If you dream of strolling along one of the most breathtaking beaches in the world, with white powder sands and crystal clear emerald green waters, Head to Fort Walton! Fort Walton Beach, part of Okaloosa County on Florida's Panhandle is situated at the western tip of the area often called Emerald Coast, a 24 mile belt of dazzling beach extending east to Destin and beyond.
Diving shops and marinas line US 98 which skirts the coast and links Fort Walton to Santa Rosa Island. Known locally as Okaloosa Island Fishing Pier, this is where most local people and visitors go for the best information and gear for fishing in the beautiful Gulf of Mexico waters. A license is not required to fish from the pier, so this provides the perfect opportunity for out-of-town guests to experience the fishing action. This is also a prime location for deep-sea fishing and water sports.
Families come to enjoy swimming, shell collecting and snorkeling or go sailing or wind-surfing off the island's north shore, on sheltered Choctawhatchee Bay. Boating, fishing and diving charters can be arranged at the numerous marinas. For those who prefer dry land, the Emerald Coast boasts a dozen golf courses.
Performing Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins and California Sea Lions star in daily shows at the popular Gulfarium marine park. The glass walls of the Living Sea aquarium reveal sharks, rays and huge Ridley Sea Turtles. There are also seal and otter enclosures, as well as alligators and exotic birds, Peruvian Penguins and more fascinating gulf edged exhibitions.
Downtown you can visit the informative Indian Temple Mound Museum, which stands in the shadow of an ancient Native American earthwork. This former ceremonial and burial site of the Apalachee Indians dates from about AD 1400. The museum exhibits over 6,000 artifacts recovered from the mound and other Native American sites nearby, while well-illustrated displays journey through more than 10,000 years of human habitation in the Choctawhatchee Bay area.
Three miles (5km) north of town at Shalimar is the Eglin Air Force Base, the largest air force base in the world. Here the US Air Force Armament Museum displays aircraft, missiles, and bombs dating from World II to the present day. There is a SR-71 Blackbird' spy plane as well as high tech laser equipment. Tours of the 720square mile (1,865 sq km) base are available.
When you visit any of the gleaming quartz sand beaches with the gentle surf lapping their shores here in Fort Walton Beach, you will soon understand why people continue to return year after year!
This guide to Fort Walton fun was brought to you by Janette Peel.
Fish fanatics, Dive divas, and Extreme tourists alike will adore Fort Walton's sights, sounds, and things to do. And you can be sure that even the toughest critic will be in heaven in a beach-side holiday villa, with enough space and amenities to please even the most demanding vacationer!