Posted on 2/22/2013
Destin Commons located at 4300 Legendary Drive is the Disneyesque version of a charming, family friendly shopping village opened in 2003 and quickly became one of the most popular luxury retail destinations in all of northwest Florida. It has become a favorite rendezvous point for many of our vacationers and for good reason. Wide pedestrian friendly streets lined with towering palm trees meander through the village replete with musical melodies that play on the outdoor sidewalks creating a magical effect. A formal fountain sits in its center and nearby is a kid friendly version that shoots out of a plaza of spurting geysers that seem to frolic and dance encouraging children to play in them on sunny days. A clock tower and other turrets topped with colorful, festive flags resemble a small Europeaand eateries are located here. The convenient location at Highway 98 and the Mid Bay Bridge Road in Destin is anchored by a Belk's Department Store at one end, with a giant Bass Pro Shop at the other. In a sense, Destin Commons has become the new town center for the city of Destin itself due to its centralized location in between Harborwalk Village at the marina and the Walton county line at Miramar Beach. Special events occur fairly frequently here with seasonal festivities celebrated from Mardi Gras through the Christmas holidays until New Years. The popularity of Destin Commons led to an expansion that is currently underway and will be completed by Memorial Day, 2014. Twenty more retailers and three new restaurants will be opening along with a parking garage expansion for 850 additional cars. The center fountain and clock tower will have another pedestrian friendly avenue connecting to a large restaurant on the southwestern corner of the complex. This will bring the amount of stores and restaurants to a total of 100.
Besides shopping, especially on that occasional rainy day in Destin or during the evenings, many take advantage of the AMC Motion Picture complex (formerly known as RAVE) that is also located here. This state of the art theater has fourteen screens, a sophisticated sound system and tiered stadium seating with comfortable high back chairs. First run movie releases, 3D movies, and IMAX movies arrive here on a regular basis.
Restaurants, candy stores and bakeries are also popular at the Destin Commons. They include:
The Candymaker
Confectioners providing a huge selection of fresh homemade candies and taffy.
Cold Stone Creamery
A unique shop specializing in various ice cream creations, smoothies, thick shakes and cakes that are prepared on frozen granite stone.
Godiva Chocolatier
The internationally known purveyor of fine chocolates, elegant signature gold gift boxes, European styled biscuits and gourmet coffees.
Great American Cookies
An Atlanta based bakery that specializes in fresh made cookies as well as delicious brownies.
The Hard Rock Cafe
An internationally known restaurant that has achieved celebrity status as a fun eatery and bar with a penchant for Rock n Roll.
Johnny Rockets
A Fifties styled diner that plays nostalgic JukeBox tunes while serving old style burgers, fries, shakes and sandwiches.
The Panera Bread Company
A wonderful bakery providing a wide variety of home made fresh baked loaves of bread, bagels, sandwiches, savory soups and salads.
Starbucks
The iconic Seattle based coffee house which has become internationally known for coffee as well as pastries, snacks, sandwiches and free wireless internet connections.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe
Providing creamy smooth beverages with all natural ingredients along with fresh veggies, sandwiches, salads, wraps, premium meats and a variety of cheese.
Pretzelmaker
The bakers of multiple types of warm, fresh baked,twisted pretzels served along with tasty lemonade, creamy cold drinks and other cold beverages.
Red Brick Pizza
A restaurant that features fire roasted gourmet pizzas baked in Italian styled, traditional Terra Cotta stone ovens at over 1,000 degrees and ready in minutes.
Zoe's Kitchen
A popular modern take on an old world cafe featuring fresh, original and traditional Mediterranean styled entrees with generous portions.
The multitude of fashionable stores and specialty boutiques at Destin Commons includes the following listed in alphabetical order for easy reference:
Abercrombie & Fitch
A the hip, iconic NYC clothier for youth and those who are young at heart.
Abercrombie Kids
The junior version of Abercrombie & Fitch.
Aldo Shoes
Purveyors of men's and women's footwear with a French fashion perspective.
American Eagle Outfitters
A high quality trendy clothier for young men and women, generally aged 15 to 25.
Apricot Lane
An upscale ladies specialty boutique; "Bass Pro Shop"; a leading retailer with a huge selection of recreational clothing, fishing gear, hunting equipment, camping necessities, boating apparatus and more displayed in a large, open whimsical environment.
Bath & Body Works
A purveyor of personal care products including a large selection of fragrant indulgences, shower gels, soaps, shampoos and body lotions.
Belk's Department Store
The nation's largest privately owned mainline department store known for quality clothing and personal service.
Books A Million
The third largest book retailer in the nation; "Brighton Collectibles, a gift store specializing in customized photo frames, bracelets, pendants, accessories and hand bags with individual engraving.
Brookstone
A specialty retailer with unique, unusual items that are functional in purpose but interesting in quality design.
Buckle
A fashionable, trendy clothier with footwear as well as accessories for men and women.
Build A Bear Workshop
A fun interactive shop where customers can create their own custom Teddy Bear, bunny, dog, kitten and other animals with over thirty selections to choose from along with the cute clothing to go on them.
Cache
An upscale, high fashion ladies apparel and accessories shop featuring American and European designers.
Chico's
A retailer offering a sophisticated array of private label, comfortable apparel for women along with accessories and jewelry.
Claire's Boutique
A trendy purveyor of fashion accessories for young girls; "Croc's", a popular footwear company for men, women and kids, with comfortable and casual creations featuring a trademarked closed cell resin material for a unique look.
