Day 4 – Thursday                                                                                         

We’ll take you to a place you may never have heard of before, Okaloosa Island in Fort Walton Beach.  It came highly recommended by the Destin Chamber of Commerce and, thankfully, is only 15 minutes west of our hotel.  Its boardwalk offers 9 restaurants, since you likely have not yet gained BBC’s customary 10 lbs.!

Day 1 - Monday

Hey Beachcombers, we’re venturing into the U.S. Central Time Zone for the first time so set  your watches back an hour, giving us another hour of more fun. We will begin a six-hour drive to Destin, in the center of the Panhandle beaches.  A few diversions in Tallahassee and plenty of restroom stops will be made along the way.  For example, after lunch at Andrews’ Capitol Grill in central Tallahassee, we’ll drive past the Old Capitol Building (1845) in Tallahassee, sharing with you its interesting history.

When we arrive in Destin at our hotel, the Wingate by Wyndham, surrounded by quieting trees,

The cost of the Panhandle trip will be $117 per person, which includes 5-days' transportation, drivers' tips, wine sampling, a historic guide, a light breakfast enroute, and light dessert at the hotel one evening.  Hotel rooms will be $89 plus tax for each of 4 nights.  But look at what this will buy you ~

The lottery date will be June 17, giving you time to consider the cost and length of the trip.  Your check will not be cashed unless you are chosen in the lottery.  Hotel bookings cannot be made until you have been notified that you have been selected in the lottery.  We will look into chair and umbrella rentals closer to the time of our beach visits and will provide updates to you.

2017 Beach Trips

There is certainly enough to do on this very large dining/shopping (124 stores—Lord Help Us!) pier to enjoy a full day or you can simply relax on the beach.

When you’ve finished soaking up the sun, we’d like to surprise you with a fun-filled, quite unusual dinner experience.  This secret restaurant’s motto is:

“From rug-rats to old farts, from high-class to no-class, from the top of the food chain to the bottom of the barrel, it's Fun For All and All in Fun for those who dare to enter! Sit back and watch, or join in the fun.”

Come share a good time with us. (Please don’t search for its identity and ruin the surprise.)   But if you’re not quite up to that encounter, there are plenty of other more sedate places here to dine.  But you won’t have amusing stories to tell your Village friends when you get back home!!

you will have opportunity to freshen up and relax a bit before an optional return to your bus  (Oh no!) for just a 7-minute drive to Destin’s Harborwalk (see below) where several restaurants await your dining pleasure.

Day 5 – Friday

To break up our long drive home, we’ll stop at the Chautauqua Vineyards in Defuniak Springs (go ahead, try pronouncing those two places) for a wine sampling.   A vintage purchase or two could keep things happy the rest of the way home!    

Barefoot Beachcombers Club (‘BBC’ will also suffice)
333 Colony Blvd. #110
The Villages, FL 32162

Those restaurants lie between the addresses of 2 and 76 Harbor Blvd. giving you the opportunity to stretch your legs while choosing among them.   My personal principle—never stop at the first one!  And some of you may enjoy browsing the shops along the way.  Two departure and return times to the hotel will be offered by our drivers.

AND ….. if time and your waistline permit, you get to decide whether one more stop at Russell Stover’s for their delicious ice cream can be squeezed in before going nighty-night!

Day 3 – Wednesday

Panama City Beach is in our sights!  Drive 40 minutes east to travel through the picturesque streets of Watercolor and Seaside, two award-winning master-planned communities,

Day 2 – Tuesday

We set out on a 1 ½ hr. west-bound drive to Pensacola to visit the National Naval Aviation Museum (free admission) and witness the Blue Angels flight demonstration.

Print and mail only the below page.

 
I/We would like to go on the 5-Day Trip to the Fla. Panhandle.  Attached is my/our $117 pp check.

My/Our names is (are):______________________________________________________________

I will be sharing a room with _________________________________________________________   
I would like to be on a bus with these friends (up to 4):

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

 









 
  

But be sure to save room for dinner at either nearby Hemingway’s Island Grill (below)

or Flounder’s Chowder House --->>>

Our buses will separate for these two outings to accommodate both the winery and the historic guide.  When we merge again, we’ll proceed to lunch at the Wahoo Seafood Grill in Tallahassee.  We will make several stops along the way home to provide some “vintage relief” for our vintage Villagers. 

After freshening up late this afternoon, we’ll offer you one more pleasurable dining adventure.  You can choose between McGuire’s Irish Pub, 7 minutes west of our hotel, or Lulu’s waterfront restaurant (You Parrotheads know her as Jimmy Buffet’s sister) just 9 minutes east of our hotel.  The choice is yours!  We will offer two departure and return times. 

Those of us (including the feminine ones) who have previously visited this museum found it to be a fabulous experience.  See what it has to offer here:
                               http://www.navalaviationmuseum.org

We will then steal away to Pensacola Beach to satisfy our goal of swimming in emerald waters. 

If the long drive has exhausted you, there are a few casual restaurants and a Winn-Dixie within a short walk of the hotel without the need to cross busy roads.

There is also a meeting room reserved at our hotel until 9:00 for our evenings’ social activity.  (Wanted to keep you on the Villages schedule.  You know “Dance all Night!!—UNTIL 9:00)

Then we’ll proceed just 2 miles away to Circular Drive, wandering around a one-mile long circular lake lined with 40+ houses from the early 1900’s.  We are arranging to have a historic lecturer join us aboard. 

We will also meander through the Florida State University campus which should make us appreciate our lack of need to “hit the books” anymore--unless we want to.  (And I’m sure we could spend $150,000 in more fun ways over the next 4 years.)

You’ve been asking for 4 years for a trip to the emerald waters of the Florida Panhandle.
Finally, it’s here!

Invitation to BBC Visit to the Florida Panhandle
Sept. 18 – 22 (Mon. thru Fri.)

before arriving 40 minutes later at Pier Park in Panama City Beach.

 Copyright. Barefoot Beachcombers Club.  All rights reserved

Yes, there is a Hooter’s between these two restaurants. However, no bus to our hotel will depart from that “den of evil”. 

If this trip interests you, either take the below application and a check for $117 per person to Safe Ship in Colony Plaza in an envelope with the following address written on it, or mail it to: 

There you can enjoy a late lunch at one of three restaurants, including the Casino Beach Bar & Grill -->, the much more rustic, The Dock, and finally, Crabs We Got Em.