Florida's Emerald Coast

Things to Do in Panama City Beach, Florida
Plan a relaxing beach vacation to Destin, Florida, home to beautiful beaches, unique attractions, restaurants and activities.
Spanning across a 26-mile stretch of the famed Emerald Coast of Northwest Florida, Santa Rosa Beach is one of South Walton County’s sixteen distinct beach neighborhoods and its own unique charms and traditions, as well as numerous things to do.
The Emerald Coast felt like a secret the sea was willing to share. The water was impossibly clear, the color of old glass bottles, and the sand was so white it squeaked underfoot like sugar. I remember standing at the edge of it all—waves rolling in slow and steady—and thinking, “This is where calm lives. This is what ease looks like.”
What stayed with me were the softest moments: a breeze through pine scrub just before sunset, the hush of a beach town waking up, a seafood shack where the hush puppies came hot and the hours didn’t seem to matter. I wandered through dune paths and pastel streets, from bayou edges to breezy porches strung with lights, and I left feeling quiet and clean—as if the salt had rinsed something restless out of me.
Whether you’re dreaming of barefoot mornings, gentle waves, cozy beach cottages, or scenic drives where time unspools like a ribbon, these guides gather the Emerald Coast that held me—clear, kind, and full of light that lingers long after you leave.
Things to Do on the Emerald Coast of Florida
WaterColor Inn and Resort in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida