Recommendations for beaches in the Florida panhandle region over Christmas break

If you want laid back and family oriented then Seaside is probably your speed. It is between Panama city and Destin. It was the location that the Truman Show movie was filmed and it has little shops, restaurants, and it probably has running and bike trails. You can stay in a beach house that is walking distance to the beach...

Keep in mind that it's usually cold there in December -- highs in the 40s or 50s. Bundle up for those walks on the beach. That said, Ft. Walton Beach hasn't changed much at all in 20 years, and you don't have to go far from there to get to a lot of wooded areas that would have trails.

Please check out the communities listed on this site, particularly Grayton Beach. I was down there in October. http://discover30a.com/discover/santarosabeach.asp

I live in the Fort Walton/Destin area. Go with loosemouth's recommendation. Grayton Beach is it. http://www.floridastateparks.org/graytonbeach/default.cfm was named the best beach in the US a few years ago by the National Park Service. It is pristine. Also, while it can get chilly here in winter, it is more likely your will have 60s - 70s in Dec. this time of year. For instance, the high today will reach mid 70s.

Note to self...proofread!

I'm a big fan of the St. George Island / Apalachicola area. The State Park on St. George just re-opened and is very nice, and the shops and restaurants in the old part of Apalachicola are very cool. I'm not sure about the kids part. The Island has nature trails and is extremely bicycle friendly, and sea kayaking in the bay is great. But I didn't notice a lot of the mini-golf, bumper-boat type activities. I've been this time of year and had great weather, but it can get quite cold (30's) in the panhandle this time of year.

Coincidentally, I was just forwarded http://www.cnn.com/2006/TRAVEL/DESTINATIONS/11/24/florida.red.bar.ap/. Also, the whole area is very biking/hiking friendly.

Thanks all! I'll definitely check into all of the suggestions.

Lots of good choices already mentioned. I also love the apalachicola area. If you get as far as pensacola, remember there's still hurricane damage. Keep in mind that it's usually cold there in December -- highs in the 40s or 50s. Bundle up for those walks on the beach. That said, Ft. Walton Beach hasn't changed much at all in 20 years, and you don't have to go far from there to get to a lot of wooded areas that would have trails. posted by jjg Actually, ft. walton/destin has grown up quite a bit over the last 20 years. And jjg is incorrect about the temperature. You're going to get average highs in the 60s all year round. It's basically december and I was sweating today.