02 03 R & R and lack thereof: Beach and Donut Dreamin' 04 05 15 16 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 31 32 33

Beach and Donut Dreamin'

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I dream of vacation all year long. Vacation is just so FUN! So with the summer coming to a close and school back in session, I'm reflecting back on our awesome summer trip. I'm dreaming of white sand beaches, super fun pools and donuts. (Especially the donuts).

The R & R crew took it on the road to the Emerald Coast of Florida this summer. Or, the air really. We spent a week in the Fort Walton Beach/Destin, Florida area.  We flew from DFW airport into the fairly new Destin/Fort Walton Beach (VPS) airport. Yes, I know tons (tons!) of families who make the drive from North Texas to the Florida panhandle every year, but my kids are horrible car travelers. They ask if we are there yet before we're out of Dallas. And no amount of movies, games, snacks, and McDonalds pit stops could persuade my husband and me to drive twelve hours with them. We would rather take a flying leap off a building. So, after over six long months of anticipation, we packed up our 2 suitcases and 7 carry-ons (not joking) and we hit the airport.

My handsome hubby with our girls on the shuttle from airport parking to DFW airport

The flight from DFW into VPS airport was short and painless, and it was easy to maneuver the small airport even with 2 small children and 7 carry-ons. I'd rented a car (there's no other way to get around the Fort Walton/Destin area), and after a quick check-in, we were on our way.   It had been quite a long time since I'd been to this area of Florida. Like over 20 years. So I had no idea what to expect, other than the condo, which was recommended by my sister as being great for those with small children. And man, was it!

Waterscape is a family's dream beach home away from home. Located in Fort Walton Beach, the "resort" condominium is known for its four pools - a lazy river, a large zero-entry pool with rope obstacle course for big kids, a toddler splash pool, and another circular pool. That's not to mention the separate dry toddler playground, the high-end fitness room, or the snack hut which serves full meals, snacks, soft drinks and adult beverages. Unlike other "resorts" in the states where small pools is often a complaint, I would liken Waterscape's expansive pool area to a resort in the Caribbean. I have never seen anything like it in the states. (And if you have, please let me know.) We stayed in Unit A628, and it was perfect for our family of four. It was a one bedroom/two bath, with a bunk "nook." The nook had a TV and DVD player (with kids DVDS provided) and a privacy curtain. It was tastefully decorated and well managed. Honestly, it was perfect! And let me say it again- the pools are wonderful. Oh yeah, the beach is pretty nice too!

Ready to hit the beach at Waterscape

Beach at Waterscape

Fun toddler splash ground!
It was quite rainy while we were there, and I'm glad we got a few days of beach and sun in, before the rain moved in the latter half of our week. But luckily for us and the throngs of other visitors to the area, there's so much to do in Destin besides the beach.

For instance, there's eating. Although our fabulous condo was well stocked for cooking, we dined out quite a bit. (It's not a vacation for Mom if I'm cooking every night!)  Here is a quick run down of our favorite restaurants we hit in Destin and Fort Walton.

Louisiana Lagniappe
The consensus among my Facebook friends was this restaurant is a 'must-do' in Destin. My Dad and Stepmother, who came to spend the weekend with us at the beach, had eaten at the Orange Beach, Alabama outpost of Louisiana Lagniappe and enjoyed it. So, with high expectations, we went. We'd heard the wait could be quite long during the high season, and with small children, waiting was definitely not an option. We arrived around 5:30 PM and were seated immediately on the patio, overlooking the bay. To start, several of us ordered the Corn & Crab Bisque, which was excellent.  I believe they had a fish special that night, which several of us enjoyed. In fact, all dishes were enjoyed, even by the kiddos. The food was yummy! Unfortunately the one downside of our evening was our server, Ryan. He seemed a little put-out by having to wait on us. Maybe he was just having a bad evening, so I'm not going to hold that against Louisiana Lagniappe. I will mention one more thing, though, and that's the parking situation. Parking is very limited, as the restaurant is located within a town home/beach condo complex, and as we left, cars were backed up so ridiculously, that had I just arrived, I might have turned around and left. Some.people were simply giving up and leaving their cars and walking to the restaurant. Fortunately for them, there was 2 poor valets who had to deal with that mess. Moral of the story - go early!

Pranzo, Fort Walton
Hat's off to my Dad, who did his research and discovered this little gem restaurant located just a block from Waterscape in Fort Walton. Although I had my doubts about Pranzo upon first glance (it was located right next to a strip club), it actually turned out to be superb. Forgive me though, as I can't seem to recall what I ordered at any of these places...I have slept since then....but I'm 99% sure it was the Penne Carbona. I do remember it was delish. I'm 100% sure I had pinot grigio, because that's a given. My eldest R daughter had the pizza (it looked delicious) and my littlest R (the meat eater) had the Filet Antipasta on the bar menu, and it was also very good. Everyone was very happy with their entree choices, and it's definitely a go-again, if staying at Waterscape or in Fort Walton.(It's within walking distance of Waterscape, so you can have drinks and not worry about it!)

