They don’t call this the Emerald Coast for nothing!
Gulf Shores, AL
The sand on the beaches here is the color of granulated sugar- absolutely gorgeous. Why? As the granite from the southern Appalachian mountains erodes and is swept down southern bound rivers, it is weathered down into its original minerals. Quartz is the mineral that survives longest on the trip down here, so the beach sand is made up of 90% Quartz crystals.
Pensacola, FL
Destin, Florida
We stayed at Henderson Beach State Park in Destin, FL for a couple of days, home to one of the largest fleets of charter fishing boats in the country. Although Florida bears the nickname “the sunshine” state, we’ve hardly seen the sun in the few days that we’ve been here. In fact, it’s been downright chilly. We spent one afternoon wandering through Harbor Town, a small area on the water with restaurants and shops. We were pleasantly surprised by the appearance of the sun, and were able to shed our jackets for a while as we sat on the deck of a restaurant, enjoying an adult beverage.
