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Bed Tax
Bed tax revenues are a
valuable indicator for measurement of the number of tourists. Okaloosa's
bed tax is 5% on accommodations.
Recreational Opportunities
The Gulf of Mexico offers
sugar-white beaches, bountiful fresh seafood, chartered boat
cruises, and personal watercraft sports.
Family Recreation
 There
is a variety of water and adventure parks for family
entertainment and all day fun. The more adventurous can
enjoy the go-carts, bungee-jumping, and sky-flying.
Children friendly arcade centers, miniature
golf courses, and animal and marine-life parks also offer fun
for the whole family. During the summer there are
numerous Kids' Days with an art camp and movie series.
There is also a children's theatre and science
center.
Fishing
Destin is the
"World's
Luckiest Fishing Village." There are over 100
charter and party boats with deep-sea bottom-fishing as one of
the specialties of the Destin Fleet, the largest in the world!
There is offshore and inshore fishing opportunities with
multiple fishing piers available. Freshwater fishing can
be enjoyed in the Blackwater, Shoal and Yellow rivers.
Golf
 Okaloosa offers
world-premier golf
courses with country club class. Golfers can play championship courses throughout the county that have been
designed by distinguished golf architects.
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Over half a dozen
private clubs
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One dozen semi-private courses
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Over one dozen public courses
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Numerous miniature golf courses
Annual golf
tournaments are conducted around the county throughout
the year.
Parks
The
Okaloosa County Park
System offers recreational facilities from coastal to
heavily shaded parks. Visitors can enjoy covered pavilions,
picnic tables, playground equipment and rest rooms. The
northern county area offers miles of river rafting, canoeing
and kayaking with picnic facilities. Camping and hiking
can be enjoyed in the wilderness preservations of Blackwater
River State Park and the Eglin Reservation.
 Centrally
located in Okaloosa County you will find
Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park.
Rocky Bayou, the main feature of the park, is the trailing arm
of Choctawhatchee Bay and is popular for boating and fishing.
A double-lane boat ramp makes this one of the best boat
launching locations on the bay, where both freshwater and
saltwater fish are found. Other opportunities for fun include
hiking, bicycling, picnicking and wildlife viewing. Puddin
Head Lake, at the center of the park, is a great spot for
freshwater fishing and canoeing. A well shaded campground is
available for full-facility camping.
Shopping and Dinning
 Shopping and dinning
are additional past-time favorites where
Okaloosa sells itself!
Destin is becoming the
South's most popular shopping destination!
There is a magnitude of international
cuisine to be enjoyed from beach casual to 5-star dinning.
Outdoor dinning is an enjoyed past-time with the year-round
moderate
climate.
Savory pastas, juicy steaks, sushi bars, and fresh local
seafood are yours to enjoy. Tempt your palate while you
are benefiting from what Okaloosa County offers you during
your play-days!
Tennis
Tennis enthusiasts are
offered over 100 courts throughout the area. March hosts
the annual international women's tournament at the Tennis
Center in the heart of the City of
Fort Walton Beach.
Water Sports
 Complementing the area's
superb fishing are endless water sports to include snorkeling,
scuba diving, parasailing, tubing, and windsurfing, not to
mention all types of boating. The Blackwater River State
Forest offers canoeing, kayaking, and tubing in clear-water
rivers. Bodies of water such as the Choctawahatchee Bay,
Intercoastal
Waterway, multiple bayous and the Gulf of Mexico offer ample
opportunities for boating and personal watercraft sports.
Multiple yacht clubs offer cruises, rentals and lessons.
Dolphin
cruises are high on the list for kids of all ages!
Historical
Points of Interest
Museums & Galleries
Okaloosa County is a cultural
center with many museums, art galleries, and historical sites. Local museums exhibit Okaloosa's
heritage such as the Camp Walton School
House, Carver-Hill Museum, Destin History & Fishing Museum,
Heritage Museum of NW Florida, and the Indian Temple Mound
Museum & Park.
There is a range of art
galleries and a science center.
With the county
housing the largest Air Force Base in
the world, the
Air Force Armament Museum is centrally
located outside of Eglin AFB in the Town
of Shalimar. The
Armament Museum's Air Armament Institute sponsors
the
Engineers for America (EFA).
Cultural
Events
The Arts Center
 Music, art and the theater
are yours to enjoy from a relaxing outdoor concert, to an
enjoyable community theater, to a state of the art facility. The
Arts
Center of Northwest Florida State College
is a
performing arts center with two fine art
galleries, a theater-in-the-round, a
3,500 capacity amphitheater, a music wing, and a 1,650 seat main
theater that is home of the Northwest Florida Symphony
Orchestra, and also the site for performances by the New York
City Opera, Broadway show troupes, and renowned entertainers.
The local Stagecrafters
provide theatre performances throughout the year at different
locations.
Amphitheater
There are two amphitheaters;
one in Niceville at the OWC Arts Center and the other in
Destin where summer concerts are performed. There are
several venues for outdoor summer concert series.
Arts and Crafts Festivals
 From Spring to Fall there are
numerous festivals around the county offering safe and fun
activities for adults and children. There is the
Saint Mary's Spring Fling offering creative crafts; the
Billy Bowlegs Festival full of adventure; BBQ &
Bluegrass festivals with music and best-eats; the Destin Seafood and Arts Festival
with world famous seafood; the
Boggy-Bayou Mullet Festival with its infamous fried
mullet, crafts and nightly entertainment; and the Mardi Gras Parade and
Jester's Ball. Crafts, food, art and activities for the
whole family to enjoy.
Conference Center
The Emerald Coast Conference
Center offers 35,000 square feet of meeting space with
equipment, service and catering. The Center can host
groups of 15 or 2,000 in rooms ranging from 450 to 1,800
square feet as well as a 21,500 square foot ballroom.
The Conference Center offers accommodations from banquets to
concerts and trade shows to weddings.
Okaloosa's
Tourist
Development Council offers free local transportation via the Emerald Coast
Shuttle. The shuttle services Fort Walton Beach,
Okaloosa Island, and Destin.
Northwest Florida Ballet
Academy
The Northwest Florida Ballet
Academy is located in downtown Fort Walton Beach.
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Bed Tax
Figures
l Recreation
l
Historical
Points of Interest
l Cultural
Events
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