Explore Destin, FL

About Our Area

Destin is an undisputed fisherman's paradise, such that Destin has earned the reputation as the "World's Luckiest Fishing Village." Destin is located on the Emerald Gulf Coast in Northwest Florida (e.g., the Florida "Panhandle"). Located halfway between Pensacola and Panama City, beautiful Destin boasts over 24 miles of sugar white sand and extraordinary baby blue waters teeming with underwater life. Destin Harbor is among Florida's largest and most elaborately equipped harbors. With over 110 charter boats, it is the largest charter fishing fleet in Florida, if not in the nation. Destin traces its roots back through American Indians and Spanish explorers, and once was a popular pirates' playground for infamous buccaneers such as William Augustus Bowles (a.k.a., "Billy Bowlegs"). However, its recent history can be tied to Captain Leonard Destin who settled in Northwest Florida about 1845 and pioneered the fishing industry here. Destin has maintained its fishing heritage up to the present, and celebrates it annually through Destin Fishing Rodeo, a month-long fishing tournament held each October.