Vacation Silvanaparedes

I’ve lived on the east coast of Florida for many years but it wasn’t until recently that I spent a few days in the Panhandle. I was so surprised at how different it was from all the other places I had been in Florida, and I have been all over Florida. For one thing the water is a beautiful shade of emerald green and the beaches are white sand where as the water along the east coast are a beautiful clear blue and the beaches are a lovely oatmeal color, quite a contrast. One of the other things I noticed was how the area, especially around Destin, was so beautiful and peaceful. There were tree lined streets, small pastel painted houses, outdoor malls that were cleverly disguised as quaint wood framed buildings which held all the designer brands and labels and at least a dozen well manicured golf courses. I’m sure you’ve all heard of Florida Panhandle Beaches like Pensacola and Panama City Beach, but let me tell you about these great spots in between.

Dotted along the road between Destin and Panama City Beach are the picturesque, beachfront towns of Seaside, Watercolor, Sandestin and Miramar. These towns are small and homey, with tree lined streets and pastel painted houses; they look like something out of a movie. Hollywood thought so too, and so they decided to film the movie “The Truman Show”, starring Jim Carey, in the town of Seaside. If you’ve ever been to Hilton Head, South Carolina, Sandestin is a lot like it; very understated and classy. Sandestin is known for its fabulous Golf courses and the Village of Baytowne Warf, which consists of 50 boutiques and specialty merchants which overlook Choctawhatchee Bay. Watercolor is small, approximately 500 acres, but packed with many resort and residential areas all just waiting to be rented for your perfect Florida vacation. Grayton Beach State Park has a fishing pier and hiking trails. Miramar is the place shop. Home of the Silver Sands Factory Stores, it is called the largest designer outlet center in the U.S.; they have over 100 designer outlet shops.

Navarre Beach has soft white sand, emerald green water and is one more place to stretch out and just relax. It’s a great place to kayak along the shore or sail out and see what fish are biting today. Navarre Beach is the fastest growing community in Santa Rosa County, partly due to a new and scenic road that connects it to Pensacola Beach. While you can hit the greens for a round of golf at one of the many area courses, Navarre Beach is all about nature. Eight of the 12 miles of beach here are part of the Gulf Islands Natural Seashore and are federally protected. You can hike, picnic, bike along one of the trails, snorkel, fish and go boating. Try horseback riding or bird watching with the family; Navarre Beach is a great place to be still and get back to nature. They have many hotels, resorts and vacation rentals should you choose to vacation on the beach.

Destin is also known to be a big resort town and one of the most spectacular examples is the new Emerald Grande at Harbor Walk Village; this 5-star resort is located oceanfront and is available for weekly rentals. Even with an estimated 4.5 million people visiting the area, there are people who live in Destin year round, and according to a 2004 census, that number was reported to be just over 12,000 people

The East Pass, which is also called Destin Pass, is at the western tip of the peninsula and is the only outlet of Choctawhatchee Bay into the Gulf of Mexico. The claim has been made that this pass was dug by hand but it appears on early maps of the French, Spanish and English surveyors, so this is likely not true. The East Pass must be dredged on a regular basis in order for it to remain navigable, the first known map of the East Pass was drawn by Don Francisco Tapia, who was commissioned to survey the coast of Florida and draw the map.

The community of Destin has existed for over one hundred and fifty years and started as a humble fishing village. The city of Destin can trace it’s roots back to the 7th century A.D. when it is believed that the American Indians lived in the area. Destin is named for Captain Leonard Destin, who settled in Northwest Florida around 1845; he moved here from Connecticut and was a pioneer in the fishing industry. Today Destin is touted as the “World’s Luckiest Fishing Village” and claims the largest, best equipped fishing fleet in Florida docks are in Destin Harbor. When you visit, you can play golf, tennis and of course do anything you can think of on the water, including snorkeling and diving. If you’d like to charter a boat to do some fishing in the Gulf, you’ll appreciate the fact that the 100 Fathom Curve is closer to Destin than any other spot in Florida, making it the fastest way to get to the deep waters in the Gulf.

