Choctawhachee Bay/Destin
 

We will be spending a couple weeks in April in Freeport at the NE corner of the bay. Made the trip around to Destin Harbour and Crab Island last year but did not venture further west. Any suggestions on other places to see or just beach and relax? Salesman at the Panama City Boat show told me about another Island to check out but I cant remember the name. Still running a 206 Sea Fox Commander w/150 until my 32 Sunsation sells so Im not going anywhere fast and prefer to stay intercostal or the bay.

We’re heading to Destin tomorrow. Will be our first time to Destin. Taking our 20’ jet boat to hang out and go exploring. Leaving around 1am to beat the snow we’re supposed to be getting.

We know of crab island and some of the restaurants and plan on stopping there but would like to hear of other stops as well.

We have been going to Fort Walton Beach since 1990. Best beaches around. Rented boat several times and hung out in the inner coastal. If you need something to do on a rainy day, the Air Force museum at the airport has some cool things to look at. The B-52 on display was flown by my cousin.

If you get two rainy days, the National Naval Air Museum, Pensacola is one of the best in the country.
https://navalaviationmuseum.org/

Juana’s Pagodas in Navarre

Panhandle Boating
 

Shell Island to the East at Panama City Beach. Quietwater Beach at Pensacola Beach or the Dredging Spoil Island at Pensacola Pass.

quiet water at Pensacola Beach has bars and restaurants but the other places are just places to hang out

Shell Island...thats the island someone had mentioned to me and I could not remember. Is Shell Island along the intercostal or the bay at Panama City?

It’s on the east side of the past leaving out of Saint Andrews Bay. Saint Andrew State Park is on the west side of the pass.

If it’s a calm day in the gulf, you will find people anchoring on the golf side just outside the pass on the east side but if it’s a little rough out there, people will mostly be on the inside of the jetty on the east side inside the pass

You can put your boat in at Saint Andrews municipal pier on the east side of the bay and then it’s a short run out to Shell Island. It’s free. We put our boat in at Bayside Marina on big daddy Drive. It’s just north of the Hathaway bridge on the east side. It’s a reasonable March fee, and just a little extra to use the wash down. It’s also a short run to the past . They’re the only place that has a wash rack to wash your boat down, unless you’re keeping your boat out of Renna. We wash ours down every day we come out of the water.

The best local seafood restaurant in our opinion is the captains table on Beck Drive, Saint Andrews, right across from the Saint Andrews Bay marina. We’ll often just tie our boat down at the marina seawall and walk over to the captains table to eat. The best dessert is the drunken ugly at Bayou Joe’s and it’s also on the east side of the bay just south of the marina. You go under a drawbridge and it’s on the left on the water, You can tie your boat up and on your boat or you can get out and eat. They have decent seafood also.

Feel free to message me and we can chat. I grew up in Pensacola, but we spend most of our time at Panama City Beach now.

Very cool!

We spent last wk looking at houses from Gulfport Ms to Mobile Al.

I think we are sold on retiring to the panhandle.

At bro-in-laws at Hilton Head now but too cold and too many people.

Went through Vero Beach Fla on way and spent a few days there w/friends.

Absolutely crazy traffic/people etc, since we left 12 yrs ago!

BTW, the day we left Gulfport, gas was $2.90 per.

10 hrs later, in Fla, it was $3.60!

Update to my original post....So we sold the 32 SSR and picked up a 29' Sunsation CCX in April of 2024 and spent September/October last fall on the bay. Made several trips up to Destin Harbor/Crab Island area and ran the ICW over to Panama City and anchored out Gulf side of Shell Island. Heading back down with the boat for about 6 weeks in April & May, I have been putting in at Grady Brown park on HWY 331 at the far east end of the Bay because its nearby. Its a long haul up to the Harbor area where I can pick up the ICW heading West. We want to explore west toward Fort Walton and Narvarre this spring. Any suggestions for a good launch point further to the west, maybe something around the Mid-Bay bridge?

Some poker runners put in at Ross Marler Park on Okaloosa Island I do believe. It puts you in the ICW right at Brooks bridge. Has trailer parking.
Then there is also Navarre Beach boat ramp further west right next to Juanas Pagodas. Has a huge parking area.
I personally put in at Joes Bayou once, it's literally in the Destin neighborhood, not much parking and no overnight parking.
The other two I'm unaware of the overnight parking situation.
You'll have to Google maps them and evaluate.

Know the area west of Destin well, other know more than I but here goes.
IMO the ICW west of Destin is some of the best with all the dune islands and privacy if you desire. There are a couple of threads (see below) in this section of the forum about this area, frankly we like the Perdido Key area running to the east, numerous stopping points from Flora Bama Yacht Club, Pirates Cove, Cobalt, Sunset Grill among others. IDK if the Blue Angels are in town but they practice right over Pensacola Pass 10am on Tues & Thurs. Between Fort Walton past Brooks Bridge its wide open down to Navarre. There are numerous options marina wise and some public ramps, your boat with its size will have no prob with dry storage at Marina. egacy can take you at the Mid-Bay but honestly I would go west over to Brooks Bridge Marina or Two Georges thats 5 mins from Crab Island and a good starting point to head west. .

https://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/...a-boating.html

This guy knows the area well...one additional comment, the secrecy/privacy/accessibility of the area will be compromised IF you keep telling everyone how good it is! :-)

Agreed and can’t wait!

sorry, dis-regard everything I said, it sucks, head to Mobile Bay instead when the spring rains roll in, the water color wonderful........

Now you are talking! :-)