Destin & Fort Walton Beach
Panhandle of Florida

It is no surprise that the Destin and Fort Walton area welcomes millions of visitors each year - with its white sandy beaches and brilliant aquamarine waters it lives up to its name, The Emerald Coast. Founded in 1830 by New England seafarer Captain Leonard Destin, the town quickly established itself as a fishing port, a tradition which continues to today. Destin is known as the 'world’s luckiest fishing village' and is the bill fishing capital of the northern gulf, holding some of the largest fishing tournaments in the world. The Destin Rodeo, established in 1948, is one of the largest, attracting more than 30,000 anglers who compete throughout the month of October for a prize fund of over $100,00.00.

A RURAL PIONEER AREA BECOMES THE NATION'S LARGEST MILITARY BASE...
Okaloosa and Walton Counties retained their primitive pioneer roots until the 1940s, when they were connected to such modern conveniences as electricity and the telephone. The early settlers derived an income from fishing, the lumber industry and from the use of the area as a naval store. The dense forests were cut down to provide timber for building materials and the pine trees were slashed for the resin in order to provide the raw materials for paint, chemicals and medicine. It was not until just prior to World War II that the area was transformed from a rural pioneer area to one of modern communities with the opening of Elgin Air Force Base in 1931. Covering a territory the size of the state of Rhode Island, the base is geographically the nation’s largest military installation and is currently used as an aircraft and armaments testing facility.

UNIQUE MUSEUM OF AIRCRAFT AND ARMAMENTS, INCLUDING THE 'MOAB'...
Located just outside the gates of Elgin Air Force Base is the Air Force Armament Museum, the only museum in the world dedicated to the collection, preservation and exhibition of Air Force Armaments and the aircraft that deliver them. Aircraft on display at the museum include the SR-71A Blackbird, which holds the world speed record of 2193 Mph and the altitude record of 85,068 ft, both set in July 1976. Another notable aircraft is the AC-130A Spectre Gunship which provides close air support - in service since the Vietnam War; this workhorse continues to see action today in both Afghanistan and Iraq. The museum not only holds American aircraft - included in its collection is a Soviet Mig-21 that saw frequent action during the Vietnam War. Among the museum's collection of missiles and bombs includes the state of the art AMRAAM missile, the GBU-28 bunker buster and the truly awesome MOAB - 'mother of all bombs' - the world's largest conventional bomb.

THE WORLD'S OLDEST MARINE SHOW AQUARIUM...
Fort Walton Beach is home to Florida’s Gulfarium - the world’s oldest marine show aquarium, founded in 1955 by Brandy Siebenaler who had a dream to learn as much as he could about marine life and then to pass that knowledge onto others. Working as an academic, he quickly realized the first part of his dream but it was not until 1952 that he found the perfect location for his aquarium. Siebenaler and his team pioneered the technology that pumps water from the Gulf of Mexico through a specially designed filter system which runs night and day to maintain the water's clarity and quality while handling the millions of gallons of sea water required for the facility. The complex suffered badly in 1995 at the hands of hurricane Opal but has since undergone an extensive refit and is now in a better position to continue Brandy Siebenaler’s dream.

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE...
The highlights of any visit to the area are the beaches - the South Walton area is home to 14 distinct beach communities. These varied communities have something for all the family - long walks along the sugar white sands, romantic evenings watching the turtles come ashore to lay their eggs, challenging golf courses and almost every water sport you could imagine – this area must be one of the best vacation destination within Florida.

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