Margaritaville is coming to Destin

Last week there was a semi official announcement about Margaritaville coming to Destin. As I reported earlier, I was told contracts were signed for Coyote Ugly and Margaritaville to come to Harborwalk Village. Well, the Destin Log reported Coyote Ugly was taking over the building that used to house The Shedd. They hope to be up and running by April. In the article the owner of Coyote Ugly also mentioned Margaritaville was going to be a neighbor of theirs. As the worst kept secret in Destin is finally getting out, they will take over the old Lucky Snapper building. Exciting times on the Destin harbor.

Margaritaville heading to Destin

We got out and about the last few days. Friday I planned to go to the Parrothead meeting but could not find a place to park. So I went to Landshark Pizza and hung out there for a while. I talked to Brian for a good while as well as a few other locals. Steph and Renee were working and did a good job as the place was packed. Wayne joined me for a while too.

Steph playing peek-a-boo at Landshark

Saturday the weather was beautiful. I washed BadAss and Sunshine Cindy and I ended up at the harbor. We met Alan and Jackie upstairs at Harry T’s. There was a good crowd walking in the village and we ran into some friends at Harry T’s. Jack and his lovely wife Lynn were there with a mother and daughter that I don’t remember the relationship to Jack and Lynn. Sorry, getting old I guess! LOL  Then Wayne stopped in. An old friend of Sunshine Cindy’s also walked by and they chatted for a bit. Finally Cherie also stopped by. Everyone was out in the nice weather.

Alan and Jackie headed over to the Crab Island Cantina and Sunshine Cindy and I joined them. The place was also pretty crowded. Greg was behind the bar and he was kept busy. Loren took care of us as we had a few brews and some food. It was a fun time. When we left there we stopped in at the Crazy Lobster. We wanted to see if they planned any Super Bowl specials. They are not but we talked with Jesse the bartender as they were not busy. We talked about New Orleans, Key West, the harbor, BP…yep, it ran the gamut. We stayed for a good while enjoying the conversation.

Mardi Gras Destin style

Sunday was another beautiful day in Destin. The top was down on the car as we ran some errands. It was definitely a ragtop kind of day. Sunshine Cindy and I ended up at Sago Sports Bar to have a snack. We also got to watch some hockey games too. An added bonus. Julie came and joined us and we all enjoyed the ending of the weekend.

Get out and enjoy the last week of January. See ya Thursday!

If it's Snowbird Season....

It has been a real quiet week for us since we got back from New Orleans. Both Sunshine Cindy and I have been fighting colds so we felt it best not to get out and about. It was disappointing too because some of our friends were at KC’s Sandbar Wednesday. Oh well, maybe next time.

Sunshine Cindy - a two fisted drinker

As those of you who have been reading this blog regularly know, I have been reporting Margaritaville is close to being officially announced as a new tenant at Harborwalk Village. I keep hearing they are close to finalizing everything and getting the old Lucky Snapper building remodeled or rebuilt. Well, my sources have told me they did sign the contract last week. If my guess is right, Jimmy himself might announce it next week while he is in Pensacola for a concert. We shall see but it looks like this is going to happen for real finally!

Could we be in for more dancing on the bar?

My source also told me the Coyote Ugly chain has also signed a contract to rent space at Harborwalk. I don’t know where but with the building that used to house The Shedd empty, that might be the spot. Yep, it looks like Sunshine Cindy might have another bar to dance on pretty soon! 

The invasion of snowbirds is officially on. We are now in the season where people drive slow in the left lane with their seatbelt dragging and their turn signal forever on. As Brent Burns says about this time of the year, “If a car from Michigan passes you. It’s stolen.” Actually we have met some wonderful snowbirds over the years. Alan and Jackie come to mind right off the bat. So it’s hard to get too worked up over them since spring breakers are right around the corner!

Have a great weekend. See ya Monday!

Pardi Gras fun in New Orleans

We are back home from our trip to New Orleans. What a blast we had at Pardi Gras. A big thanks to Jerry and Mary Diaz and the entire Pardi Gras crew for all their hard work.

Margaritaville fun

Sunshine Cindy and I got into town Thursday afternoon. After getting checked into our hotel it was off to start the fun. We started at Margaritaville for some dinner and to listen to some musicians as they were being interviewed on Radio Margaritaville. We immediately started to see old friends. That is what makes these events so much fun. In the evening we were at Funky Pirate and then to Tropical Isle for more trop rock music. The evening ended at Deja Vue for some late night food.

