Okaloosa County

So when you leave your little brother home alone for the first family vacation, he gets a little angsty and makes you take him on a second family trip.

Oh the Emerald Coast. Granted, it was December and we may have been wearing light jackets in the evening (it's still Florida and home is way colder), but I could not have asked for a nicer Christmas present. Tanning, surfing, and wedding watching at sunset were just some of the activities the fam and I took part in. This southern vacation was a little more low-key than Gulf Shores, mainly because it was off season and most of your typical tourist places were closed. Completely fine with my family. I read at least 3 books and the family combined book total was 8. Our only day trip was to Eglin Air Force Base Armament Museum. Rows and rows of some of the most spectacular aircraft ever flown by man, a few missiles and bombs placed in between because why not, and a rich history of one of the most interesting US military installations make this a site worth seeing. Personal favorite goes to one of my top 5 favorite planes, the SR-71 Blackbird. Incomparable record. Man was never meant to fly, but no one could convince the Wright Brothers of that and I'm glad they didn't. Additionally, the beaches and Fort Walton Pier are second to none. The water is this beautiful shade of blue-green well more green than blue...like an emerald color...so that's where the name came from...The locals will teach you how to catch flounder, the herons wait for you to throw them a fish head, and the Osprey helicopters flown by the Marine Corps out of Eglin AFB buzz the horizon to the delight of onlookers everwhere. No trip is, of course, complete without something tasty to eat. Best pick: Mcguire's Irish Pub. Ask for a pint of their selection of brews, munch on their famous Senate Bean Soup, toast to your Irish roots, write your name on a dollar bill and nail gun it to the wall, and pick up some swag at their gift shop on the way out. If you are heading south to get away from the cold of winter, the Emerald Coast is just the bright spot you need.Read more