Destin Duchess

A Mom's Guide to the Emerald Coast

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Crosspoint Niceville Pumpkin Patch

October 8, 2015 By Molly Leave a Comment

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! No, not Christmastime, but Fall.

The days are sunny and dry, our Florida humidity is finally starting to ease up, and football is on the TV. I just love all that comes with Autumn. We may not have true distinct seasons here in Destin (other than Spring Break, Summer, and Snapper seasons :) ), but our communities still get in the spirit.

There are actually quite a few pumpkin patches in Northwest Florida, but most are a decent drive from Destin (at least an hour). Jason and I took the kids just 20 minutes north of Destin to Niceville to get a taste of a pumpkin patch much closer to home.

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Crosspoint Church in Niceville hosts a great pumpkin patch each year with the proceeds benefiting the church. Saturdays are family days complete with a petting zoo, bounce house, and face painting.

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The kids had a ball with the farm animals! There were bales of hay all around the pins and the kids thought it was such a hoot to feel the goats and pony.

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Julia’s favorite was the precious bunny. They were for sale for $20, but sadly we had to pass. Two dogs are plenty for us!

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Mac would have stayed all afternoon in the bounce house. The only way I could get him out was to convince him to get his face painted.

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Most of the volunteers were youth members from the church and they were all so friendly and helpful. Donations were accepted at every booth, but certainly not required.

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I somehow managed to not get any photos of the pumpkins, but there were hundreds! Tiny ones all the way up to huge Cinderella pumpkins. They also had wheelbarrows and carts available to help you haul your pumpkins from the patch to your car. Again, all the pumpkins were for donations. The church had suggested donations based on size, but what you donated was ultimately up to you.

We stayed at the patch for about an hour and it was time well-spent. The kids had a wonderful time, we were able to support a local church, and the drive to and from the pumpkin patch was definitely do-able with little ones.

The Pumpkin Patch at Crosspoint Church in Niceville is open for business 10 am to 7 pm October 1-31st. Saturdays are Family Fun Days with the petting zoo, bounce house, and face painting from 11 am to 3 pm.

Crosspoint Church Niceville
214 S. Partin Drive
Niceville, FL

Filed Under: Attractions

Destin Seafood Festival 2015

October 5, 2015 By Molly Leave a Comment

The Destin Seafood Festival takes place on the harbor the first weekend of October each year. The festival kicks off Friday afternoon and goes throughout the weekend.

seafood fest

Sunday is typically Family Day, so Jason and I decided to take the kids after church. We were able to check out all of the vendors and enjoy lunch on the harbor.

But first things first- pony rides!

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Julia and Mac wouldn’t let us past the kiddie section without stopping and partaking.

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Unfortunately the kids’ activities were grossly overpriced. Pony rides were $7 per kid for about a 2 minute ride, and the bounce house was $10 per child! I couldn’t believe the prices. The friendly attendant told us the kids could bounce all day for that price, but we knew we were only staying a little while.

Fortuantely, there was a lot to see to distract the kids, so we walked around for a bit in search of food.

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The kids finally decided on chicken on a stick and french fries. Total festival food!

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The chicken on a stick was nothing special. I should have known better. It wasn’t even local- it was from a huge vendor that travels from festival to festival. The kids loved the fries though, and fed most of their chicken to the pelicans off the dock. :)

Jason and I shared a plate of tacos from a local food truck, The Big Red Truck. We tried the fried fish, Asian chicken, and BBQ pork tacos.

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The tacos were delicious! Much more affordable and we were able to support a local business. Win-win.

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The kids and their buddy Audrie payed a visit to the Blue Runner II. My father=in-law is a charter boat captain and owns this fine fishing vessel. We love going out on Papa’s boat. If you ever want take a fishing trip in Destin, he’s your man!

Audrie and Julia made some beautiful spin art masterpieces.

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This is actually a local vendor who can always be found near AJs. The girls loved trying spin art and it only set us back $5.

By this point, the kids were getting hot and cranky, so we made our way toward the exit. But not before soft serve!

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I don’t know what was so special about this soft serve but it was honestly some of the best I’d ever tasted. Good thing I didn’t order my own. I would have dominated it. I settled for a couple bites from the kids.

All in all, it was another successful year of the Seafood Festival. Our kids are still a bit young to truly enjoy a full day at the festival. There is always a great line up of live music that we would have liked to watch, but we’ll have to try again in the future.

Until next year, Seafood Fest!

Filed Under: Attractions

The Beach at The Crab Trap

September 29, 2015 By Molly Leave a Comment

One of my favorite places to take the kids for some beach time is The Crab Trap restaurant in east Destin. The Crab Trap is a popular tourist destination for seafood since it sits directly on the Gulf. It’s been there as long as I can remember, but I’ve probably only ever eaten there a handful of times (or less!). We prefer to just take advantage of its amazing beach access.

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The Crab Trap has plenty of parking spaces and is open to the public. Two big pros in my book! Even with all of the parking, in the height of the summer, the entire lot is packed by 11 am on any given day, so be sure to claim your spot early.

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With two small children, another huge draw for me at The Crab Trap is access to public bathrooms. These are open to all and have hoses and showers out front for rinsing the sand off when you’re ready to leave. I love the convenience.

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But the real reason we come to The Crab Trap for the beach? This right here.

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The Crab Trap sits directly on the beach and has the most stunning views of the Gulf. Does it get any better than this? Yes, it does.

This is one of the few beachfront spots with a playground. And it’s a darn good playground!

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The playground sits just behind the restaurant. Mom and Dad can easily see the kids playing if they want to sit at the outdoor bar and have a drink or appetizer. There are also plenty of picnic tables near the playground.

The playground is a bit far back from the water’s edge, so I stay with my kids while they’re playing on it. I’m sure parents of older children could happily soak up the sun from their beach chair while the kids are on the playground, but it’s a little too far for my comfort level at this stage in the game.

Even still, after the kids are done monkeying around, it’s a quick 30-second walk down to the water for even more play time.

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We picked the most stunning day to visit. Late afternoon is one of my favorite times to visit the beach. Around 4:00 the sun isn’t quite so blaring and the temps are beginning to drop a bit. And if it’s the middle of summer many beachgoers begin to leave by this hour, so it’s far less crowded.

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The beach at the Crab Trap is perfect year-round. On an especially gorgeous winter day, we’ll bring the kids to the playground and just skip the bathing suits. The outdoor bar is fun for sunset cocktails when you don’t have the kids with you. That will be another post for another day. :)

The Crab Trap Restaurant
3500 Scenic Highway 98
Destin, FL 32541
850-654-2722

Filed Under: Attractions, Beaches

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