30A, Destin area in November, December? [update: trip report]

[freebooter]

Hello folks,


First post here. Looking forward to returning to 30A sometime soon for a vacation, but unfortunately, it doesn't look as though our work schedule is going to free my wife or myself until possibly November or December.

Can anyone tell me anything about the weather during those times? Is swimming at all possible? I would imagine that bicycling is still feasible?

What about restaurants and other establishments closing for the off-season? Do some merely reduce their hours and/or available items?

Off the top of my head, I am hoping that the Red Bar will be open (seems to me that it would be), Roly Poly (wife and I liked that place) and the nearby taco bar (name escapes me at the moment).

What about that Sandestin shopping area with the shops and restaurants?

Any information anyone might provide would be most welcome.

Hoping this will be me sometime soon:



Thanks!!!

 

[kkddbb]

hey freebooter..

in my opinion the weather is best in november and december. the humidity is gone yet the sun still shines and shines warm and bright. waters are even a bit clearer. water temps will go down drastically, but im one thats in the water year round. itll likely get to the mid 60's by than and perhaps lower depending on the weather. its still bath water so it may last a little longer this year, but not much longer. other than the humidity being gone, so are most tourists and thats a plus. less lines, less traffic.....all that kind of stuff. these days most restaurants stay open year round. and yes, my second home of redbar will be open i promise. hours for some establishments may change, but thats about it. theres one or two that will close, but theres plenty of them nowadays. and oh, roly poly im afraid is closed. i dug it there too. its a shrimp shack now which is good too though. and yes, san destin is alive and well and the deals are killer right now. found that out last night. enjoy your trip to paradise.......

 

[beachmouse]

Water temperatures tend to be in the mid-70s in early November and fall gradually to the mid-60s by mid-December. (which I still think isn't bad, but then I grew up swimming in Lake Michigan) Biking, running, and hiking are actually quite nice that time of year if you're going a decent clip. They hold Ironman Florida in nearby Panama City Beach in early November every year, and it's generally regarded as great weather for that kind of thing.

Most restaurants in these parts are generally open mostly year-round now, though it's common to see reduced hours or an owner of a small to mid-sized place closing down altogether to take 2-3 weeks of vacation. In general, call ahead for current info before heading out that time of year.

The flip side is that a lot of restaurants run off season specials that time of year to lure the locals and snowbirds out and you can sometimes have some nice meals for signficantly less than what you'd pay in July.

 

[freebooter]

Thanks for the quick responses! I'm very happy to read that one might consider this the best time to visit.

We'd gone on trips this late in the year to Myrtle Beach. While there's perhaps more to do in Myrtle Beach (sorry!), the beaches aren't quite as nice as 30A and the weather does not tend to be quite as nice as what's being described here. This isn't a huge surprise to me as I'd suspected as much.

Plus is also that a 30A vacation is closer, approximately four hours shorter a drive.

I am sorry to learn that Roly Poly is gone... Definitely enjoyed the fare there. I will assume that The Donut Hole is still doing well, correct?

Is Pepito's still open in Destin? We had a bit of trouble finding decent Mexican on the last trip: Cancun was so-so, and marred by the correspondingly blas? and listless service from the waiter. La Paz, hey, hip tres cool atmosphere, etc, but I just didn't like it. I'm not much for that Tex-Mex style of drowning everything in greasy cheddar cheese. Much prefer the queso blanco/queso fresco... Others may like that though, so hey, nothing personal!

Red Bar: Great place, one of the best cheeseburgers I've had anywhere.

Bud & Alley's Taco Bar: Still open? The wife liked that a lot. She'd be happy to know if it's still in business and will be open. Same here.

What about pizza? Any good places?

Looking forward to this vacation all the more now that I've read the above... Work's been really kicking me you know where. Knowing this now, I've got something to really look forward to...

