The village on the bay side of Sandestin, in Miramar Beach. Free to enter, open to the public, and busy most evenings of the week.
Baytowne Wharf is the village inside Sandestin, on the bay side, and the easy evening out. It is free to enter, with a parking garage and a summer shuttle. There are more than a dozen restaurants, around fifteen shops, and free concerts on the lawn. For kids there is a fenced playground, a carousel, an arcade and a zipline over the lagoon. In winter an ice rink takes over from late October into February. The Destin harbor is the night out with the boats; this is the night out with the family.
| Location | 9300 Emerald Coast Pkwy W, Miramar Beach, FL 32550. Inside the gates of Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, on the Choctawhatchee Bay side. |
| Cost to enter | Free and open to the public, resort guest or not. |
| Parking | Public garage plus auxiliary lots, with a summer and event shuttle from the outlying lots. Valet first come, first served. |
| Restaurants | More than a dozen in the Village, from the Village Door sit-down dinners to donuts and gelato. |
| Shops | Around 15 boutiques, galleries and specialty stores. |
| Free live music | Wednesday Night Concert Series March to October, Baytowne LIVE on summer evenings, holiday concerts in December. Lawn, so bring a chair or blanket. |
| Adventure Zone | Zipline about $30, ropes course about $25, bungy trampoline about $19, smaller climbs about $13. Closed Monday and Tuesday. |
| For kids | Fenced nautical playground, carousel, arcade with laser maze, ice cream. Flat and stroller friendly. |
| Winter | Baytowne on Ice, a seasonal rink from late October into February. About $15 for 90 minutes plus $3 skates. |
| Dogs | Pet friendly, leashed, with waste stations around the property. |
| Fishing | Village lagoon is catch and release only. Bait at the Baytowne Marina next door. |
| Best time | Late afternoon into evening, especially when a concert is on the lawn. |
Baytowne is the bay side of Sandestin, and that is the first thing to understand about it. You are not going for the Gulf. You are going to a village built around a lagoon on Choctawhatchee Bay, inside the resort gates, and the water is calm and the whole thing is walkable. It is the place locals send people who want an easy evening rather than a beach day.
The reason it works is the layout. There is a garage and there are outlying lots, and in summer a shuttle runs the loop, so a family can drive over for two hours, ride the carousel, eat, and go home without spending the evening managing logistics. That is what changes how people plan. You can come for a short trip and it still feels worth it.
What surprises first-timers is how much is packed into it. There is a zipline over the lagoon, a ropes course, a bungy trampoline, an arcade with a laser maze, a carousel, and a fenced playground that lets you actually sit down while the kids burn off the day. The Adventure Zone closes Monday and Tuesday, so a Tuesday trip is about food and shopping rather than the rides.
The evenings are the part worth planning around. Free concerts run on the lawn from March through October on Wednesday nights, with holiday shows in December, and summer evenings have live music on the stage across from the ice cream shop. People bring blankets and chairs and let the kids run. The Village Door, which has been the anchor restaurant here for years, runs live music and a dance club on its own dockside stage, so there is an adult version of the evening too.
In winter it becomes something else entirely. The ice rink opens at the end of October and runs into February, covering the holidays, and at fifteen dollars for ninety minutes it is the one cold-weather tradition this coast actually has. The crowds thin out, the music moves indoors, and the village gets quieter and easier to enjoy.
Inside Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, at 9300 Emerald Coast Parkway West, Miramar Beach, FL 32550. It sits on the Choctawhatchee Bay side of the resort, not the Gulf side, so it is a bay waterfront rather than a beach. You go through the resort entrance, then follow the signs to the Village.
No. The Village is free and open to the public. You pay for food, drinks, shopping and activities, nothing to walk in.
There is a public parking garage plus several auxiliary lots. In summer and during special events a shuttle runs from the outlying lots to the Village, and valet is available first come, first served.
No. The Village is open to the public even though it is inside the resort gates. Locals come for dinner, concerts and the ice rink all winter. Resort guests get the advantage of the tram and being able to walk back to their unit.
More than you would expect for a village this size. The Baytowne Adventure Zone has a zipline over the lagoon, a ropes course, a bungy trampoline and a climbing wall. There is a carousel, an arcade with a laser maze, and a big nautical-themed playground that is fenced in, which matters if you have small kids. Add live music, festivals and the winter ice rink.
Zipline about $30, SkyTrail ropes course about $25, bungy trampoline about $19, and the smaller climbs, Coconut Climb, Monkey Trail and Stairway to Heaven, about $13 each. The Adventure Zone is closed Monday and Tuesday, and the zipline runs 4 to 8pm daily. Hours vary by season, so check before you promise a kid a zipline.