No matter where you are in the Panhandle when the day is done, do yourself a favor pick a beach and make it a point to stop and just sit and watch the sunset, it’s a memory you’ll take with you and cherish for the rest of your life.

Finding destinations that can accommodate a large family reunion or vacation can be difficult. In Florida, there are many such vacation spots, but for larger families, the costs and availability can be prohibitive. If you have a large family and want to plan a reunion or vacation without spending the next generation’s inheritance, here is some advice that can help.

Scheduling and planning are by far the most important part of any family reunion or vacation in Florida. First, you need to confirm that as much family as possible could attend the reunion on a specific date. After you have arrived on a good date for the family reunion, you need to find your destination. Finding that date which fits with your family schedule and with the availability of your vacation spot can be tough, but with a little work and enough forethought, you will certainly find a date that works.

For a large family reunion or vacation, accommodations need to be suitable. More than just having enough beds, you need to be sure that you choose a family reunion destination that provides enough activity to keep the whole family happy. Having a family reunion in Florida at a place like Adventures Unlimited will provide you with the space you need to rest, as well as the space you need to play. During the day, family members will have their choice of a number of activities including canoeing, kayaking, nature hikes, a world-class ropes course, and much more. At night, the Adventures Unlimited will provide large family reunion cabins with desired intimacy and connectivity that any family reunion should have.

There are many more factors that can play into planning a family reunion or family reunion vacation in Florida. For more help on planning your perfect family vacation or reunion contact us. We can help by walking you through the planning and walking you through the gate when you arrive.

When it comes to thinking of names for your exotic pets, it can be a daunting task. It seems like there are plenty of names available for dogs and cats, but when it comes to exotic pets like snakes, tarantulas, lizards and ferrets, the list of possible names may appear to be a little short. But before you give up trying to decide on a name for your exotic pet, know that there are lots of available ideas out there that are as special as your exotic pet.

Anyone who owns an exotic pet knows that traditional names like Spot or Fluffy do not seem to fit the bill. So where do you go for good ideas on pet names? Some exotic pet owners start by narrowing it down to the specific type or breed of their exotic pet and go from there. If your exotic pet is from a certain remote region of the world, it would be nice to give them a name to reflect that. Depending on where your pet originated from, there are many areas of the world that can reflect unique and creative names that will help others identify with your pet and know where it came from.

Some exotic pet owners give their pets names that are specific to the natural environment or habitat in which they originally came from. This is especially nice if your exotic pet came from a tropical or other interesting location that most people do not even know about. You can also name your pet after an element that is found in their natural habitat. There are plenty of ideas for exotic pet names if you want to take your time and put thought into it.

Other popular ideas stem from naming your exotic pet after an important historical figure that you admire, or a childhood hero that you have always looked up to. Some also choose favorite vacation spots or pastimes that remind them of happy times in their life. Exotic pets deserve exotic pet names, and really the only limitation to what you can name your pet is the limits of your creativity and imagination.

If you need some help in naming your exotic pet, there are resources online that you can check out, or you can also pick up a book on your type of exotic pet to help get some ideas. The pet store where you purchased your exotic pet from can also have some good ideas to help get you started on the naming of your pet.

Be sure that whatever you choose for the name, you base it on whether the pet is trainable or not. If it is a trainable pet, you want to limit the syllables in the name to only one or two. Anymore than that and the pet can get confused trying to learn commands and have problems telling the difference from their name and other words. If your pet is not a trainable pet, than the options are wide open.

Make sure that you are comfortable with the name you give your pet and feel good about using it for years to come. Some people pick silly names that are funny at first, but when it comes to tell people what the name of their exotic pet is, they tend to get a little embarrassed. Make sure that you put enough thought into the naming of your exotic pet and choose a name that fits them exclusively. Some people find that naming the exotic pet something related to their breed helps other people that are unfamiliar with the pet to identify better with them and know where they come from.