Destin before the tourist rush

This is the last week in Destin before the summer throngs descend upon our town. Our little sleepy fishing village goes from about 15,000 folks who call Destin home to about 100,000 on any given day. And if it rains, they are all on Hwy. 98 all at the same time! But that is what makes Destin. It’s the pulse and vibe that comes with tourist and their big vacation smiles hitting the beach then suffering from sun burn the rest of their vacation. The next two and a half months will be crazy.

Destin tourist

This week Sunshine Cindy and I have been recuperating from the party. On Monday we took a load of supplies to storage. We did get out on Tuesday. We decided to head to the harbor. As I parked Badass behind Fisherman’s Wharf we saw Matt walking by. We chatted with him for a while. The old Tipsy Turtle might have another new owner. At this point we will just wait and see what happens.

We were heading to Crab Island Cantina. As we passed the Shark Shack we saw Kerby. He was with some friends. We said hi and kept on walking. The new zip line tower on the east end is almost done. It is up pretty high. It should be a neat ride when it is done. Meanwhile the foundation and piling work at the new Margaritaville continues. There are also new public restrooms being built in that area.

Margaritaville work continues

At Crab Island Cantina we ran into Kevin, Chuck and some of their friends. Mike and Greg were working the bar. The evening was beautiful. The sunset was perfect. The place was pretty crowded taking in the view and the food. JB and Tami were there doing Karaoke. Carlos stopped by and we talked to him for a while. We are not sure if Southern Drawl Band will be back on June 16th as he has not heard back from them yet. It was a great evening there.

Sunshine Cindy and I headed back towards Badass but stopped in at The Boathouse for a while. A guy was playing music and the place was also crowded. Courtney stopped and talked to us for while. We sat on the outside rail and enjoyed the music and the perfect evening.

The Boathouse

Wednesday was spent at the house getting caught up on some paperwork and general clean up. It is going to be a busy weekend. We have a Parrothead meeting on Friday and a Memorial Holiday party on Saturday at Bobby’s. Then the big party is Sunday at Landshark Pizza. Jan Patton will be playing from 1-5 pm. Landshark is having a crawfish boil…I think Brian is bringing in some Cajun’s for this. LOL  He is also having $2 Bud Light Pints and $2.50 specialty craft beers. Everyone is welcome. Come “Embrace the Chaos!” in Destin on Sunday as we honor those who have served to protect us.

Each Wednesday I update the Crab Island Mambo web site with all the activities that are taking place on the Emerald Coast. Check it out here each week: http://www.crabislandmambo.com/Weekend-Update.html

I will have a full report on the weekend fun on Monday. Have a safe holiday weekend. See ya Monday!