Five Things to do in Destin with Kids

Family Favorites!

Posted on 4/3/2015

Ocean Reef Resorts is pleased to provide you with information about fun activities for a magnificent family vacation in Destin.  With so many great attractions to choose from it was hard to narrow down our list of favorites. After much deliberation, we came up with this list of Five Things to Do in Destin with Kids.

Big Kahuna

1. Big Kahuna's Water Park Adventure: Our guests receive special Reef Rewards discounts at Big Kahuna's in Destin. This tropical theme park is a Destin landmark and is a top family destination for amusements. It is centrally located on the north side of Highway 98 just east of Holiday Isle. Big Kahunas is a watery world featuring sensational slides, lazy rivers for tubing, simulated white water rapids, sparkling waterfalls, fanciful fountains and even some big wave action. Popular adventures include Bombs Away Bay, a lagoon with waterfalls cascading down rocky cliffs into a fountain festooned basin which includes a wrecked Pirate Ship with a big bomber airplane hovering overhead; The Cobra Twister, a slow moving twisting slide for kids; Crocodile Flats, twirling slides specially made for youngsters which deposit them into a basin with crocodile floats and an abandoned ship; Hammerhead, two slides that descend from the Temple of Doom into a splash zone below; The Honolulu Half Pipe, an amazing wave action pool swirling 36,000 gallons of water per minute for catching a wave and body boarding; The Humanga River, a little white water action; Jumanji, a seventy foot long free fall tube where you can plummet down through a tunnel into the water below; The Lazy River, a relaxing excursion on inner tubes for a leisurely float past landscaped scenery and sparkling waterfalls; "The Maui Pipeline Speed Slides", a triple set of slides with a free fall at rocketing speed; The Monkey River, a basin containing a slide that spins you around with 360 degree turns; and Pleasure Island on the Raging Rhino River, a virtual paradise for kids in low depth water with crocodiles and even a giant octopus that provides a surprise soaking!

Kid Friendly Resorts in Destin

Big Kahuna's also have a raceway track where kids can pretend to be their own favorite NASCAR driver in mock race cars. Adults can try the Cyclone or the Sky Coaster thrill rides for kicks. The Cyclone straps you on to a harness that zips you up to the top of an eighty-five foot tall pole where you are sent twirling around on a 160 foot wide propeller. The Sky Coaster launches you 100 feet into the air where it begins to swing sideways at speeds up to 60mph providing a true adrenaline rush. Big Kahuna's also has three eighteen hole miniature golf courses in a tropical jungle world of lush landscaping with beautiful flowers, sculpted trees and meandering trails along the mini fairways. Besides the fun of miniature golf, it's is a visual delight with wooden bridges winding their way across gurgling creeks and splashing waterfalls.

Destin Go Carts

2. The Track Family Recreational Center:  This fun family destination is located in Destin on the north side of Highway 98 just west of Silver Shells. Big sculptures of jungle animals create a fun tropical theme. Their miniature golf course has shimmering waterfalls and dark tunnels that you go through in order to follow your ball across the fairways. The Track also features lots of other family amusements in a fun dazzling kid's carnival type atmosphere that includes a colorful carousel, a Ferris wheel, Go Karts and Kiddie Karts. There is also an adorable ride on a cute miniature old fashioned steam engine replica train especially designed for kids called The Rio Grande. A covered pavilion offers Spin Tops and Water Bumper Tube rides. They also have swings and even an Arcade.

Free Destin Snorkeling

3. Snorkeling in Destin:  Take the kids to swim with the fish while you're here in Destin! One of the premier participants in making these family friendly adventures happen is the Destin Snorkel group. Ocean Reef Resorts guests receive one complimentary ticket daily for an awesome three hour excursion when you purchase other tickets for your family. (Check out Destin Snorkeling under our Reef Rewards section.) This locally owned operation provides your family with a memorable time swimming among the colorful fish that congregate along the rocky reef at Jetty East as well as along the sea grass fields in the bay. Destin Snorkel is conveniently located on the docks at Harborwalk Village. They provide boats, special tours, snorkeling equipment and even something called Snuba diving which a hybrid sport that combines snorkeling with scuba diving. Two big boats called Reef Runner and Kokomo accommodate up to forty-nine adventurers on each vessel. They also provide other boats for special excursions called The Sand Dollar, Explorer and Snuba Runner.  Besides snorkeling and snuba adventures Destin Snorkel offers special dolphin trips, spectacular sunsets and even special firework celebrations over the water. The experienced captains along with a friendly crew make sure that you have a safe, enjoyable experience that pleases family members in all age groups. Captains are Coast Guard Certified and the crew is Life Guard Certified. These boats take your family group out to the jetties of East Pass where the bay opens into the gorgeous gulf.  The natural stone rock jetties extend out into the emerald toned waters where you can see lots of shells, Rock Crab, colorful tropical fish and even some large game fish. You may also watch dolphin swim by since they are usually either coming into the Choctawhatchee Bay or swimming out into the Gulf. Snorkeling is very popular here since the water depth at the jetties starts out only one foot down from the surface edge. You can take some great underwater photos here due to the swimming pool clear expanse of sparkling water that varies in jeweled tones of green and is filled with abundant natural sea life for your viewing pleasure.

