Destin, FL

Destin is a Florida Panhandle beach city known for white sand, emerald water, and a fishing identity that goes back to Leonard Destin, the New London fishing captain who settled the area in the 1800s. It sits in the Fort Walton Beach region, with Henderson Beach and the harbor shaping much of its appeal. Destin is heavily visitor-oriented, but it is not just a resort strip; boats, seafood, military-area ties, and year-round neighborhoods all sit behind the beach image.