Pub Crawl taking over Bourbon Street

Friday was a full day of partying. We participated in the Pub Crawl. We listened to music at Top of the Trop. From there we were in a float for the Pardi Gras parade. This is a true Mardi Gras style parade through the streets of the French Quarter. Thousands of people lined the streets as the parade made it way down Bourbon St. This was a blast. After the parade we stayed at Tropical Isle for a while before heading to Lafitte’s for a midnight pirates toast. We were not done yet. After the toast we hit the hotel bar for a nightcap.

Looking for some beads during the parade

Saturday’s big event was the street party. They close down a block of Bourbon St and we have a party that rocks the street. Saturday night had a band at Margaritaville and we then once again capped the night at the hotel bar.

Sunday it seemed like everyone was low on energy. But there was still music to listen to and beers to drink. We tried to get some time to watch some of the football games too. Sunshine Cindy and I had a nice meal on the balcony at Frank’s Restaurant. We also met a big group at Grapevine Restaurant. This is a real nice place.  We planned to make it an early evening but we had to stop at the hotel bar again. Terry the bartender was cracking jokes the whole time we were there. He made it fun. When Sunshine Cindy and I got back to our room we went out on our balcony and our neighbor came out. We ended up sitting out there having some drinks and having a blast. So much for an early evening.

Street Party fun

Monday we came back home but not before stopping in Biloxi and hitting the Margaritaville Casino for some food and gambling. We finally got home in the late afternoon exhausted from “Embracing the Chaos!” for four days.

Time to get back into our Destin routine. See you Thursday!!!

Prep for New Orleans

It’s time to party in New Orleans. We leave in a few hours to drive over and join the Pardi Gras folks. We have a full four days of fun in store. But we also have had some fun at home this week before we left. Monday was spent putting the finishing touches on our Crab Island Mambo Mullet Wrapper newsletter. It was our biggest and best effort yet. You can read it here: http://www.crabislandmambo.com/Mullet-Wrapper-January-2013.html

Parrots on the "head"

Tuesday we headed over to Johnny O’s for some dinner. They have good beer specials including 25 oz’s of Sam Adams for only $5.50. A great deal. While we were eating, Sunshine Cindy thought she recognized a friend from Alabama walking in. He sat at the bar and sure enough, it was Keith. He was in town on business and stopped in for some dinner. We joined him at the bar and had a fun time talking and catching up. We will see Keith and his wife Leigh this weekend in New Orleans too so we had a lot to talk about.

Wednesday I took off from work to prep for the trip. In the evening I went to KC’s Sandbar. Jan was supposed to play but it was raining and there was only a couple people there. Wayne came out and joined me and I got the lowdown on his trip to Belize. He had a blast as I expected.

Sunshine Cindy and Keith

We decided to go to Anglers so we could be inside out of the weather. There were only a few folks in there. Nate was working. I have not seen him in a while. It took about an hour but the place totally cleared out so we could say we closed down the bar!!! LOL  From there I headed home to get a good night’s sleep and be ready for the drive to N.O.

Late Monday I will have a full wrap up of our trip to the Big Easy!!! See you then….

Fun weekend in Destin

Our weather continues to be amazing. Highs in the 70’s and low’s in the 60’s. I wish it would stay this way till spring! It was a fun weekend here on the Emerald Coast. Friday night the ECPHC had a meeting at Harry T’s. We packed the upstairs area. Harry T’s put out a great spread of food and Tim from Flash Flood was playing music. It was also Julie’s birthday weekend. She was getting shots and beers handed to her to celebrate. Phil and Norma were there. Phil even got up and sang a song with Rusty.

Steve and Mark at Harry T's

From there a big group of us went to the Rotten Apple to catch the end of Matt and Mindy’s show. The Apple has beautiful hardwood floors. Sometime over the last few days they a water leak and a big part of the floor is all buckled up. I hope they can fix it. We had a blast at the Apple.

Saturday afternoon Sunshine Cindy and I headed over to Landshark Pizza to watch some of the first playoff game. Julie joined us as the place was starting to fill up for the 2nd game with the Packers. Blake and his girlfriend were there as was our friend Steve. I got a call from Matt saying he was at the Boathouse and they were selling beer for $2 each. I told him we would be there in a little while. After eating a great pizza Renee made for us we headed over.

