Plan Your Meetings

Watch for:

• The new Destin West Beach & Bay Resort, in walking distance to the Emerald Coast Conference Center, features a complete water park with a 700-ft. Lazy River lagoon pool with waterfall, five other pools and a splash park. A 90-slip, deep-water marina is in the proposal stage.
• A $30 million terminal expansion and renovation is planned for the Okaloosa Regional Airport, which includes additional public parking; a new taxiway and expanded aircraft-parking apron will accommodate additional flights from Chicago, Houston, Dallas and Atlanta.

Green notes:

The Emerald Coast manages several conservation projects to ensure beaches remain pristine. An environmental council monitors water quality and sponsors clean-up days. All beach debris is recycled; in July 2007, 84 tons was picked up.

Want offbeat or unusual meeting venues?

Florida’s Gulfarium, “The World’s Oldest Marine Show Aquarium,” offers a Rent-A-Park Program for business functions, seminars, lectures and concerts; the park features dolphin encounters and therapy, sea life shows and exhibits. Aunt Martha’s Bed and Breakfast has small meetings and activity space. The waterfront property is located adjacent to the historic (and still popular) Staff’s Seafood Restaurant.

Want group dining?

The Destin area is now big enough to have attracted some major restaurants, like Trader Vic’s, which opened in the The Palms of Destin, and Ruth’s Chris Steak House in the Silver Shores Resort. A Golden Spoon Award-winner for the past 13 years, McGuire’s Irish Pub is a local favorite and a fun place for groups (it has 20,000 square feet of theme-oriented rooms); it recently added a new pier with a boardwalk, where attendees can enjoy lunch hour with a little fishing. AJ’s Seafood & Oyster Bar overlooks Destin Harbor, making it a popular spot to watch the sunset as the boats return to dock. The Magnolia Grill, a restored 1910 “kit house,” overlooks Santa Rosa Sound; besides its “Seafood Camp” menu, locals go when they have a craving for home-cooked Italian food.

Want to take your group aboard?

The Nathaniel Botsworth, a 54-ft., steel-hulled schooner, offers swimming and shell-gathering cruises; Silent Lady, a 64-ft. wooden schooner, offers sunset, moonlit and dolphin cruises. More than 200 boats — from catamarans to pontoon boats to offshore sport fishing vessels — are available for charter.

Want team-building activities?

Beach team-building events include rope competitions, sand aerobics and run in the sand relays. Adventures Unlimited has two workshops to help teams “Become A Crew,” either sailing a 72-ft. historic wooden replica Biloxi schooner into the Gulf of Mexico and launching skiffs off the side, or engaging in the fantasy of treasure hunting or search-and-rescue on contemporary 22- or 56-ft. vessels. Or make their adventure very real by gaining authentic crew certifications on multiple-day, live-aboard workshops.

Want nightlife and entertainment?

Day and night, there are so many festivals to enjoy in the area (more than 300, in fact) that you should plan to include one on your schedule. AJ’s (above) is in the top 100 nightclubs in the country, according to “Nightclub & Bar Magazine.” The Swamp on Okaloosa Island and Nightown in Destin, which promotes itself as “the ultimate dance club experience,” appeal to the younger crowd. The island’s Howl At The Moon has a dueling piano rock ‘n roll show. Several resorts offer upscale entertainment.

Want to use local transportation?

A tram service runs the length of Okaloosa Island, with transfer service to Destin’s attractions, including the Destin Commons Mall.

Want family and spousal activities?

Big Kahuna’s Water & Adventure Park is one of the biggest and most popular of several water parks, miniature golf and arcades along the Miracle Strip Parkway. The newest mall is Destin Commons, an open-air center with well-known, upscale retail shops; concerts and community events are held in the architecturally unique center. The Silver Sands Factory Stores has designer-brand outlets (150 in all), along with a number of restaurants.

Want locally made items for gift baskets?

The Donut Hole and Another Broken Egg have popular T-shirts and souvenirs. Local artists craft the ceramics art in Banana Bart’s, which also is jam-packed with colorful, international items in themed areas of the store.