Needing to shake off the COVID Blues, we made a mad dash to the US Gulf Coast for a long holiday weekend. Fort Walton Beach, Florida would be the perfect destination for such blues shaking.
Our journey started early. We pulled out of our drive a couple of minutes before 3:00 am on Thursday morning. This plan would get us through Memphis towards the end of the rush hour and put us in to FWB just as check-in time at the hotel would be possible. With the hype of caution for Covid-19, we had planned to minimize our stops and maximize them to limit any possible exposure to others. Well…we almost succeeded.
Sweet South Market–Andalusia, AL
We had just made our last fuel stop in Andalusia, AL and planned to make our final approach into FWB. Then we turned on to GA-137, just south of the intersection of GA-137 and US-29/GA-16 was a small grain bin-turned roadside fruit stand. Focused on Fort Walton Beach, we decided to press on and try to stop on the way home.
That plan was short lived. The more we talked about it, the more we wished we had stopped. So…we did a U’y and came back. And glad we did! This place was really neat. It is a co-op market, of sorts, where you can get little handmade trinkets, fresh fruits, canned fruits, muscadine juices, handcrafted granola and unique hot sauces. All products are sourced locally.
Fort Walton Beach, Florida
Finally arrived at Fort Walton Beach! Got checked in the hotel with no issues and fairly quickly. Unpacked. Let the adventure begin! First stop was SEAFOOD.
On our way to The Shack for some good seafood and in true PWGT fashion, we get sidetracked. …in a good way!
The Bavarian’s Restaurant / Docie’s Dock
Having spent three years in Germany, two of those in Southern Bavarian, we are suckers for authentic German restaurants. Often we are disappointed, but we always seem to take a chance on them. We met our first disappointment was the restaurant didn’t open until 5:00 pm and it was only 4:45 pm. We parked at the back parking lot, so we decided we would walk back to the vehicle and decide if we wanted to wait 15 minutes or continue on to seafood. We were greeted by someone who we had noticed was sitting in the patio area at the side of the building. She asked if we were wanting to eat, to which we said we were. She told us the restaurant didn’t open for another 15 minutes, but there was a nice little bar that served German bier. We could go in and have a bier while we waited. She assured us it would be well worth the wait.
She wasn’t kidding! She followed us in where we found several people hanging out at the bar. She introduced us to everyone as her new friends. After the initial introductions it was like we were lifelong friends. It was absolutely a fantastic time!
Beers, tequila shots, beers and more tequila shots… Holy Moly! What a blast! After a couple of hours of hanging out, we finally decided to order food. I am not sure who actually paid for the food, but it was phenomenal AUTHENTIC German food! https://the-bavarians-wirtshaus.business.site/?utm_source=gmb&utm_medium=referral
The Bavarian & Docie’s Dock…Continued
…somewhere in the evening, I blew out my flip-flop.
The Cowhead
Our first breakfast in Fort Walton Beach, Florida was at The Cowhead. The atmosphere was really neat. The food was great! Breakfast burger with cheese grits and the BELT (Bacon, Egg, Lettuce & Tomato).
Jay is one of the owners/operators. He also makes really good homemade sauces. If you are in FBW, it is a definite local owned must have food! http://thecowhead.com
Breakfast Burger with Cheese Grits 
The BELT 
Orange Screamcicle
Carrot & Habanero Sauce
Jay Maker of Sauces
The Beach
Toes in the sand… 
Flock of Seagulls 
Boardwalk in Destin 
Got a little sun 
The Donut Hole
A must stop when traveling to the Destin/FWB area is The Donut Hole. For any meal of the day, they are fantastic! We made a couple of stops. First was for breakfast then the following day for desert on the way back to the hotel. https://whereindestin.com/donut-hole-destin/
Key Lime Cheese Cake 
Carrot Cake 
Crab Cake Benedict 
Blueberry Pancakes & Bacon
AJ’s Grayton Beach
Great Drinks! 
Oar Chandelier 
Crab & Spinach Dip 
Crab Cake Dinner 
Audra…
not happy I snapped a pic of her.
We picked up a hitchhiker.
It rode from Grayson Beach back to the hotel in FWB.
Air Force Armament Museum
Due to the nationwide pandemic, many places chose to shut down until it is all over. The Air Force Armament Museum was one of those places. We will explore it on the inside next time, but this trip only allowed us to check out the outside static displays. http://www.afarmamentmuseum.com
Tomahawk Cruise Missle
Medium Range Air to Surface Missile
(UH-1 Huey in the background)
Bomb, General Purpose
Hanging with new friends
The first night in FWB, we met some really cool people at Docie’s Dock. They invited us to hang out with them throughout the weekend. We are looking forward to visiting with them again soon.
A Happy Place
Some of my favorite places and mostly my favorite people. Thanks for sharing with the world.
Most welcome! It is an amazing place! It was my first time, my wife’s second or third time there. We will be back! Thank you for your message!
PW