Sunshine Cindy and Matt

As we walked in we saw Blake and his girlfriend there. I joked they had gotten the memo too. Turns out Blake was going to play after Rusty finished. All the times I have talked to him I never knew he was a musician. A decent crowd was in there. Kenny showed up and others came and went. When Blake was finished playing, Sunshine Cindy and I headed out the door to go home but we heard music from Dockside blaring. So of course we had to check it out. There was a good crowd of younger folks listening to music from someone’s IPod.

It was good country music for the most part. The old Hank Jr. song, “Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound” came on and I started singing along. That song got me turned onto country music in the mid 70’s. Some young guy saw me singing along and high fived me. It’s funny because I was partying to that song long before he was born! Paige was there and she talked to us. Finally a young couple came in on a type of bar crawl/scavenger hunt. They needed to get a kiss from a total stranger. I guess it does not get much stranger then Sunshine Cindy and me so we were happy to oblige them! LOL

Blake playing at the Boathouse

Sunday I hunkered down to watch the Falcons playoff game. After having lived in Atlanta for 20 years, the Falcons are my second favorite football team after the Browns. They got off to a great start in the game but then blew the big lead. But like they have done most of the year they came back in the last few seconds to win it. Yep, never a doubt! LOL After the game I headed to Sago. Sunshine Cindy stayed home to get some stuff done around the house. Julie, Jan and Loujean were there. As I was walking in they were leaving to head to Landshark. So off I went too. I stayed there for a few beers before heading back home.

We have heard Scullys in Ft. Walton Beach has been sold. The plan is to keep the same name. It remains to be seen if the food and music will stay the same. We are off to New Orleans this weekend. It’s a Parrothead party that is always a blast. I will have the Thursday blog out before we head over. See ya then!!!

Warm weather

Am I in Destin or London this week? It has been warm and foggy all week. Temps have been hovering around 70 degree’s with the lows only getting down into the 60’s. I love it! Despite the warm weather we have mostly stayed in this week with Wednesday being the exception. Sunshine Cindy and I headed to Fisherman’s Wharf for their dollar draft happy hour. It’s the best deal in town. We enjoyed several brews while discussing where we want to try and take Crab Island Mambo this year.

Matt and Kirby at Landshark Pizza

We left the and stopped in at Landshark Pizza for their wing night. There was another great crowd in there. Brian and Sue have done a tremendous job building up the business. It is a place the locals are packing on a regular basis now. It sure helps that they have good food and excellent prices. Matt, Haven and Paige were all working and having fun with the customers. From there it was time to head home. I can’t stay out too late on a work night. I am not as young as I used to be! LOL

It looks like a couple of projects I have wrote about have fallen though. The old Twisted Palm deal that was going to put a bar, pizza shop, gun range and motorcycle shop in the building did not close. It was reported the guy who owns the building raised his asking price at the last minute. I know this guy and that does not surprise me. My feeling is he probably has a better deal brewing from someone else but who knows.

Crab Island

The other project is the old Destin Diner was supposed to be reopening. That deal was reported as having closed but something happened as the “for sale” sign is back up in front of the building. I have not heard anything official but with the sign back up something happened.

I have mentioned in previous blogs how famous chef Emeril Lagasse has been spotted around town recently. It turns out he has moved to this area and is now doing a TV show showcasing what Florida has to offer tourist besides Mickey and Minnie in Orlando. It airs on the Cooking Channel and will have an episode from South Walton County airing this Sunday. That’s pretty cool.

Fun at the Backyard Party last year

A restaurant called The Oar House has opened on the island in the old Fud’s spot. It is a seafood restaurant with a Cajun influence. They say they are going to cater to the locals which is a good idea.

And finally the Destin Log is reporting Dolly Parton is behind the purchase of land on Commons Drive. It looks like they are planning to put in a “Pirate Voyage Dinner Theater.” This is one of those themed restaurants where you get a show with your dinner. As shown above with the projects that have failed to materialize, this is not a done deal and could fall through. But if it does happen the “Branson’azation” of Destin will be underway!

