There’s an adage that life is short and dessert should be eaten first, and while some may disagree that the proverb is unwise, there are countless cafes, restaurants, and sweet shops around the world whose sweet treats can prove the…
The Michelin Guide made its statewide debut in Florida this year, and the Emerald Coast held its own against the state’s bigger food cities. Five local spots earned recognition, from a Destin farm-to-table favorite to a Pensacola sandwich counter turning…
Q: Tell us about how your business came to be. A: I was working as a wardrobe stylist in Nashville, and a lot of my clients were celebrities who wanted editorial-style jewelry. I wasn’t happy with what I was finding…
In 2026, a woman wearing pants is commonplace. Even sporting a tie barely bats an eye. This was not always the case, as women wearing menswear began as a revolutionary act. As early as the 1850s, feminists Susan B. Anthony,…
Beyond the dunes, along harbor boardwalks, tucked beside cafés and courthouse squares, you will find plenty more than sugar-white sand shimmering in the Florida sun. Public art is everywhere—perhaps even in a downtown you’ve seen a thousand times. Our stretch…
Reliable, exceptional, laudable. Across the incredible Emerald Coast, some businesses, service providers, and delicious indulgences edge out the venerable competition. Each year, we turn to our readers to name the leaders across our region who are truly masters of their…
When you think of iconic and influential families, the Rockefellers, the Vanderbilts, the du Ponts, or the Kennedys likely come to mind. The Emerald Coast has its own roster of founding families—people whose love for the region transformed it into…
Allow me to touch on a cliché subject here: AI. You may love or hate its array of possibilities. I lean toward the anti-AI camp but recognize one of its particularly useful (and less controversial) applications: our new, advanced search…
Fall at the beach is an unsung hero. On the Emerald Coast, it’s a pretty great time of year—clear blue skies, mild temperatures and humidity, less bugs, and plenty of fun activities, events, and festivals for the whole family. Here’s…
Pirates of the High Seas and Renaissance Fest Oct. 9-11 Ahoy, mateys! In celebration of the marauders who once sailed the Gulf, pirates will invade Panama City Beach for a weekend of fun—including a massive parade, kids’ parade, treasure hunt,…
Lakeside and under the watchful eye of a broad-winged hawk named Dauset, I met someone at Callaway Gardens who had the exact same birthday as me. Same day, year, everything, born just 12 hours apart. We both turned 30 recently…
As summer gives way to fall along the Emerald Coast, skin care experts are encouraging residents across the Emerald Coast to shift their skin care focus from sun protection to repair, addressing the sun damage that builds up over months…
For two decades, Dermatology Specialists of Florida has been the trusted name families across…
Enter to win tickets to the 18th annual 30A Songwriters Festival!
SANTA ROSA BEACH, FL – [August 12, 2026] – SEASIDE SCHOOL™ has once again earned Florida's highest school grade (A+) from the Florida Department of Education for the 2025–2026 school year, marking the school's 25th consecutive year receiving the state's highest distinction.…
What if the next chapter isn’t about slowing down but living to the fullest? Latitude Margaritaville Watersound redefines active adult community with a lifestyle built on fun, entertainment, and friendship. Developed by Minto Communities, Margaritaville Holdings, and The St. Joe…
All across the Emerald Coast, a familiar sound is catching on. It’s the rhythmic click of mahjong tiles heard around kitchen tables, in community centers, and at restaurants or beachside venues. Once dismissed as a pastime for grandmothers, mahjong has…
Pensacola Unplugged: Songwriter Showcase Aug. 1 Lose yourself in both established and underground talent at the Studer Community Institute in Pensacola. Let those acoustic performances pull on your heartstrings in an evening of fresh, soul-searching songwriting. sites.google.com/view/pensacola-unplugged Empowered Light Holistic…
When Martha LaGuardia-Kotite heads to the beach, she doesn’t just see the beauty in the vibrant waters of the Gulf. She hears its music. Those waters, clear and inviting, mysterious and calming, are a haven LaGuardia-Kotite knows well. She grew…
Mannequins outside of retail stores are generally a no-go in Rosemary Beach. It’s a good thing Nicole Paloma’s studio-shop is just outside city limits with an Inlet Beach address, because her mannequins are an attraction in themselves: sand-white, taupe, and…
Along the Emerald Coast, creativity is an inheritance—shaped by hand, passed through generations, and rooted in the shared act of making something meaningful, lasting, and uniquely one’s own. For some families, it becomes a language spoken through wood, paint, and…
My friends are an extroverted group of scallywags. We love an adventure. We’ve pretty much done it all. But one thing we certainly haven’t done is dine in the midst of a battle over two pirates’ forbidden love. I took…
When creating a dream nursery, you create a room to share with your baby that ultimately reflects your own taste. But kids grow up so fast, and soon, your bouncing baby has a personality of their own, and their space…
The idea of a utopia conjures a different image for everyone. Whether it’s a silent, blue-skied field of lavender or a nest of gleaming skyscrapers, the commonality is likely a desire for connection—with land, self, or others—and an erasure of…
Sandy beaches, coastal wetlands, and swampy marshes make up the diverse Florida terrain. This backyard jungle is the perfect home for a treasure trove of exotic fruits and plants. The luscious guava, tart hog plum, wholesome Seminole pumpkin, tangy sea…
Family in its many forms, both blood and soul, both given and chosen—what a special theme for this issue. While I write this letter, I am filled with both a warm heart and a few tears for those who are…
