Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Alabama > Huntsville-Madison-Decatur area
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 04-19-2010, 07:59 AM
 
268 posts, read 631,413 times
Reputation: 134

Advertisements

Quote:
Originally Posted by rnc76 View Post
The 30A beaches are our favorite so far. We love that stretch of coast. Very laid back, not overdeveloped.
Agreed - those are more a taste of the way the panhandle used to be ...
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 04-19-2010, 08:24 AM
 
Location: Niceville, FL
13,256 posts, read 22,657,287 times
Reputation: 16398
Quote:
Originally Posted by BobWallace View Post
Fort Walton Beach limits resorts to 7 stories or less, so it is not nearly as crowded and hectic as Destin.
Which wasn't actually Ft. Walton/the county's call. The Air Force, which accounts for 70% of the local economy and which can pretty much do what it wants, said no buildings higher than 70 feet within X distance of Eglin AFB or Hurlburt Field, so the developers had to live with it. Believe it or not, there is a (taller) height limit as well in Destin; I want to say 175-200 feet above mean sea level. Had a couple developers who were used to getting their way to do anything try to get around it a few years ago, and the Air Force smacked them down over it, which everyone with a brain knew was going to happen, and it delayed the revised, height-limited project just north of Destin Commons mall long enough that the hubris of the developer had them trying to do construction pre-sales right in the middle of the real estate market tanking.

Anyways, local gossip and such. But the military presense does loom deep in that area. When we lived down on the beach, it was common to see Pav Lows right along the shoreline during a beach walk, and we'd occasionally see National Guard units firing off Patriot missles from the AF's stretch of beach.

If you're looking for quiet but not too far from restaurants and other amenities, I'd look at Navarre beach and the eastern part of Pensacola Beach- there's a pretty huge chunk of National Seashore between those two places, and the coast road that goes through there, which was finally reopened last year after several years fighting Ivan/Dennis damage, is a divine drive.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-19-2010, 09:38 AM
 
Location: Huntsville, AL
1,618 posts, read 4,764,318 times
Reputation: 1517
Yeah, the military presence is.. why we're here! The husband is doing some work at Eglin and since it's off season right now the company can afford a nice beach condo big enough for family to tag along and benefit from a bonus vacation. We're still homeschooling on travel so we're not 100% vacationing either but definitely enjoying the change of scenery.

Bob: We definitely plan to hit the AF museum on the way out. And thanks for the other recommendations too. We'll check some out! My daughter is in particular interested in the best possible place to collect some great seashells. Any recommendations?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-19-2010, 12:15 PM
 
Location: Niceville, FL
13,256 posts, read 22,657,287 times
Reputation: 16398
Not too many seashells in the Panhandle because of an abundance of offshore sand bars, which tend to block them from making land. I'd probably try a day trip to Panama City Beach for a Shell Island boat trip- reports are you'll have better luck shelling there.

Pensacola is also worth a day trip- Fort Pickens on Pensacola Beach and downtown have a world of history and on NAS Pensacola you've got both the Naval Aviation Museum (which is a step up from the Air Armnament Museum in FWB and has an IMAX theater and stuff) more Colonial-Civil War era forts and a lighthouse, which I think is open on Saturday mornings.

You really can make a cool American History trip from that area.

I'd also call NAS Pensacola's public information line and see if the Blue Angels are doing any training around town. We've stumbled across our own personal air show at both Ft. Pickens and Grand Lagoon State Park because we've just happened to be in the right place during the Angels' practice time.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-19-2010, 03:28 PM
 
1,178 posts, read 2,820,864 times
Reputation: 509
It may be a little more of a drive but I would suggest the US ALABAMA in Mobile. Your kids will love going through it and the history is very interesting. There is also a sub there and you get a realistic view of what it feels like to live on one. Mobile also has historic areas that are interesting history.

Last summer we enjoyed the Gulf Shores State Park I think it was called. The ranger at the nature center was great info and had activities for children. There are some good walking/biking trails in the woods. We saw a huge golden eagle and its nest.

The only time we have found good shells are after HUGE storms. The sand bars do tend to keep them out. St. George's Park is a fun place to explore. Been along time but we have good memories of it. We also like Seaside for strolling and food.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-21-2010, 11:10 PM
 
5 posts, read 13,992 times
Reputation: 16
Destin is great, and so is Fort Walton Beach, right down the road. My family used to go there from Huntsville all the time. I would say it is a bit further than 6 hours, but it isn't a bad drive at all. I went to Orange Beach as a kid, too. There are a lot of nice beaches around, and the beautiful white sand (which is fire-hot from late May to mid August, so bring your sandals) and emerald waters are very enjoyable and relaxing. Destin and Fort Walton Beach aren't a straight shot down 65 like Gulf Shores and Orange Beach are, so it is a bit longer of a drive.

Good luck and have fun.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-21-2012, 07:54 AM
 
Location: Madison
50 posts, read 179,835 times
Reputation: 32
We are starting to look into renting a condo in either Destin/Orange Beach/Gulf Shores area for Thanksgiving. Is the water warm enough in November for swimming? Are any of these areas better than others as far as family-friendly? We will have 8 adults and 5 kids, age ranging from 18 months to 6 years old.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-21-2012, 08:46 AM
 
Location: Brentwood, Tennessee
49,932 posts, read 59,558,485 times
Reputation: 98359
We went for Thanksgiving once. It is not really warm enough for swimming, since the nighttime temps can get into the 50s and 40s.

It's nice outside during the day, but usually you will need a sweatshirt for sitting on the beach. That's also when cooler air starts coming down from the north.

My in-laws go every October, and they mostly sit bundled up in a chair on the beach and read.

That entire area is family friendly. It's miles and miles of the same types of activities. The Alabama side has less traffic than Destin, but it shouldn't be a problem in November anyway. If you have kids that young, I would highly recommend getting a condo directly on the beach because lugging kid stuff up and down from beach to condo is the biggest hassle, and you definitely don't want to have to drive every time you want to go to the beach or someone needs a potty break.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-21-2012, 12:29 PM
 
68 posts, read 115,186 times
Reputation: 51
Quote:
Originally Posted by rmepilot View Post
x2
Is Destin a good place for kids?

I am in the same situation. We just moved here from PA. In the past we have gone to the beach in late August or the first week of September. We can't do that now because school starts much earlier here. We generally take a family vacation, between 10-14 people (extended family) and we rent a house. I would like something NOT spring-break like, but at least a few restaurants. We generally have 4 to 6 kids between the ages of 4 and 14.

Thanks!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-21-2012, 03:58 PM
 
Location: The Mountains of AlaBAMA!
300 posts, read 602,874 times
Reputation: 170
I'm also a fan of Destin. I've had to go there a few times for work, and staying on the beach can be really convenient. We took a vacation to Pensacola once, as well. It was in March on some overcast days, so it was a little cool. I had never seen white sand beaches before going to the beaches there. All we get is browny sand in VA...
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Alabama > Huntsville-Madison-Decatur area
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top