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Area Information
From the waves of the Gulf of Mexico crashing against the shore to
the year-round sunshine, it’s no wonder that Fort Walton Beach,
Fla., was named one of Money magazine’s top 10 places to
live in the United States.
Approximately 22,000 people call the City of Fort Walton Beach home,
and visitors seek it out for its beautiful weather, beaches and ocean
views, and its mixture of shopping and attractions.
Shopping and Convenience
- There are several shopping plazas in the Destin and Fort Walton
Beach area. The newest shopping center is the 590,000-square-foot Destin
Commons - an open air, upscale shopping center just 20 minutes from
Waterscape. Destin Commons features a 14-screen RAVE Motion Pictures
theater and a Bass Pro Shops World Wide Sportsmen - one of only two
in the United States.
- Santa Rosa Shopping Mall, just three miles away in Mary Esther,
has more than 100 stores, including Dillard's, Old Navy, Sears, JCPenney
and McRae's.
- Silver Sands Factory Stores, just 30 minutes from Fort Walton Beach
, is the nation’s largest designer outlet center, offering factory
stores for Polo Ralph Lauren, Off 5th - Saks Fifth Avenue Outlet,
The Gap and Banana Republic, among others.
- A grocery store, restaurants, craft stores and more are available
at Uptown Station in Fort Walton Beach, just a short drive from Waterscape.
Recreation
- Two 18-hole golf courses are just minutes away from the beach at
the Fort Walton Beach Golf Club. The club, featuring an Edwin Watts
golf shop and Two Trees Restaurant, houses a spacious, lighted driving
range.
- You’ll find deep-sea and bay fishing charters, a gas and diesel
fuel dock, boat launches, pontoon boat rentals and marina at the Brooks
Bridge Bait and Tackle right on the shore.
- The Fort Walton Beach Skating Center offers an indoor roller skating
rink ideal for parties and family fun.
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Culture and Entertainment
- The Emerald Coast Science Center offers children of all ages a hands-on
encounter with science. More than 250 interactive exhibits teach visitors
about natural phenomena and applied science.
- Florida's Gulfarium is home to an amazing menagerie of aquatic
life, including bottlenose dolphins, California sea lions, tropical
penguins, American alligators, moray eels and sea turtles. A 60,000-gallon
living sea aquarium and a 400,000-gallon dolphin tank provide homes
to an array of marine species native to the northwest Florida waters.
Other animals at Florida 's Gulfarium include: seals, sharks, stingrays,
pelicans and more.
- A national historic landmark, the Indian Temple Mound Museum and
Park is a monument to Native Americans. The museum offers numerous
exhibits detailing the history of Native Americans dating back 10,000
years.
- Those with a big appetite will be right at home in Fort Walton Beach
. Local eateries range from rustic oyster bars to open air cafes to
candlelit restaurants. And, with the Gulf right in their backyard,
most restaurants feature a tantalizing assortment of seafood caught
in local waters.
Health Care
The Fort Walton Beach Medical Center recently completed
a $45 million expansion, providing the community a first-rate cardiac
center that combines cardiac physicians, nurses and specialists from
around the world with the technology to form the most comprehensive cardiac
care center in the tri-county area.
The 247-bed facility is accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation
of Healthcare Organizations and licensed by the State of Florida.
Transportation
- Fort Walton Beach residents and visitors are serviced by the Okaloosa
County Airport with direct flights to Atlanta, Cincinnati, Dallas,
Houston, Memphis, Orlando and Tampa. The airport serves more than 520,000
passengers a year and is just over 10 miles from Fort Walton Beach.
- Two additional airports, Pensacola Regional Airport and Panama City–Bay
County International Airport, are within an hour-and-a-half drive
of Fort Walton Beach.
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