The Henderson Park Inn is your first stop for a picture perfect Emerald Coast weekend.

By Mark A. Newman - photography courtesy of the Henderson Park Inn

 

Tucked away at the westernmost end of scenic Highway 98 in Destin is an odd sight—it’s a New England-style bed & breakfast replete with wooden shingle cladding outside and wainscoted corridors within. Just a few feet from the Emerald Coast’s lapping tides, the Henderson Park Inn is a true escape from the ordinary.

As you make the short drive down Matthew Boulevard from Highway 98 to Scenic 98, this iconic structure quickly catches the eye. Its location ensures privacy—it’s on the edge of Henderson National Park and adjacent to the shuttered Coral Reef Club, a long-suffering victim of Hurricane Ivan.

The Henderson Park Inn’s presence is a testimony to its resilience—it reopened last May after being closed since 2004 when it couldn’t dodge Ivan’s nasty wrath. The revamped B&B still offers the amenities that guests have loved for years such as 32 spacious rooms and suites, each with a cozy private balcony perfect for intimate moments or to take in unobstructed Gulf views that stretch for more than a mile. If you’d rather, catch a favorite flick from the Inn’s DVD library; each room has its own DVD player and flat screen TV. Or you can just relax in your room as the sounds of crashing waves gently rumble just outside your open balcony doors.

Ceiling fans over the four-poster king-size bed gently ease the salty beach breeze around the room as you tread on carpet so plush that it begs for bare feet. At bedtime you don’t just get a mint on your pillow, you get a small bag of candies from local sweet shop Candy Maker at the Baytowne Wharf in Sandestin made exclusively for guests of the Inn.

You’re in for another delectable treat when you wake up and take your spot either in the dining room or outside on the rambling beach-side deck for your freshly prepared breakfast. Not only do you have your choice of every breakfast food imaginable, but a chef is on hand to prepare an omelet any way you want it!

If fun in the sun is your goal, you won’t have very far to go—the Inn’s back door opens right onto the beach. There is a concierge and you can have your pick of beach umbrellas, chairs, towels, and a variety of seafaring items that will make your day at the beach as memorable as your stay at the Inn.

 

Managed by Sterling Resorts, Henderson Park Inn is the only beachside bed & breakfast in Northwest Florida. www.hendersonparkinn.com

• Coast of Utopia
• Victorian Principles
• Sleeping Green
• Buried Treasure
• grand hotel

Wine and dine

Picked by Derek Bagley

Ernest Hemingway once wrote that he would never think of eating a meal without drinking a glass (or three) of wine to complement it. Admittedly, this was the European thing to do, and Papa spent a good deal of time in France and the surrounding area.

It’s taken a while for such a trend to catch on here in the States, and especially the South. It’s hard to peg exactly what started this new craze in America. Some say it was the “French paradox,” in which the French supposedly offset high cholesterol by drinking wine regularly. Some say it was simply the movie Sideways.

Pairing wine with a meal has recently become a new sensation, and it’s arguably as evident in Destin as it ever was in Paris. Wine bars, boutique wine shops, and restaurants renowned for their wine lists seem to stand on every corner in this beach community.

 

Check out these great places while you're in town:

Beach Walk

Bistro Bijoux and its Seagrapes Wine Bar and Gifts in The Village of Baytowne Wharf

Vintij Wine Boutique

Cuvee Beach

Pairing food with wine can be a great hobby. Just remember that there’s no one right way to do it. The rule of thumb is to drink what you like and like what you drink.