Destin

Destin, known as the "World's Luckiest Fishing Village", has become one of the most popular vacation destinations on the Florida Panhandle. Destin, founded in the 1850s, was a sleepy fishing town until a bridge connected the skinny peninsula to Florida's mainland. This town retains an intimate, friendly atmosphere despite its baseline population of 13,000 residents (which swells to 25,000-plus during the summer). Every summer, families from the Midwest and the South flock to Destin's beaches to enjoy the city's signature bright white sands made of pure Appalachian quartz.

This one-of-a-kind sand not only keeps you cool in the summer heat, but it also gives the water an emerald tint due to sunlight reflection. Golfers navigate seaside bunkers, while children play in water parks. Visitors who are more daring can snorkel and scuba dive off the coast or charter a boat to try their luck at deep sea fishing. After all, fishing is an essential part of this peninsular paradise.