage it.

12. ONE MAIN ROAD

Just know that there is one main road throughout Destin, and that's Highway 98. In certain areas, it's also called Emerald Coast Parkway. So, if you are coming from an area where it's maybe like a bigger city where you have lots of intersections and cross streets, it's not really like that in Destin. So, it gets a little crowded because everyone's on that same road trying to get through town. So, if you're living or staying, you're visiting on the north side of Highway 98, you'll be able to become a little more familiar with those back streets. On a good day, GPS would take you on the detour through those back streets just to get you off the main road and cut a little travel time off of your route. But yes, it does get pretty crowded. There was just a lot of road construction that was done throughout the past few years. They have completed most of that throughout Destin. Now it's a little further down, you know, through Miramar and Sandestin area, but it's not as bad as it used to be. So, just be prepared that there is just the one main road going through Destin.

13. CROWDED DURING PEAK SEASON

Speaking of one main road, it does get very crowded during peak season. So, there's a lot of people coming to visit throughout the spring break and summertime. So, we're looking at, you know, between March and Labor Day throughout September. And there's also the local residents that are trying to get out and about too. They want to enjoy the fun that Destin has to offer or maybe they're just trying to commute to work. So, just note that it does get pretty congested here. You can't really get upset at that because, I mean, if you want to come to visit or come live here, you really just can't get upset for the people that are wanting to do the exact same thing. So, you know, just be prepared for the traffic during the, again the spring and summer months.

14. PLENTY OF JOB OPPORTUNITIES

There are plenty of job opportunities. So, if you're relocating here due to a job change or maybe you're just looking for something different. Or, you want to stay in the same career field, but maybe switch companies or whatever your situation is, you'll definitely be able to find a place to work in Destin, Florida regardless of what field that you're in. Whether if it's retail or restaurants, hospitality, of course there's tons of hotels and condos that could definitely use your help, whether it's front desk work, security, or housekeeping, there's lots of opportunities for that. There's also healthcare, there's always a need for nurses and doctors, physicians, dentists. So if you're looking to stay within the healthcare field, you'll definitely have opportunities for that. And there's also room for entertainment, or just not general, like, you know, if you're a dancer or play instruments, I mean, you could do that in the bars at night. But if you're just looking to entertain kids, again, there's lots of festivals, maybe you can set up a booth and entertain people. Or, if you like to work in places that entertain people or like arcades or the water parks just to, you know, help people have fun, there's lots of opportunities for that because it's Destin, it's tourist area. So, you'll definitely be able to find an occupation that's going to be able to help other people have fun, if you know what I mean.

15. WEST DESTIN

If you are looking for homes under $500,000 make sure you look in West Destin. So, we do have a lot of people that contact us that are looking for a single family home or maybe a town home, but they want to kind of  keep it under 500,000. Of course, when people are online looking at property in Destin, they see lots of high price points because it just really depends on the area, the amenities, maybe it's on the beach or close to the beach. But if you don't have that type of budget and you want to kind of keep it under five hundred or maybe even four hundred, definitely look into the West Destin area. Again, we can help you with that, to find what you're looking for. But West Destin has got more of a residential field, it's the part that's north of Highway 98. So, if you're coming from Fort Walton, you're headed east into Destin, it's going to be on the North side of Highway 98. There's a great neighborhood back there with lots of housing opportunities. There's some townhomes out there, there's also some apartments too, I believe. But, there's older homes that have been completely renovated and there's also some new construction homes as well. So, whatever is that you're looking for, you can definitely let us know so we can help you find that match for you and your family.

Alright. So, I know that was a lot of information I gave you about Destin. I just want to make sure you know the things that you need to know before moving here. That way, you can have a smooth transition. If you want to know more or if you need clarification on anything that I've talked about, please feel free to call/text us at 850.320.7757 or email us at Admin@WhittemoreGroupRE.com