Dewey's Destin
Dewey's was another friends-recommended place, and is apparently owned by a ancestor of the fisherman who founded Destin. In keeping with our theme of the week, we arrived early, but actually had to wait a short while for a patio table. The bartenders kept us entertained though, and they brought out hush puppies for the girls to snack on, while I had a Pineapple Martini (pretty tasty and Caribbeany, but very little booze). Once seated, the view from the patio can keep you occupied, as it overlooks a marina with traffic from people coming to/from excursions. I really did enjoy that view and my cocktails. However,  I didn't enjoy my food. I ordered one of the specials - it was blackened Catfish with a Creole sauce served over grits. Don't get me wrong - I LOVE anything creole and grits ANYTHING, as I grew up in Louisiana. But this was just not prepared to my liking. The runny sauce had large vegetables (peppers, onions, etc) which had not been sauteed long enough and were crunchy. I don't like crunchy veggies in my sauce. I'm picky that way. The fish itself was good, but the sauce had invaded my grits, and I couldn't even just enjoy the grits. Bummer. In hindsight, I think Dewey's is the type of place you go for fried seafood and a view. I'll keep that in mind next time.  I have to give them a second chance. I mean, the guy's great granddad founded Destin!

The Donut Hole
Oh my gosh, the Donut Hole. Sigh. Either the donut hole has the best donuts I've ever eaten, or donuts just taste better on vacation. At the beach. This Destin breakfast institution has a line out the door every day during the summer, but boy is it worth the wait! We picked up donuts one day (not realizing the line situation), and later came back on a rainy day and waited for a table. They do serve a full breakfast (and lunch and dinner I think), but the true draw is the donuts. Key lime donuts. Peanut butter filled donuts. Red velvet donuts. Bavarian cream-filled donuts. We tried several and ALL were good, especially the chocolate Bavarian-filled. We also ordered regular breakfast foods - my little R ordered a side of bacon with donuts, and biggest R ordered pancakes, and I ordered a side of grits and donuts. (Hey, I love grits!) They were out of the peanut butter-filled donuts each time we went, and I was SUPER disappointed about that. But, I guess that's just one more reason I'll have to go back! Note: they don't have a web site, so just go and be surprised! Drive down the main drag (Harbor Blvd) and you can't miss it.

Besides eating, shopping at Retail Therapy was one of my favorite things we did while visiting the Emerald Coast. We had driven east to Miramar Beach to meet with our photographer (see first photo in post), and she recommended this spot when I asked where to buy local art. So we traveled a little farther east (it was a rainy day after all) to Santa Rosa Beach. At Retail Therapy, art is just the tip of the iceberg, and I could have spent HOURS perusing the knick knacks, candles, home interior items, vintage finds, jewelry, and on and on. I bought a painting of a mermaid by a local artist which was very reasonably priced, a fish shaped dish which I use as a spoon rest, and two 50's vintage lamps which will go in my bedroom eventually (once I get around to decorating it). They are seriously cool! Hubbers had to drag me out after that, because I could have stayed and shopped on. Next time, I'll leave the husband and kids at the condo and make a day of shopping in Santa Rosa Beach.

Fabulous vintage lamp (part of pair) found at Retail Therapy in Santa Rosa Beach

My mermaid painting found at Retail Therapy

While in Destin on rainy days, we hit up Destin Commons and let the kids ride their little train, and caught a movie at the AMC. We drove through Grand Boulevard, another upscale shopping, dining, and entertainment development, and tried to catch a movie there, but the traffic was so bad we missed our movie. We learned that traffic is a killer between Fort Walton and Destin, especially on rainy days.

On our last day, we decided to try the Gulfarium, just a few doors down from Waterscape in Fort Walton Beach. Our flight home wasn't until later than afternoon, so we had plenty of time to spare. The Gulfarium is a marine adventure park where you can view marine animals in their habitat, see live shows, and interact with the animals. My eldest R  wanted to do the dolphin encounter, but unfortunately it was sold out that morning when we made a last minute decision to go (Mom of the year, right here!). We enjoyed the seal show, the dolphin show, and  were able to get tickets to feed the fish. Though this was done with a fishing pole, it was like the opposite of fishing as their was food was at the end of the fishing line. The girls enjoyed it, and overall, the Gufarium was a hit.

Feeding fish at the Gulfarium

Dophin show at Gulfarium

Dolphin Show at Gulfarium

Sea lion show at Gulfarium

Sea lion show at Gulfarium

Looking back on our time spent on Florida's Emerald Coast, we remember fun family days on the beach, delicious restaurants and donuts, discovering fun, unique shops, and getting up close and personal with sea life. The possibilities in Destin/Fort Walton are limitless, and have all the makings of the perfect family summer vacation.

But... now it's back to reality. When you return from vacation there is that let down. The letdown because the vacation is over and who knows how long it will be before you can go somewhere again? I felt it the first couple of weeks after we returned from Florida. I wanted to return to carefree days filled with donuts and sand.  Now that school has started, we have our routine and extracurricular activities to keep us busy. And we have our beach trip memories to hold us over until next time. Or just the next vacation.



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