Topsail Hill State Preserve

The Boardwalk at
Topsail
On the Beach at
Topsail

We have been in Destin for almost a week and will be here until May 23. One of our favorite places and a jewel of an RV destination…Top Sail State Preserve, Santa Rosa Beach on CR 30A…is where we stay. The sites here are beautiful and rather private tucked among the tall pines and lush Florida landscape. It is a state owned park, but it has all the amenities…full hookup, concrete patios, cable TV, and of course the BEACH!!! The Emerald Coast…some of the prettiest white sand beaches that stretch along the blue green waters of the Gulf of Mexico…make this a top vacation choice!

We made the discovery of Top Sail through our friends Dave and Judy. One October when we left Ft. Myers to get away from a hurricane, we drove to Destin. Dave and Jude happened to be here at the park so we came and joined them and ended up staying a week. Since that time, Top Sail’s secret has been discovered by too many, and we have to make our reservations early…sometimes up to a year in advance. We like to come here at least twice a year…usually on our way out of the state in May and then back in October.

I have been coming to the Destin area with family and friends since the early 80’s and let me tell you Sandestin and Destin have boomed! As have all the little coastal villages that have sprung up along CR 30A from Dune Allen Beach, Grayton, Seaside, to Rosemary Beach! There has been a building explosion here. There use to be only a smattering of shopping areas and of course the average number of local seafood restaurants, but now…it’s got everything! Not only the terrific outlet mall, but now Grand Boulevard and the Destin Commons…you name it, it’s here! Sit on the beach by day, shop and dine at night! You can even take a free fall bungee jump and play miniature golf down at the Big Kahuna’s to work off those Pina Coladas.

You just never know who you will meet while traveling in an RV. Last October when we were here, we unexpectedly met some of my hometown people. If it had not been for my Tennessee Vol flag flying, they probably never would have stopped to talk. Marvin and Dawn… I grew up with him; she taught in the same school system I did and knew my sister well; through them we met another nice couple, Ernest and Judy from Mississippi. They own a condo here and recently purchased their first RV. That’s one of the greatest things about RVing, you meet the nicest people and sometimes make long lasting friends!

We recently met a couple from Cape Cod…Dave ,Durrie, and their dog Molly…cutest little MaltiPoo. In fact, they are one of the reasons I am doing this blog. They inspired me! They are on their way to Forest City, Iowa…coach work at the Winnebago manufacturer. Boy, do we know that place well from our trip last year!! Dave and Durrie come down to Florida in the winter, so we hope to see them next season. Wish you safe travels home to Cape Cod from Iowa!!

More on the Emerald Coast later!