Summer Bucket List :: 100 Things To Do in Destin and Along 30A

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SUMMER! It’s finally here and we have such high hopes for grilling, chilling, beaching, ALL of it! We believe in living intentionally, but we also know that over the summer, that’s not always simple. It’s all too easy to fall into a summer rut, or worse, hear the kids talk about how BORED they are a week into summer vacation. We don’t want that for anyone! That’s why we put together this Summer Bucket List with 100 things to do in Destin, South Walton, and along 30A, in the hopes that it will help you create some fun memories with your family this summer. 

Don’t forget to grab your FREE PRINTABLE checklist.  Our family likes to pick a few favorites, and hang it up on the fridge for when the boredom sets in. Have your own set of summer adventures planned? Add those to the checklist too! 

Destin 30A Moms Blog Summer Bucket List

We’d love to see the fun you’re having! Tag us @destin30amoms on Insta + use #Destin30ABucketList for a chance to be featured on our social media.?

SUMMER BUCKET LIST

100 Things To Do In Destin and Along 30A

 

1.Use non-toxic food coloring to color sand, and build a colorful sandcastle 

2. Take a selfie at the Seaside Post Office.

3. Send a fun Florida post card written by the kids to an out of town relative.  

4. Build a sand (snow) man. 

5. Hang out and have lunch at The Gulf on Okaloosa Island. 

6. Let your kids be the photographers for the day! Let them use your phone (if that’s practical and they’re old enough), or grab an old school disposable camera or even a Polaroid and let them snap away! 

7. Grill out with burgers and hot dogs, or fresh seafood!

8. Have a Bonfire with friends and Light Me Up Beach Bonfires , La Dolce Vita Beach Service,  or Rent Gear Here.  All of these will take care of the permit and firewood for you!

9. Water Gun Fight!

10. Let the kids bury your legs in the sand and turn you into a mermaid.

11. Don’t let your kids be the only ones with skim boards. Give It a Try!

12. Have your family portraits taken on the beach.

13. Play volleyball outside Pompano Joes!

14. Limbo competition on the beach! How low can you go?

15. Host a new friend play date (crafts, pizza making party, splash pad meet up; the options are endless!) 

16. Try using cake molds instead of buckets at the beach—>the pretend sand bakery is Open for Business!

17. Head up to Frost Bites for some shaved ice or frozen custard! 

18. Rent a Jet Ski.

19. Take a walk on the Okaloosa Island Pier. 

20.  Serve or Give Back: sort through clothes/toys and make a Goodwill donation, or let the kids help you choose items for a Food For Thought donation. 

21. Christmas in July: bring clear plastic ornaments, fill them with sand, and have fun decorating your plants for a Christmas in July party. Or, just get ahead of the game and keep them for when the holidays roll around. 

22. Dreaming of Pinterest worthy closets? Summer is the perfect time for the closet clean-out (yours, and the children’s). Let Closet Solutions help you make it happen, and PLEASE tag us in a before and after!

23. Let your kids go full-on sugar cookie. That’s when they get to cover their entire bodies in sand. {Ok, so maybe this one’s just a normal day at the beach ?}

24. Rent a bike from Coastal Cruisers and ride along the beach or the Timpoochee Trail (down 30A).

25. Water Bucket Relay : Bring a plastic spoon, frisbee, cup, sponge (or other small vessel to hold water ), to the beach. Let kids run to the water to fill it up, and race to empty it into a bucket.  

26. Make a sundial in the sand! Check it out here!

27. Eat at the Original Dewey Destin

28. Fly a Kite.

29. Make a sand volcano. Check it out here!

30. Try Wellness Wednesday on the green space with Grand Fitness.

31.Go watch a sea turtle nest hatch! Connect with South Walton Turtle Watch to find out where!

32. Make sand SLIME !

33. Create a beach scavenger hunt for the kids.  

34. Explore the bay on a Kayak or Paddleboard.  

35. Tour the roast house at Destin Coffee Co. 

36. Have lunch at Whales Tail. Then check out the beach below and look for the inflatable water park.

37. Wake up early enough to catch a sunrise on the beach.

38. Go snorkeling. There’s even an artificial reef off of Grayton Beach State Park.

39. Take a drive down 30A –from HWY 98 to Inlet beach. Explore all of the beach towns along the way.

40. Give beach fishing a try! Don’t forget your fishing license

41. Rent a Clear Kayak

42. Dolphin Cruise anyone?  

43. Who can get the most creative with a sand sculpture? Tag us in your picture! And if you’re looking to up your sand castle game, get a lesson with Beach Sand Sculptures

44. Go “Glamping” with Fancy Camps

45. Bring a few extra trash bags along on your next beach trip and see who can fill them  Thank you in advance!

46. Check out Blue Mountain Bakery in Blue Mountain Beach for some great gluten free/vegan cake and muffin options. 

47.  Catch a beach sunset and don’t take a single picture, just enjoy it with your loved ones.

48. Rent a pontoon and explore Crab Island or cruise around Destin Harbor. 

49. Rent a floating cabana .

50. Explore the Shops of Grayton and grab a picture of the kids in front of the Dogs of Grayton mural while you’re there.

51. Build a mote that leads water to a new area. Please make sure to fill in your holes with sand before leaving the beach.

52. Get a frozen custard from Shakes.

53. Get donuts from Charlie’s Donuts. Find them in the Market Shops, at their  food truck in Alys Beach (It’s what our Instagram dreams are made of), and you can find their donuts in Sunrise Coffee Co. too! 

