Ah, the holidays. You can enjoy delicious meals and treats with friends and family, sip hot chocolate and binge-watch watching holiday movies. But sometimes, you just want to venture outdoors and enjoy the sights and sounds of the season.
Ready to go? Here’s a list of fun holiday adventures in the Scenic Highway 30A and surrounding areas that combine the sights and sounds of the season and gets you out and about:
Showcase your ugly holiday sweater
Start looking through your closet for the perfect outfit now so you’re prepared for the Ugly Sweater Pub Crawl on December 3. This event kicks off the area’s holiday celebrations with a night of bingo, raffles, live music and of course, an ugly sweater contest.
Enjoy a holiday boat parade
Love holiday lights? Don’t miss the Holiday on the Harbor event in Destin on December 12 at HarborWalk Village. The main event: The 35th Annual Destin Boat Parade, starting at 6 p.m., with fireworks afterward. Check out this venue’s calendar of events for a number of other ways to celebrate the holidays, including an Olde Holiday Market. Your children and pets can visit with Santa and get their photos taken with Old Saint Nick! On Saturday, December 18, you can enjoy a live performance by the Village Baptist Choir and Emerald Coast Community Band.
Stroll through the twinkling lights
See thousands of beautiful white lights at the Grand Boulevard at Sandestin all season long! Bundle up and take a stroll through the area and soak up the sights and sounds of the season. Sandestin also is home to the 12 Nights of Lights. Held at the Village of Baytowne Wharf every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday leading up to Christmas, the event features a holiday light show and music. For more information, go to this link.
Go ice skating
Yes, you can ice-skate in Florida! So dust off those skates and head to The Village of Baytowne Wharf’s Baytowne on Ice. Don’t have skates? You can rent them in adult and most child sizes. Go to this link for day/time availability and to print out and sign the waiver to save time when you arrive at the skating rink.
Find a letterbox
Letterboxing is a fun activity that involves finding small, weatherproof boxes hidden in publicly accessible places (like parks). You don’t need a handheld GPS —clues are posted online on various websites. Dozens of letterboxes have been hidden along Scenic Highway 30A and other areas nationwide. Just go to this link and search by city to find a list of boxes in your area and to print out a list of clues for each box. Once you’ve found a few boxes, try finding your own secret hiding place, creating a box of your own and creating a fun set of clues for other people to follow! For more information about letterboxing, check out this informative Q&A.
Go on a scavenger hunt
An outdoor scavenger hunt could be just the thing to get the whole family to put down their phones and head outdoors into the crisp Florida air. You may think scavenger hunts are a spring or summertime activity, but going on a hunt in the winter months offers a different type of fun! Try a neighborhood scavenger hunt or any of the other fun ideas on this list. Here are some additional ideas. For more fun ideas, take a look at this link. Wrap up the hunt with a steaming cup of hot chocolate and some warm cookies and you have the perfect afternoon for the entire family.
Take a hike (or walk)
One of the great things about Florida is that you can enjoy the great outdoors year-round. Highway 30A communities feature a variety of walking and hiking trails, many of which are accessible and enjoyable during the winter months. Spending a bit of time in the outdoors in the winter months can do your mind and body good.
Don’t want to drive to a trail? Take a stroll through your neighborhood or local park. If you have small children and the weather cooperates, going to a playground can help them burn off some of that energy and help everyone sleep better.
Remember, moderate activity and a bit of sunlight can help release endorphins (those hormones that keep us happy) as well as help us feel better, more able to handle the stress of a busy holiday and get more sleep. So get out there and get moving!
From all of us at PMI Destin-30A, we wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season. And if you have any property management needs, we invite you to call us. We’ll help you get optimized rental income out of your property, determine your cash flow from monthly rental value and gain critical insight into local real estate market conditions. We’re here to serve you. Give us a call to learn more about us: 850-749-3245.
