(Photo) Crystal Sands Beach.

Piece 1: Crystal Sands Beach/Alvin’s Island/Pompano Joe’s. Miramar Beach is located on a peninsula in the panhandle of Florida, just east of Destin.

The Destin/Miramar Beach area really increased in popularity with retirees and vacationers when the federal government built the Emerald Coast Parkway (US 98) in 1936, which created easier access to the community by automobile.

Our preferred spot on Miramar Beach is a section known as Crystal Sands, around the 2200 block of Scenic Gulf Drive. There are several rental houses and condos nearby that offer beautiful views of the coast line and the horizon, and easy pedestrian access to the beach. We particularly like the Ciboney vacation rentals at Miramar; easy to book on VRBO.

Early each morning, a local business positions chairs with umbrellas along the beach line for visitors to rent, but many folks (like us) prefer to bring their own gear down to their favored spot.

The water along Crystal Sands Beach is a beautiful emerald green color, and provides a cool respite from the heat during the summer months.

Like most beach goers, we rotate from our chairs to the water and back all day. I enjoy flying kites on the beach, and have found Crystal Sands a great place to do this. There is an almost continuous breeze to take the kite skyward (with little effort) and plenty of soft sand to maneuver on. Letting out almost all my string, my kite becomes a little dot in the sunny sky.

As Miramar Beach is near Eglin Air Force Base, beach goers occasionally get treated to military jets flying overhead; kinda cool.

Scenic Gulf Drive has a nice sidewalk, and from the 2200 block we are steps away from an Alvin’s Island Tropical Department Store (1976 Scenic Gulf Drive).

Alvin’s is a regional chain that was established in Panama City FL in the late 1950’s and now has over 35 locations spread across the Florida Panhandle and Alabama coast. It’s a fun place to browse around; stocked full of beach gear, a great selection of t-shirts, and a variety of souvenirs.

When it’s time to eat, Pompano Joe’s (a beachfront seafood restaurant) is within walking distance at 2237 Scenic Gulf Drive. The atmosphere is festive, the food is great, and there is plenty of seating inside and outside offering clear views of the water and horizon.

Sea Blaster Dolphin Watch

Piece 2: Silver Sands Outlet Mall/Destin Commons/Sea Blaster Dolphin Watch. Located about a 10-minute drive from Crystal Sands Beach, traveling east along Scenic Gulf Drive, is Silver Sands Outlet Mall.

Silver Sands was an abandoned strip mall with about 25 store spaces in the early 1990’s when new ownership transformed it into a large outlet center, now covering just over 450,000 square feet.

The 110+ shops in the modern Silver Sands complex represent a large number of designer and brand names. Anchor stores include Nike, Columbia, GAP, Under Armour, Polo Ralph Lauren, Banana Republic, J.Crew, Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th, Loft, and Nautica.

About a 10-minute drive west from Silver Sands along the Emerald Coast Parkway is Destin Commons, an open-air shopping center featuring many nationally known retailers.

Destin Commons great place to shop, see a movie, get a meal at one of 16 dining options, or just get some walking in. We enjoy strolling through the complex, and seeing the beautiful landscaping and colorful storefronts. There are plenty of benches positioned around the place so patrons can intermittently stop, rest, and (if inclined) get a tasty treat.

One of our favorite snack stops at Destin Commons is Destination Little Donuts, where customers can get custom toppings on little bite-size donuts made fresh throughout the day.

We visited Destin Commons in the early afternoon, then continued west on Emerald Coast Parkway for about 15 minutes to Destin’s Original Sea Blaster Dolphin Tours (10 Harbor Boulevard-Destin FL).

The Sea Blaster Tour boats are large (capacity of 100+) and quite fast.

The company offers a snorkeling experience, but we opted for the afternoon dolphin watch. Passengers on our tour were provided complimentary beverages during the 90-minute excursion, including beer for the “drinking age” adults.

The crew leading our trip was entertaining, and very good at finding pods of dolphins.

The Sea Blaster Tours are reportedly one of the more popular attractions in the Destin/Miramar Beach Area. It was definitely a highlight of our trip here.

Dewey Destin’s Bayside Seafood Restaurant

Piece 3: Dewey Destin’s Seafood Restaurant/Shake’s Frozen Custard. A 20-minute drive west from Crystal Sands Beach, following the Emerald Coast Parkway, leads to the original Dewey Destin’s Seafood Restaurant (known as the Bayside location).

The Destin family founded the town of Destin FL in 1835 and established a long running commercial fishing operation. In 2000, the family’s business focus shifted to fresh seafood markets, and soon afterward the great great grandson of town founder Leonard Destin (Dewey) opened the first Dewey Destin’s Seafood Restaurant at 9 Calhoun Avenue.

We love the food and atmosphere at Dewey Destin’s Bayside, which is a shack-like structure with picnic tables. The rustic and open air style of the place transports diners back to “old Florida” and treats them to beautiful views of Crab Island in Choctawhatchee Bay.

After a delicious meal at Dewey Destin’s, we like to make a stop at Shake’s Frozen Custard located at 1065 US-98 (Emerald Coast Parkway).

Shake’s is a chain of frozen dessert retail shops that was established in Missouri in the early 1990’s. The company has a reputation for using high quality ingredients and making all its frozen custard fresh onsite.

Our favorite menu item at Shake’s is the Concrete, which blends traditional ice cream toppings with a cup of premium frozen custard. Yummy!

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