By Timothy Sexton
Located roughly midway between Pensacola and Panama City, Fort Walton
beach benefits from visitors traveling between those two panhandle towns. While it is possible to get from Pensacola to Panama City without going through Fort Walton Beach by going the interstate, you arguably gain time while losing the magnificent view of the beach. Fort Walton is home to a variety of tourist sites that kids as well as adults will love.
Gulfarium
Gulfarium is one of the oldest marine parks in the south, preceding Sea World in Orlando by a few decades. Although damaged by recent hurricane activity, Gulfarium has come back stronger than ever. Featuring aquariums filled with every manner of sea life, a meet-and-greet encounter with dolphins, and reptiles that include some impressive gators, Gulfarium is an affordable way to entertain kids for the day.
1010 Miracle Strip Parkway SE, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548; (850) 243-9046 or (800) 247-8575
The Zoo at Gulf Breeze
A brisk and scenic 20-minute drive from Gulfarium will have you pulling up to the front gate of The Zoo at Gulf Breeze. Although not as large as the New Orleans Zoo, this zoo has quite an impressive collection: from the smallest rodents to giraffes and elephants. The highlight for most kids is a train ride that takes you all the way around the zoo and even lets you get off to pets some of the more exotic animals.
5701 Gulf Breeze Pkwy, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32563; (850) 932-2229
Emerald Coast Science Center
The Emerald Coast Science Center is less about entertainment with science than it is about science for entertainment. Kids can learn about astronomy, weather, electricity, light and color and, maybe best of all for kids, all about the grossest functions of the human body.
139 Brooks Street, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548; (850) 664-1261
The Beach
The town is called Fort Walton Beach for a reason. The sugary white sands of the beaches that stretch for miles and miles along the Florida panhandle are in stark contrast to the dark, almost muddy sand of many other beaches. The Gulf of Mexico provides warm enough water to swim in for well over half the year, and the farther along you travel toward Destin, the more pristine aquamarine the water becomes.
About the Author:
Timothy Sexton is an award-winning author who started writing in 1994. He has written on topics ranging from politics and golf to nutrition and travel, and his work appears online for Zappos.com, Disaboom and MOJO, among others. He has also done work for "Sherlock Holmes and Philosophy." He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of West Florida.
