Take Your Classroom on the Road
Blog: Fun and Education Activities Near Destin Gulfgate
With many schools offering remote learning this year, a growing number of families have decided to take their classroom on the road. Be sure to add the Emerald Coast to your list when you are planning your next roadschooling adventure! Destin Gulfgate has excellent WiFi, making it easy for you to continue working or virtual learning from the beach. Here are four fun and educational attractions to enhance your school day while you’re visiting.
Destin History & Fishing Museum
Destin
The Destin History and Fishing Museum is dedicated to preserving, documenting and sharing stories about Destin’s journey from a small fishing village founded in the 1830s to the major tourist attraction it is today. The museum features fun and interactive exhibits incorporating photos, artifacts, antique fishing rods and reels, and an impressive collection of mounted fish caught in the Gulf of Mexico. The young and young-at-heart can take learning into their own hands with a scavenger hunt while touring the museum. Visitors can also see the original Destin Post Office building located adjacent to the property and the oldest seine fishing boat still in existence, The Primrose, built in 1925.
Okaloosa Island
Head to the Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park for a fun day of animal encounters, dolphin and sea lion shows, animal chats, and educational exhibits. The gulf-side park features a wide variety of fish, birds, marine mammals and reptiles. Get up close and personal with an animal encounter. Swim with the dolphins, snorkel with stingrays, or pet seals, sea lions, reptiles, penguins, and more; or even become a trainer for a day! Advanced reservations are required for animal encounters.
Fort Walton Beach
Step outside the box and experience the wonders of science first-hand at the Emerald Coast Science Center. The museum features interactive exhibits about biology, physics, earth science, and technology. The 8,000 sq.ft. center is located on two acres and features more than 45 exhibits, including robotics, live animals, SMALLab Learning, and much more.
Heritage Park & Cultural Center
Fort Walton Beach
The Heritage Park & Cultural Center complex includes five different museums – the Indian Temple Mound Museum, Fort Walton Temple Mound, Camp Walton Schoolhouse Museum, Garnier Post Office Museum and the Civil War Exhibit Hall. Together, these museums present the prehistory and history of the Fort Walton Beach community and the Northwest Florida area from 12,000 B.C. through the 1950’s. The Indian Temple Mound Museum opened in 1962 and houses more than 1,000 artifacts of stone, bone, clay and shell, as well as one of the finest collections of prehistoric ceramics in the Southeastern United States. Exhibits also include artifacts from the European Explorers, local pirates, and early settlers. The Fort Walton Temple Mound was built between 800-1400AD and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964.
Get out on the Water
The best lessons don’t always come from a school book. Be sure to take advantage of Destin’s greatest attraction, and get out on the water while you’re at Destin Gulfgate! Book a private fishing charter and learn why Destin is the World’s Luckiest Fishing Village or rent a pontoon boat and explore Crab Island or Spectre Island, a hidden gem in the Santa Rosa Sound. Jetski, paddleboard and kayak rentals are also available to explore the area’s beautiful coastline at your own pace.