Unforgettable Family Vacations on Florida’s Emerald Coast
Camp Gulf- Destin, Florida
For unforgettable family vacations on Florida’s Emerald Coast, Camp Gulf certainly offers an amazing, one of a kind camping experience. Our family enjoyed a magical Spring Break at this camp resort and would definitely recommend adding this location on Florida’s panhandle to your bucket list.
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Bucket Worthy Destination
Camp Gulf is worthy of a spot on your family vacation bucket list, offering an amazing location on the white sands of Florida’s Emerald Coast in the heart of family fun mecca, Destin. We traveled there in our motor home and found the resort to be well maintained, with large and shaded spots. The resort also offers cabin rentals, if you are looking for a different family experience than a traditional resort but don’t have a camper at your disposal.
Check out the resort website here, which includes a section for cabin rentals: https://campgulf.com/
Location- Destin
The beaches are picturesque! Think Caribbean-like blue-green waters and white sand. It is a top family destination for fun in the sun. The resort is located in Miramar Beach, just outside of Destin, Florida. The area boast many gorgeous destinations, including Pensacola, Panama City Beach, and Navarre. Destin is certainly a mecca of fun. There are wonderful dining locations such as the Backporch and The Crab Trap.
Destin is host to awesome family activities, including Big Kahuna’s Water and Adventure Park, The Track which offers go-karts, mini-golf, and kids rides, or Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park for dolphin encounters and animal shows. If you are looking for something more for the adults, a trip to Destin’s Harbor Boardwalk for shops and restaurants, as well as access to many tourist activities might be in order!
Although it was not something we ventured to do, given the ages of our children…one of the most popular Destin activities is Crab Island. Crab Island is a submerged sand bar where sun and fun seekers anchor their boats for the day and wade in the shallow waters. Vendors have begun selling food, drinks, and products. We drove by on a rather chilly day (for Floridians) and there were still plenty of boats anchored there. It certainly looks like a great time!
The Beach
The sugary white sand beach at Camp Gulf is by far the best feature of this resort. The beach is well maintained, vast, and the sand is oh-so soft! It is well worth the splurge to book one of the beachfront sites, there is no better way to start your day than looking out over the turquoise waters of the Gulf of Mexico through your front window while drinking coffee or listening to the waves crash as you drift to sleep. These beachfront sites are a one of kind experience and well worth the added expense!
On most days, the surf is calm and the waters are pretty shallow quite a few yards out. Our kids enjoyed the waves…boogie-boarding and jumping in the water. I was able to enjoy watching their fun with minimal anxiety about the waves, given how calm the water was (Mom fear #412- Kid washing away with a wave). We loved seeing a pod of dolphins swim by each day we were there. Sea planes and boats buzzing by add to the adventures and pure enjoyment for all.
The resort offers numerous beach rentals, including large floating islands and paddle boards to add to your beach fun! Find prices and more information here: https://campgulf.com/campground-amenities/recreational-rentals/
There were plenty of people casting their luck shore fishing. Although I did not see any big catches, you can certainly try your luck to pull in the big one! Commonly caught fish from the Gulf include Red Snapper, pompano, white trout, and flounder.
It is almost hard to believe that there is sand as nice as this made by Mother Nature. It is silky soft and so white. Paired with the emerald green waters of the Gulf, it is truly picturesque!
Amenities
The resort features a small camp store with limited items, including camping gear, some local treats such as honey and jams, and pool toys. There is a gift shop also located in the resort that offers handmade goods, souvenirs, T-shirts, and other treasures to meet a 4 year old’s desires.
There is a small food truck that offers light fare such as burgers and dogs from 11am-6pm, however with such good eats in Destin nearby, having no on-site dining is not a dealbreaker.
There is a small playground and while our kids enjoyed it, there was no shade so it was too hot to use during the day. This would be one area where an upgrade would certainly be welcomed.
The resort offers some crafting activities during the day, however we rarely participate in such as we love being outdoors so much. While we were there, they did offer sand-dollar painting and a sand vase activity.
The Pools
The resort features two pools and a large water-slide. The first pool is covered with a dome in the winter months, which allows for a warmer option on cooler days. The second pool has a small water slide directly into the pool and then a large, unconnected water slide that is open limited hours. Our kids had a blast on the water slide went down about 50 times in the few hours it was open. The week we were there the slide was open from 1pm to 3pm three days.
The pools are not heated, which I would say is one of the few negatives about this resort. We visited at the end of April and although the temperatures were in the upper 70’s, the uncovered pool was much too cold for our kids to enjoy. We found this to be a negative…coming from New York we like to soak up as much Florida sunshine as possible. Thus sitting under the dome was a drawback for my husband and I.
Resort Grounds
The resort was well maintained and the crew was buzzing about, we found them super helpful. I would say that the staff was one of the strong positives of our stay here. They provided extra blocks to help us level our rig on the sand and even leveled our site for us when the rig next us left.
A pond on the grounds serves as a home to so many turtles! There were even soft shelled turtles there, which I have never seen before. The kids had so much fun “hunting” for turtles!
Decision
We would definitely recommend the Camp Gulf Resort! The beauty of the beach, the customer service, and the great location on Florida’s Emerald Coast makes it worthy of your family bucket list!
