Why You Should Plan a Winter Escape to Florida’s Emerald Coast

If the family is itching for a warm-weather getaway, you don’t have to wait until summer to enjoy it. Florida’s Emerald Coast, a stretch of beautiful coastline along the Gulf of Mexico, includes cities like Pensacola Beach, Fort Walton Beach, Navarre Beach and Panama City Beach. The region is known for white-sand beaches and emerald waters, and it draws visitors year after year looking to escape the cold and snow in favor of warm weather and sunshine.

This winter, your family can find the perfect getaway at The Island Resort at Fort Walton Beach. The resort sits right on the beach, offering great views of the water and plenty of activities to keep the whole family busy, like seasonal arts and crafts, nightly s’mores by the fire pit, and daily live music performances. There are family-sized suites, rooms opening directly onto the pool and ADA-accessible rooms.

Wintertime temperatures in the area run in the 60s and 70s and, while that may be a little cold for a swim at the beach for some, the Island has a heated outdoor pool, hot tub and grotto pool with a swim-up bar.

Fort Walton and its surrounding cities offer plenty of great action all winter long, like Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park and U.S. Air Force Armament Museum, as well as plenty of great shopping and restaurants for the whole family.