Get out and enjoy your weekend. NFL playoffs Saturday and Sunday. See you at a local sports bar for the games! Till Monday…

Football weekend

It has been a cold and damp few days in Destin but that does not slow us down from having some fun. Thursday night when I got home from work I wanted to stop someplace for a while. Sunshine Cindy decided to stay home so I went off to Landshark. Matt and Paige were working and a good crowd of locals was there including Kirby, Blake, Brian and several others whose names escape me. It was fun with jokes flying, old stories being told, beer flowing and a lot of laughs by everyone. Sunshine Cindy missed a good time.

Bobby got up and sang a song with Mindy and Harley

Friday I spent most of the day working on the Crab Island Mambo web site updating it for 2013. In the evening we went to Lucky’s Rotten Apple to hear Matt and Mindy play. Julie, Russ, Suzanne, Capt. John, Kenny, LeAnn, Bobby and Darla all came in. We had a blast. Mindy was her usual funny self. I was happy as the Rotten Apple has Yuengling Light beer. When the music ended several of us ended up at…where else but the Waffle House for a late night snack! Eat your heart out Flipper!

Sue lost a bet and had to wear a Vikings jersey but she had her cheesehead

Saturday was the start of the NFL playoffs. We decided to head to Landshark as we knew they would have a big crowd of Packer fans in there for the second game. Owners Brian and Sue are originally from Wisconsin and they are big Packer fans. We got there right as the first game started. As we were eating some Wisconsin Cheese Curds (yes, they have them there) Sunshine Cindy got a text from Stephanie and Mark wondering where we were. She told them and they were on the way to join us. It turned out to be great time in there. Packer Backers filled the place. They went home happy as the Pack won easily. Haven, Renee and a different Stephanie were kept running but managed to take care of everyone and keep the good times going. We got home late but it was fun.

Stephanie and Mark at Landshark

We went out for brunch on Sunday to McGuire’s Irish Pub. This is a neat local place with great food that come in large quantities. You don’t go away hungry. We went with Jim, Pam and Tiffany. It was a nice relaxing time there. We all came back to our house afterwards. I spent the afternoon and evening watching football games. I was surprised the games were not closer this weekend.

The weather is supposed to warm up this week in Destin into the 70’s. I am ready for it! The college football BCS championship game is tonight. I have good friends who are fans of both schools. I am not pulling for either but hope for a close game. We might get over to Sago Sports bar to watch it. Enjoy your week. See ya Thursday!

Back to the grind

Happy New Year. Welcome to another trip around the sun! Sunshine Cindy and I enjoyed the last few days. On Monday, New Year’s Eve, we kept it low key. We went to Friday’s for a few drinks before dinner. We had reservations at Osaka. This is Japanese Steakhouse that has hibachi grills. The Chef’s cook the food in front of you. It’s very good and a lot of fun. From there we headed to Sago for some drinks and watch some of the LSU/Clemson football game. We wanted to stay close to home with all the crazies out that night. Tommy was there as was a parrothead friend Bill. Julie and Susanne came and joined us. It was fun talking to folks around the bar. We went home about 11 and rang in the New Year from the safety of our home.

New Years day we wanted some breakfast. All the local spots were packed. We stopped in at the Back Porch for Bloody Mary’s. The weather was about 70 so when we left the top went down on BadAss. We went to the Waffle House for our breakfast fix. Some Alabama fans were in there doing their “Roll Tide” greeting to each other. I asked the waitress if I had to say that to leave. She got a good chuckle out of that. From there it was off to Hogs Breath for a few beers and watch some football. Hanna was working the bar. A decent crowd was around the bar including some bikers who were out enjoying the weather. We were home early and relaxed the rest of the night.

Wednesday I had to go back to work. Ugh! The evening was spent catching up on Crab Island Mambo stuff. We have some new things planned for this year. The Mullet Wrapper newsletter is getting some new features. It should be fun.

On Okaloosa Island, the old Island Gulf Center is getting approvals to get started on a Marine Center and an Adventure Zone that will include a zip line and some other activities around the putt-putt golf course. That will give the tourist with kids something to do on the island.

My public service announcement for today…Don’t have any Ghost Chili Powder sprinkled on your potato chips. We had some at Landshark where by mistake they put the Ghost Chili Powder on the homemade chips instead of salt. You could only eat one or two before you felt the burn! Wow that was hot!

(Sorry but no pictures today. There is a problem with the blog. Hopefully it will be fixed by Monday.)

Get out and enjoy the weekend. The football playoffs get started on Saturday. Get out and catch a game. See ya’ll Monday!