Highway 98 runs more or less along the Gulf Coast of Alabama and Florida, sometimes within sight of the water, sometimes not. It's worth the drive to see the different communities that have sprung up along the way. Many of the communities are "old Florida," reflecting the development styles of a few decades back.
Quite a few of the towns and cities along the way make great destinations, if your main interests are sand, surf, golf, and good food. Pensacola Beach, Navarre Beach, Santa Rosa Beach, Fort Walton--you won't go wrong visiting any of these places, and each is worthy coverage on its own. Maybe later.
For today, let's stop in Destin at a beautiful resort named Sandestin. Sandestin is a large complex straddling Highway 98 and sprawling from the Gulf of Mexico to the Choctawatchee Bay, and offering--trite as it may sound--something for everyone. Really. Let's take a quick tour of the facility and you'll see what I mean.
You know those drab offices where you check into most hotels? There will be restrooms, maybe a coffeepot, some furniture and a few wrinkled newspapers, but little else to encourage the visitor to linger. Well, welcome to Sandestin! I recently spent several hours happily exploring the assorted shops and restaurants that make up The Market Shops at Sandestin.
With Wal Marts, McDonald's, and Taco Bells in every town, shopping has become a little dull and standardized in this country. I guess that's why I enjoy The Market Shops so much--they have loads of merchandise that I haven't seen anywhere else. I even found flour sack towels, and bought them immediately. If you've ever used a flour sack towel to knead your bread dough or roll out your pie crust, you will understand my joy. My only towel was one used by my great-grandmother, and I worried every time I used it about wearing it out. Now I can save Mama Berry's towel and wear out these!
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