54.  Play laser tag at Thrills Lazer Tag and Arcade in the new Seascape Town Center. 

55. Go Climbing at Rock Out Climbing Gym in Destin.

56. Try the beignets at Another Broken Egg Cafe.

57. Guess the sunset time from Bud and Alley’s.

58. Have a great meal and get a selfie with the view at  Vue on 30A.

59.  Go camping! You can camp on the beach in Miramar, or in Grayton Beach State Park, or go primitive in Point Washington State Park. 

60. Have a picnic lunch on the beach. 

61. Catch a movie at Boulevard 10

62. Visit Eden Gardens.

63. Grab breakfast at the Donut Hole .  Feeling extra donut-y? Try out all 3 locations: Destin, Santa Rosa Beach, and Inlet Beach. Get there early (or late! they serve lunch & dinner too) to avoid the wait. 

64. Catch Stories By The Sea, a unique storytelling experience put on weekly by The Rep in Seaside.

65. Soar above the water with Power Up Watersports.

66. Bring home a new friend from Build-a-Bear in the Destin Commons.

67. Drink from a coconut at 30A Coconut Hut.

68. Eat at Emeril’s restaurant Emeril’s Coastal Italian in Grand Boulevard.

69. Take the kids to The Breakfast Table, where they get to color on the paper lined tables!!

70. Grab a coffee from Amavida Coffee.

71. Take the kids on a Splash Pad Tour! Set up a day (or days!) to try out different locations: Destin Commons, Grand Boulevard, Helen McCall Park, and Padgett Park. Tag us on Instagram and let us know your favorite!   

72. Feed The Seagulls. Kidding! Please DON’T do that. 

73. Visit Clay on 30A and get what you need make a cute succulent or fairy garden! Feeling tired? You could always opt for the painted rock garden instead. 

74. Tell the kids you’re taking them on a Snack Date. Let them choose the spot. If you’re feeling lucky, let them choose your snack, too!

75.Watch the charter boats bring in fish at Harborwalk Village.

76. Take a River Tour with Backwater Tours.

77. Drive down 30A and pick out your favorite dream home.

78. See how many different stickers you can collect from local shops and businesses along 30A.

79. Visit the animals or volunteer at Alaqua Animal Refuge

80. Catch a show at the REP Theatre in Seaside.

81. Let the kids make a watercolor painting in Watercolor. While you’re there, stop in and grab something sweet from The Candy Bar. 

82. Take a picture of your favorite cocktail (or mocktail) with the beach in the background. Tag your mom friends in an Insta Cheers. 

83. Eat lunch at the Market Shops.

84. Grab a snowball at Tony Larue’s in Baytowne. While you’re there let the kids play at the Baytowne Playground and don’t miss the carousel if you’re there on a weekend (Fri 4-9, Sat 12-9, Sun 12-6 hours subject to change).

85. Get a pedicure at your favorite spot then tag us in a picture with your toes in the sand!

86. Explore the treehouse hidden away on the boardwalk between the Village of Baytowne Wharf and the Baytowne Marina.

87. Take a tour of 30A on a Kickbike!

88. Take a Sunset cruise with Captain Rex on the Nathaniel Bowditch.

89. Watch the fireworks on Thursday night in Harborwalk village .

90. Try an evening play date with friends and kids outside on the Jumbotron at The Big Chill.

91. Catch a concert or a movie under the stars at the Seaside amphitheater.

92. Visit the Artists at Gulf Place

93. Go to a concert at the Gulf Place Amphitheater Summer Concert Series on Sunday Nights.

94. Visit the Coffeen Nature Preserve

95. Pick a new pop up or restaurant that you haven’t been to yet and try it out!

96. Do a fun craft at Rock, Paper, Scissors.

97. Zip line through Harborwalk Village!

98. Spend a Saturday visiting the farmers markets at Grand Boulevard, and Seaside, and then on Sunday in Rosemary Beach! 

99. Have dinner at The Perfect Pig (they have oversized paper on the tables for coloring here, too) or Pizza By The Sea (great pizza, and they also offer a delicious gluten-free pizza). Let the kids run around in grass at the Gulf Place ampitheater afterwards.

100. Watch the giant Kitty Hawk Kites fly over the beach.

 

 Don’t forget your checklist

 Tag us @destin30amoms on Instagram, and use #Destin30AMama 

Happy Summer, Mamas! 

Free Summer iPhone Wallpaper
Free Summer iPhone Wallpaper! Click and Save the image, then set as Wallpaper ? 
 
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Carrie Pardue
Carrie is originally from Illinois but moved to the Destin area in 2009, where she later met her husband Lee.  They now have two spunky little boys, Elias and Oliver.  Carrie and her family moved between Destin and Nashville, TN for quite a few years - almost as backwards snowbirds - Summers in Florida & Winters in Tennessee. While in Tennessee Carrie finished her degree in Communications and soon after moving back to Florida, settled in Santa Rosa Beach. Carrie started working with Destin 30a Moms Blog once it was founded in 2017 as a contributor and purchased it early in 2019 with business partner, Whitney Whidden. The two continue to believe in connecting local moms both online and off, and creating a go-to resource for everything you need to know about motherhood on the Emerald Coast.   When she's not out around town (probably at Target or looking for the best cup of coffee) she can be found with her family enjoying trips to Walt Disney World, golfing, staying active, and spending time on the water by boat or beach!   Contact her via email at [email protected]