Over a dozen places inside the Village. For a sit-down dinner with a view of the bay, the Village Door is the long-running anchor, with seafood and BBQ and a dockside stage for live music. Hammerhead's is the casual dockside bar and grill. There is Italian at Dude & Meatballs, Mexican and Caribbean at Cannery Lane Cantina, burgers at Bunkley's, and frozen drinks at Fat Tuesday. For sweets and coffee, Charlie's Cafe does donuts and espresso from 7am, and Moo La-La and La Cremeria handle ice cream and gelato.
Yes, and most of it is free. There is a Wednesday Night Concert Series from March through October, holiday concerts in December, and Baytowne LIVE on the stage across from Moo La-La, which runs summer evenings. Bring a blanket or a lawn chair, because the concerts happen on the lawn. The Village Door runs live music on its dockside stage several nights a week and has a dance club inside.
A seasonal outdoor ice rink that opens at the end of October and runs into February, so it covers Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year. About $15 for 90 minutes plus $3 for skate rental. Skaters must be at least 3 years old, and kids under 6 need an adult with them. It is the closest thing to a winter tradition this coast has.
Yes. The Village is pet friendly and leashed dogs are welcome, with waste stations around the property. Several of the restaurants have patios that work with a dog. This is different from the Walton County beach rules, which limit beach hours for dogs.
Yes, in the Village lagoon, and it is catch and release only. Bait is sold at the Baytowne Marina next door.
Yes, free to borrow first come, first served, from the Baytowne Wharf Neighborhood Association in Tupelo Courtyard or the Discovery Center near Another Broken Egg. They hold a photo ID or a credit card until you return it.
This is arguably the best family evening in the area. The fenced playground, the carousel, the arcade, the zipline and the ice cream are all within a short walk, and the whole thing is flat and stroller friendly, so a short trip is easy to pull off.
Almost never. The Village stays open to the public during events unless something says otherwise. Big event nights mean more people and a full garage, so arrive early.
Different animal. The harbor is a working fishing harbor with a walkable strip of bars, and it is where you go for a night out. Baytowne is a planned village on the bay inside a resort, with a playground, a carousel and an ice rink, and it is where you go with family, or for a concert, or for a short easy evening. Both are worth a night; pick by who is with you.
Late afternoon into evening. You can eat, catch a concert on the lawn, and still get the kids through the carousel and ice cream before bedtime. In winter the ice rink and the holiday lights are the draw. Summer evenings are the busiest, so park early.
We check this page against public sources and answer everything we can, but access rules, fees, hours and businesses do change without notice, so confirm anything that matters for your trip. If you find something here that is wrong or out of date, let us know and we will look into it and correct the page.
Split it by who is with you:
Fenced playground, carousel, arcade and laser maze, ice cream. Flat and stroller friendly, so a short trip is easy to pull off.
Zipline over the lagoon about $30, ropes course about $25, bungy trampoline about $19. Closed Monday and Tuesday.
Wednesday concerts March through October, Baytowne LIVE on summer evenings, holiday shows in December. Bring a blanket.
Village Door for the sit-down bay view, Hammerhead's dockside, Italian, Mexican, burgers, and donuts from 7am.
Ice rink from late October into February, about $15 for 90 minutes. The holidays here actually feel like winter.
Pet friendly and leashed dogs welcome, with waste stations around the Village and dog-friendly patios.
There is a public garage plus several auxiliary lots, and in summer and during special events a shuttle runs from the outlying lots to the Village. Valet is available first come, first served. It is a short walk from any of the lots into the Village itself.
The Village Door is the anchor, running for years with seafood and slow-smoked BBQ, a dockside stage for live music and a dance club inside. Hammerhead's is the casual dockside bar and grill with steamed seafood and fried baskets. Dude & Meatballs does Italian on a two-story patio. Cannery Lane Cantina is Mexican and Caribbean. Bunkley's is burgers and shakes. Fat Tuesday is frozen drinks.
For the morning and the kids: Charlie's Cafe opens at 7am for donuts and espresso, and Moo La-La and La Cremeria cover ice cream and gelato through the evening. Merchant hours change with the season, so check the Village's own directory before you build a plan around one place.
The resort this sits inside, and the beach side of it.
The town around the resort.
The other big night out, on the working harbor.
Where to find it across the coast.
Family options beyond the Village.
Free county lots on the beach side.
We checked this page against the Village's own public information and current merchant directory, but hours, prices, tenant lists and events change without notice, so confirm anything that matters for your trip. If you find something here that is wrong or out of date, let us know and we will look into it and correct the page.