Earthbound Trading Company
An exquisite shop featuring an eclectic assortment of gift items and unique creations from artisans from all over the world.
Express
A clothier of current fashions for men and women including office attire, casual wear, jewelry and hand bags.
Eye Gallery
Purveyors of fashion setting, designer sun glass gear including those with prescriptions; "Finish Line", retailers of youthful fashion footwear, athletic gear and sporting accessories.
Forever 21
A fun creative retailer of cutting edge fashion designers for youth.
Francesca's Collection
A specialty boutique with fashion forward styles in clothing, accessories and gifts for women.
Fresh Produce
A retailer of refreshing, captivating casual wear and recreational attire for women from infants to seniors
. Frill Seeker's Gifts
Purveyors of items that are monogrammed, etched or initialed for personalized gifts, stationery or party invitations for special occasions.
Frock Candy
A unique clothing retailer featuring colorful footwear and accessories for women ranging from casual to dressy.
Gymboree
A special clothing store that caters to boys and girls from toddlers to teens.
Hollister Company
A California based retailer of trend setting resort wear and beach attire with a special emphasis on teen culture.
Jos. A Banks
A fine menswear clothier with a 105 year tradition of quality and workmanship covering everything from casual dress to classically tailored suits.
Journeys
A destination retailer of footwear and accessories geared toward the teen market; "Justice", a clothing store with fashion accessories for preteen girls.
Kay Jewelers
A nationally known purveyor of fine gems and jewelry.
Life Is Good
An apparel and gift shop for men, women or kids featuring casual tees, head wear, bags and organic wear as well as special home accents.
Loft
Tetail clothiers of glamorous attire with personal stylists for women to customize clothing accents.
Lucky Brand Jeans
A retailer of nostalgic, vintage inspired denim, jeans and fun sportswear.
Maui Nix Surf Shop
A purveyor of over 100 different surf and skate board brands along with individualized accessories to go with them.
Michael Stars
A well known, Los Angeles based pioneer of T shirt couture with fashion setting California casual wear.
Original Penguin by Munsingwear
A retailer of the original iconic shirts and now featuring suits, belts, bags, shoes, hats as well as a kid's collection.
Pandora
A jewelry store with an array of gems, necklaces and bling.
Private Gallery
A friendly purveyor of ladies fashion wear accessories and voted 'Best Woman's Accessory Store" by readers of Emerald Coast Magazine.
Reed's Jewelers
A well known purveyor of gems and necklaces of pearls, silver, gold and titanium as well as fine watches.
Sephora
A world renowned, prestigious purveyor of thousands of beauty products from over 200 distributors.
Soma Intimates
A specialty boutique featuring custom made bras, shape wear, yoga wear, sleeping attire and comfortable casual wear.
Sunset Shoes Birkenstock
Retailers of footwear offering a variety of styles from European designers.
Swim N Sport
A retailer of designer swim suits, beach wear, sarongs, ponchos, bags and sun glasses.
Talbots
A well known retailer of modern clothing for women, classically styled for a contemporary look along with shoes and accessories.
Victoria's Secret
The famed retailer of sexy lingerie, sultry swimwear, chic clothing, stylish shoes and beauty products for women.
Wet Seal
A specialty retailer of fashion and accessories for teen age girls.
White House/Black Market
A specialty store especially for women offering clothing, lingerie, accessories, jewelry as well as gift items all carried in signature black or white in color.
Williams-Sonoma
A California based company known for stylish as well as traditional designs for home furnishings and quality cook wear.
Yankee Candle
A purveyor of a huge variety of scented candles and fragrant accents for every mood and every season.
In case you require a makeover after shopping for your new image, Destin Commons also has two salons to choose from while you're here. The Avantgarde Salon is a full service spa featuring creative hair stylists, aestheticians, nail technicians and massage therapists. Lux Apothetique is also a full service salon and spa but also features an apothecary of beauty items as well as a clothing boutique.
If you're looking for a fun, informative place to drop off the kids while enjoying your shopping excursion, you will be happy to hear about Abrakadoodle, a special art center. This educational facility is located on the northwest corner of Destin Commons. Abrakadoodle is becoming a nationally recognized educational phenomenon that provides kids, from two to twelve years of age, a unique experience by introducing them to the world of art. This imaginative art education curriculum was developed by artists and educators for children with the slogan: "Bring out your child's inner Picasso." Classes or "Art Camps" and "Art Parties" held there are small in size encouraging children to develop their own artistic skills with one on one instruction. This program has been critically acclaimed since its inception and exceeds the National Standards for Visual Arts Education Guidelines. Abrakadoodle has been used in many private and special charter schools with great success. Art Instructors teach children about famous artists of distinction and various artistic styles are explored. They demonstrate techniques with the introduction of different art materials that encourage kids to create their own original designs in whatever medium most appeals to their individual talent. Children learn to sketch, draw, paint and sculpt with a variety of different materials. Abrakadoodle is located at 4008 Legendary Drive just on the other side of Belk's Department Store and may be reached at 850.424.5058 for information on class schedules, availability and to make reservations for your own budding new artist.
As always, it is our pleasure here at Ocean Reef Resorts to keep you informed of current events, dining and shopping destinations, fun seasonal happenings, special festivities and other interesting anecdotes about Destin and along the Emerald Coast. Be sure to browse through our user friendly website to select your own special "home away from home" to make a reservation for a Destin vacation, friend reunion or romantic getaway. We are always happy to serve you!