Destin Pontoon Rentals

4. Pontoon Boating:  Ocean Reef Resorts guests also receive special discounts for pontoon boats available through Destin Beach Services at the docks of Harborwalk Village in Destin as well as at the bay front marina at Sandestin. (Check out Discounted Pontoon Boat Rentals in our Reef Rewards section) Many love to be in the hub of all the action in Destin where you can join lots of other friends and families frolicking together on their boats at Crab Island. This "island" is located on the bay side of the bridge that connects Destin to Okaloosa Island's National Seashore but it's hard to see since Crab Island is underwater! It used to be a sand bar where crabbing was a popular pursuit. However water levels changed and today it often resembles a fabulous floating boat party from Spring until early Fall. From the Destin Bridge you can see anywhere from several dozen boats anchored on week days to almost 300 on popular holiday weekends during the Summer.  The water depth ranges from knee high up to your chest for the most part, which makes it the perfect place to splash around and play. Passengers, or perhaps I should say party participants, arrive on maritime vessels of all descriptions. They range from big luxury yachts to small fishing boats and everything in-between. One of the best ways to enjoy this frolicsome scene is on a big beautiful pontoon boat. Destin Beach Service offers brand new pontoon boats complete with canopy sun tops, built-in coolers, comfortable wrap around seating and a stereo to enjoy listening to your favorite beach tunes. They even have a special Double Decker Pontoon complete with a rooftop sundeck and a slide down into the water. These boats are available on an hourly basis but most of our guests take them out for a half or full day's rental. Seasoned boaters always make sure they bring along plenty of cold drinks on ice, yummy sandwiches or fried chicken, assorted munchies and plenty of sun screen. The atmosphere is very social with many partying from boat to boat, others tossing foam footballs or Frisbees and some snorkeling with their kids. During the summer season there are venues with portable water slides, big bubble balls and floating trampolines. Vendors on little boats or mini barges scoot around selling hotdogs, hamburgers, sandwiches, nachos, frozen tropical drinks, sodas, ice cream and candy bars for those who forgot to pack a picnic. Local radio stations often do remote broadcasts from Crab Island from a big barge engaging the crowds with music, water contests and games. They usually play lots of classic beach or island music along with new hits providing a fun party atmosphere with a Florida flair.

Destin Beach

5. Destin's Beautiful Beach: Literally generations of families have rented Destin beach homes or luxurious gulf front condominiums through Ocean Reef Resorts since we have been providing these exceptional accommodations for over thirty-three years. Many couples arrived here years ago to experience the sparkling sugar white beaches and jewel toned waters. Later they brought their own kids and now they bring the grand children. Others discovered our beautiful shores when they themselves were children so visits are now a fourth or fifth generation affair! It is a wonderful tradition that has created an abundance of warm meaningful memories. These white sand beaches are rated as among the most beautiful in the entire world. Pure white quartz crystal rock was pushed down from the Appalachian Mountains into the gulf years ago during the Ice Age. Over time they were ground down by waves through the ever present tidal action to create the sugary white powder that exists on the beach today. It is literally comprised of ground white quartz crystal which is unique, exotic and extraordinarily beautiful. Since the sugar white color reflects the sun's rays, it can also be as blinding as snow but also does not burn your feet even on the hottest summer day. Here flip flops are optional but wearing sunglasses is not! The added treat for the sand's reflection is the dazzling visual array that is mirrored to the water's surface. This magical effect creates the luscious luminescent jewel toned hues that shimmer from emerald green to peridot to almost turquoise in color depending upon the sun's angle. Obviously, the beach here is "the star of the show" and provides a very special place to bond with family and friends. Whether you luxuriate in the shimmering water itself, build a fun crystalline sandcastle, listen to the soothing surf sounds or take a scenic shoreline stroll, the beach will refresh your spirit while creating a life time of magical memories for you and your family.

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