South Walton Tourist Development Council
800-822-6877
www.visitsouthwalton.com
Emerald Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau
800-322-3319
www.emeraldcoastfl.com
What’s New: The Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort and Spa has completed a $6.5 million renovation that includes a 17,000- square-foot beachfront deck, a new beachfront restaurant and renovation of meeting spaces. Seascape Golf, Beach and Tennis Resort’s planned expansion will include a new meeting facility. Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport near Panama City opened in June 2010 and is the first new international airport built in the United States in more than a decade.
Location: Florida’s northwest Gulf Coast has 50 miles of beachfront between Panama City and Pensacola. It is 315 miles from Atlanta; 306 miles from Jacksonville, Fla.; and 280 miles from Birmingham, Ala.
Getting there: Most sites are within a half-hour of either the Northwest Florida Regional Airport in Fort Walton Beach, served by five major airlines with more than 40 nonstop flights, or the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport near Panama City, where Delta Airlines and Southwest Airlines provide daily service to key U.S. destinations. Highways 98, 331 and 85, and Interstate 10 are the primary roadways.