 

[beachmouse]

If you're thinking authentic Mexican, there are now a couple different Mexican convenience stores in strip malls along US 98 in South Walton proper that have a taco counter in back. I've heard good things about El Mercadito next to Jambones BBQ.

As for pizza, there's a poll thread in the dining and food category here that lists off a whole bunch of options.

 

[kkddbb]

Thanks for the quick responses! I'm very happy to read that one might consider this the best time to visit.

We'd gone on trips this late in the year to Myrtle Beach. While there's perhaps more to do in Myrtle Beach (sorry!), the beaches aren't quite as nice as 30A and the weather does not tend to be quite as nice as what's being described here. This isn't a huge surprise to me as I'd suspected as much.

Plus is also that a 30A vacation is closer, approximately four hours shorter a drive.

I am sorry to learn that Roly Poly is gone... Definitely enjoyed the fare there. I will assume that The Donut Hole is still doing well, correct?

Is Pepito's still open in Destin? We had a bit of trouble finding decent Mexican on the last trip: Cancun was so-so, and marred by the correspondingly blas? and listless service from the waiter. La Paz, hey, hip tres cool atmosphere, etc, but I just didn't like it. I'm not much for that Tex-Mex style of drowning everything in greasy cheddar cheese. Much prefer the queso blanco/queso fresco... Others may like that though, so hey, nothing personal!

Red Bar: Great place, one of the best cheeseburgers I've had anywhere.

Bud & Alley's Taco Bar: Still open? The wife liked that a lot. She'd be happy to know if it's still in business and will be open. Same here.

What about pizza? Any good places?

Looking forward to this vacation all the more now that I've read the above... Work's been really kicking me you know where. Knowing this now, I've got something to really look forward to...

we now have our fair share of mex joints and frankly they are all great. seacrest to sandestin. taco bar is still open. across from that is daves new pizza joint. theres great pizza in town as well. angelinas and pizza by the sea is my favorite and i believe its still voted #1 by locals. and oh, donut hole will always be open, it rocks. its the best bang for the buck in my opinion.

take a load off and make it a great trip! enjoy yourselves....

 

[Gidget]

hey freebooter..

in my opinion the weather is best in november and december. the humidity is gone yet the sun still shines and shines warm and bright. waters are even a bit clearer. water temps will go down drastically, but im one thats in the water year round. itll likely get to the mid 60's by than and perhaps lower depending on the weather. its still bath water so it may last a little longer this year, but not much longer. other than the humidity being gone, so are most tourists and thats a plus. less lines, less traffic.....all that kind of stuff. these days most restaurants stay open year round. and yes, my second home of redbar will be open i promise. hours for some establishments may change, but thats about it. theres one or two that will close, but theres plenty of them nowadays. and oh, roly poly im afraid is closed. i dug it there too. its a shrimp shack now which is good too though. and yes, san destin is alive and well and the deals are killer right now. found that out last night. enjoy your trip to paradise.......

You are in the water YEAR ROUND! Do you wear a wet suit or are you part polar bear?

This will be my first time to be in the area past October. Looking forward to it.

Thanks for info

G

 

[jensieblue]

My family has a long tradition of spending the week of Thanksgiving at the beach in Grayton. We absolutely love it. One member of our group is an avid fisherman and swears the surf fishing is the best. Most, if not all, restaurants are open. I highly recommend our traditional Hibiscus for breakfast. Lots of people ride on the bike path and the weather is much more moderate than in the summer....and, no june weed, no biting black flies...We love it...Have a great trip

 

[jamie]

Yes, Pepitos in Destin is still open. But as mentioned, there are quite a few new Mexican (as well as pizza) places to check out! Donut Hole is still going strong, too. However, they close at some point, I think right after Thanksgiving until New Year's...I'm not 100% sure that is correct though...so depending on when you come, you might miss them. Hope you have a wonderful trip! The anticipation is so hard, though!

 

[freebooter]

Again, thanks for the tips!

Anything anyone would like to add, please do!