Sea Oats 202 Okaloosa Island Florida

04/25/2026

It’s a beautiful day on the Gulf of America! 🌴 ☀️

02/03/2026

They sure are having fun and enjoying the snow at our sister property at Snowshoe Mountain. Check out Friar’s Leap Showshoe on Instagram.

01/01/2026

Happy New Year 2026 from the Gulf of America 🇺🇸 🎇 We hope the new year brings sand between your toes and memories worth a lifetime.

11/19/2025

Another gorgeous Gulf of American sunset on Okaloosa Island !! 📸

10/31/2025

Happy Halloween from the BEACH!! 🎃👻

10/31/2025

Hey now, the secret is out! Come see us next year and see why we are a top 10 destination.

FWB NAMED TOP 10 DESTINATION: Fort Walton Beach has been named one of Expedia's top 10 destinations for 2026, marking the only Florida location to make the global list as traveler interest in the area surged 45%.

The designation, revealed in Expedia's "Unpack '26" travel trends report, places the Emerald Coast destination alongside nine other locations worldwide, including Big Sky, Montana; Okinawa, Japan; and Sardinia, Italy. Fort Walton Beach is one of only two U.S. destinations on the list.

"It's humbling for us all," said Jennifer Adams, Okaloosa County Tourism Director. "When I took over eight years ago, we didn't have the partnerships that we have now, such as with the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport. I think that if we hadn't ever gotten to that point -- where we are all working together -- we never would've been recognized like this."

While Adams markets the broader Destin-Fort Walton Beach destination, Expedia's specific recognition of Fort Walton Beach highlights the city's growing appeal to travelers.

Adams attributes the growing interest to a strategic shift in how the destination markets itself — moving beyond being "just a beach destination in summertime" to offering year-round experiences that give visitors reasons to explore beyond the water.

The city offers a different pace and character than its neighboring communities, with easy access to water activities, museums that tell the area's military and cultural history, and a downtown food scene that has quietly become a draw in its own right.

"I think that more people are discovering Fort Walton Beach as they search our overall destination," Adams said. "They're finding new things. They're finding Liza Jackson Park, they're finding Beach Weekend downtown, they're going down to The Landing. Plus, Fort Walton has a great food scene."

The city's location provides strategic advantages. With the Air Force Armament Museum — the only facility in the U.S. dedicated to the display of Air Force armament — Fort Walton Beach attracts military history enthusiasts. The Boardwalk on Okaloosa Island offers restaurants, beach access, live music and movies on the beach. The Okaloosa Island Fishing Pier provides anglers a prime fishing location, while charters and pontoon rentals operate from Fort Walton Beach, giving visitors access to the emerald waters.

For Adams, the Expedia recognition validates a philosophy of staying small while doing big things.

"When I got here, the destination got so big that we forgot how to be small. It's okay to be small," Adams said. "You can be a small destination and have the value of these other big ones."

🔗 link to the full interview with Jennifer Adams below...

10/07/2025

Super cool, check it out!

GLOW-IN-THE-DARK PATH: The Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners will celebrate the opening of the Bridge-to-Bridge Multi-Use Path on Okaloosa Island with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday, Oct. 23, at 9 a.m. at Beasley Park.

The approximately 4-mile, 12-foot-wide path connects the Brooks Bridge and the Marler Bridge, providing a pedestrian and cycling route along Highway 98 in Destin-Fort Walton Beach. The path features photoluminescent materials that will allow it to glow at night.

“We can now enjoy a pedestrian-friendly area along this beautiful stretch of Northwest Florida between Destin and Fort Walton Beach,” said Okaloosa County Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel. “I truly appreciate the dedication of our Public Works team as they continue to foster great working relationships with Eglin Air Force Base.”

10/02/2025

2 million views in a month, WOW! Have you checked out the view from the underwater camera at the Okaloosa Island Pier?

OKALOOSA PIER CAMERA: The underwater camera at the Okaloosa Island Pier has reached nearly 2 million viewers in its first month of operation, drawing a global audience that has surprised even the project’s creators.

Since going live in late August, the camera has recorded 1.9 million unique views from 183 countries, with viewers spending a total of 1.9 million hours watching marine life beneath the pier. The average viewing duration is 1 hour and 6 minutes.

“I don’t think anybody envisioned it getting this much attention, especially as quickly as it did,” said Mike Norberg, Coastal Resources Manager for Okaloosa County. “There are underwater cameras similar to this in other parts of the United States and throughout the world, and even those have not received as much attention as this one has.”

Norberg said he spoke with a group that monitors similar underwater cameras worldwide, and even they were amazed at how quickly the Okaloosa Pier camera gained viewership.

The project’s reach has been entirely organic. Okaloosa County hasn’t advertised the live stream through any direct marketing sources, with 1.46 million views driven through YouTube’s “Suggested Videos” feature alone.

“It appears that all of these views are being driven naturally through media outlets, social media, and online communities,” Norberg said.

Peak viewership reached 42,546 people watching simultaneously, with an average of 2,425 viewers at any given time. The top five viewing countries are the United States, India, Japan, Indonesia and Thailand.

In the United States, all 50 states have tuned in, with Florida leading viewership, followed by Texas, Alabama, Georgia and California. Even the state with the lowest viewership has recorded 315 views and 375.1 hours of watch time.

But probably the neatest part of the whole thing is how it is being utilized: Fishermen are using it as a ‘bait cam’, classrooms at the elementary level are streaming it, and college courses are using it for identification.

Read the full story with with Visit Destin-Fort Walton Beach's Michael Norberg and Pier Manager Eric Brown - link below in comments.

04/05/2025

How cool is this ?!? 🐳

02/19/2025

The SS United States on on the way to Okaloosa! Divers get ready, we will soon have one of the world's best dive attractions. https://www.facebook.com/reel/1355113298832953