Summer is winding down, but there’s still loads of fun to be had on the Emerald Coast. In fact, from August 1 to September 30, there are 19 days off —counting weekends and Labor Day—to relax or discover something new.…
A decade before I was born, my Atlanta-based beach-loving mother spent a long summer at Grayton Beach with a friend. “We were so tan,” she told me on the phone, laughing. She and her friend woke up to walk on…
Lugging around your laptop, stocking the diaper bag with snacks, stuffing your tote for a weekend getaway, or securing your everyday essentials in a trusted purse—from work to play and all that lies between, the receptacle we select to move…
Life holds countless moments to be celebrated. From birthdays and anniversaries to promotions and new endeavors, each celebratory occasion is unique, and we should treat it as such. However, we tend to find ourselves seated at the same restaurants or…
Strolling downtown Pensacola, you might savor the live oaks and marvel that the Old Christ Church, finished in 1832, still serves the Episcopalian community. While ogling this example of Norman-Gothic architecture, you may walk right by a structure that’s just…
Capital Veterinary Specialists in Northwest Florida with a new advanced veterinary hospital under construction in Santa Rosa Beach. The Tallahassee-based specialty practice broke ground on the project March 6 and expects the facility to open in early 2027. Once completed,…
Palmetto Bluff, a thriving 20,000-acre residential and recreational preserve, rests within the solitude of South Carolina’s Lowcountry, just west of Hilton Head Island. Within this…
A distracted mind is the antithesis of frequent switching between tasks lowers retention of information, causing students who use smart devices inappropriately during lectures to perform worse than those with guided focus. People who frequently multitask have a strong belief…
A long Florida’s Emerald Coast, chasing sweets is less a detour and more a year-round ritual—one best enjoyed slowly, with sandy feet and something cold (or molten) in hand. Lamonte Gelato When the heat hits, nothing satisfies quite like gelato, and…
From symphonies and stage lights to pirate ships, dolphins, and upside-down museums, Northwest Florida delivers show-stopping entertainment from Fort Walton Beach to Panama City Beach. Traveling with toddlers, teens, or grandparents? These 12 can’t-miss stops promise memory-making moments beyond the…
There is a reason we are drawn to the water. Call it instinct or something more elemental, but the pull of the sea has long been tied to a sense of renewal. Along the Emerald Coast, that quiet restoration is…
Beyond the beach chairs and sunset cocktails, another kind of Emerald Coast experience awaits—one rooted in wraparound porches, handwritten welcome notes, and breakfasts served with a side of local lore. Historic bed-and-breakfast inns offer something refreshingly personal: conversation over coffee,…
A day on the Gulf is reward enough, but the real payoff comes later. Instead of heading home to clean and cook, let one of the Emerald Coast’s restaurants take it from here. With cook-your-catch options, your fresh haul becomes…
The Island Pier Located at 1450 Miracle Strip Parkway, Fort Walton Beach ■ April-October: Open 24 hours ■ November-March: Open 5 a.m.-9 p.m. ■ Daily spectator fee: $2 ■ Daily admission including fishing license: Children 5 and under are free,…
A long the Emerald Coast, wildlife is never far from view: a sea turtle inches across a sandy roadside, an osprey surveys the marina from above, dolphins crest the waves offshore, and a deer slips quietly through the tree line…
There’s a special kind of thrill surrounding the book you select to read beachside. Whether it’s a thriller sending chills down your spine in the heat of sunbathing, a romantic comedy you chuckle at poolside, or literary fiction you contemplate…
From monarch butterflies and majestic herons to painted anchors and pelicans in paradise, the Emerald Coast doubles as an open-air gallery. Follow this playful, coastal-themed art trail from DeFuniak Springs to Pensacola—no tickets required. The Emerald Coast is famous for…
A long the Emerald Coast, cocktails arrive as cold, salt-kissed punctuation marks to long beach days—equal parts spectacle and refreshment. At Daytrader Tiki in Seaside, the escape begins the moment you trade your flip-flops for a barstool. Nikhil Abuvala’s concept…
Pack your curiosity alongside your sunscreen; you will need both. Along the Emerald Coast, the experience goes beyond the view, inviting visitors to step into a more hands-on kind of getaway. From Destin to 30A, the rhythm of the beach…
There’s a difference between eating on vacation and truly tasting a place. Along the Emerald Coast, that difference comes down to one thing: local. The kind where recipes are rooted in family, the fish was likely caught that morning, and…
FORT WALTON BEACH Downtown District Quaint with charm, Fort Walton Beach’s downtown district beckons for casual afternoon strolls. Enjoy small-town shopping from local retailers and boutiques, plus dining ranging from Italian and American fare to coffee shops and cookie spots.…
Sunscreen? Check. Flip-flops? Check. Hidden artistic talent you didn’t know you had? That’s where the Emerald Coast comes in. Beach days may be a given, but this stretch of coastline offers something more—an invitation to step off the sand and…
The Emerald Coast naturally offers countless varieties of fish and seafood at our disposal. But we can’t all be anglers. Some of us need the help and convenience of a professional. Local seafood markets are like the fairy godmother of…
There’s something visitors often say when they arrive on the Emerald Coast: “We want to live like the locals.” We hear it in restaurants, on fishing piers, and along our sugar-white beaches. Travelers want more than a postcard experience. They…
