10 Best Things to Do in Fort Walton Beach

The Emerald Coast Science Centre is a family friendly, fun, and educational attraction that seeks to teach through interactive experiences. Almost every exhibit in this unique museum is hands-on, offering insight into STEM culture. Here you can learn about robotics, engineering, physics, electricity, colour, light, and sound.

You can also see the Marine Exhibit for a high-seas adventure learning how boats stay afloat, and learn about the role that radio communications have played in maritime history. You can even grab a tool and take part in a dinosaur dig! After this, you can get up close and personal with live parrots, budgies, cockatiels, hedgehogs, guinea pigs, snakes, and many other animals.

The Indian Temple Mound Museum sits on the site of the Fort Walton Mound, which was originally built around 850 A.D. by the indigenous Pensacola people. The museum offers exhibits, artefacts, and information documenting 12,000 years of culture of the indigenous people, including more than 1,000 stone, clay, bone, and shell tools and utensils.

It also includes one of the finest Southeastern US ceramic collections on the continent. Besides native exhibits, you'll also see artefacts from early European explorers, pirates, and settlers. When you're done, you can walk around the base of the mound itself.

Wild Willy's Adventure Zone is a family fun centre and amusement park that offers a wild world of fun for the entire family. Within the park, you can play a round of miniature golf, hop on a roller coaster, and spend hours playing video games in the arcade.

You can navigate the rope course, visit the 4D theatre, hit the super-long fun slide, drive the Island Grand Prix race tracks, or engage in the Bumper Wars Bumper Boats. You can even play a round of Urban Assault Laser Tag. The decor is prehistoric in theme with dinosaurs everywhere you look, and it's sure to bring a smile to the faces of kids and grown-ups alike.

Wat Mongkolratanaram Temple is a Thai Buddhist temple that attracts many travellers who come to view the stunning architecture or learn about the practices of this culture. The temple is small but decorated with elaborate golden Buddha statues.

You're welcome to sit and relax on meditation pillows while monks go about their daily chores and rituals. The temple also hosts a traditional Thai market as well as regular charity festivals where you can sample authentic Thai foods that benefit the temple.

Brooks Bridge is a tall steel and concrete bridge that carries you over the Choctawhatchee Bay along Route 98. It's named for John Thomas Brooks, a founding father of Fort Walton Beach whose contributions date as far back as 1868 when he purchased 111 acres that one day would become the modern city centre area of the city.

The bridge itself is an architectural wonder and rises 50 feet above the water. It's the only local crossing of the sound and was just rehabilitated in 2015. Aside from its status as a crossing area, it also offers stunning panoramic views and photo opportunities of the bay on both sides.

The City centre Fort Walton Beach Farmers' Market is open year-round and allows you to catch a taste of local culture and colour. Here you can purchase fresh produce from local farmers as well as arts, crafts, and souvenirs of your trip.

Try local vegetables, artisan-crafted dishes, handmade items, entertainment, and a whole world of other fun and exciting products. Your entire family can spend a whole day just eating its way through the stalls, browsing the booths, and enjoying local fun and excitement.