Coolest Things to Build

Beach Sand Sculptures

Have you ever strolled down the beach and noticed a particularly excellent sandcastle? Have you ever wanted to be able to build a colosseum out of sand or construct a castle fit for a king? Well now you can, thanks to sand sculptors Rick and Capri Mungeam.

Rick and Capri offer sandcastle lessons from Okaloosa Island all along the beaches to South Walton and scenic highway 30A. They have hired and trained more than 25 sand castle coaches who “create memories in the sand” with families and groups with award-winning sand castle lessons. They believe that sand castle lessons are so much more than learning impressive building techniques; they also give families the opportunity to experience quality time and make memories together, which is priceless. 

Sand castles also make for a great birthday party or team-building activity. What a unique way to ask your special someone, “Will you marry me?” or “sandvertise” your corporate logo.

Sandcastles do wash away eventually, but the memories making and enjoying them last forever. 

Cool factors: Quality family time activity, Toes in the sand, Unique

Beach Sand Sculptures

Santa Rosa Beach, FL

www.beachsandsculptures.com

303-681-2630

Coolest Place to Escape From

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Escapology

9375 US Highway 98 W

Miramar Beach

(850) 842-4885

Have you ever wanted to be part of a mystery? To be able to boast that you’ve survived a deadly plague? Or maybe you just love solving clues like Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, or an FBI agent tracking down a security threat. Well you can be all these things at Escapology in Miramar Beach. Step into the escape room and travel around the world to Cuba, Budapest, or Shanghai, solve a clue hunt during WWII, or fight outlaws in the wild, wild west.

This coolest activity on the coast is open rain or shine and is a great activity for family or friends, allowing up to six people to play at once. Escapology escape rooms set you up as a detective solving the clues present in a room. Head over to their website, www.escapology.com, to find the perfect scenario. You can check out a description of the escape room and even view difficulty ratings to ensure that you pick the right room for your crew, each room created with attention to every small detail to make the scenario as life-like as possible. Book online to pick which game and time you want to attend, and then head over for your reservation for an hour of fast-paced, critical thinking fun! You can use code ESCAPE2018 for a discount when booking.

You have 60 minutes. The clues are there. You just have to find them. Succeed, and your legacy will live on in the Hall of Fame. Fail, and you will not survive. Do you have what it takes to escape?

Cool Factors: Boasting privilege that you survived, live out your detective dreams, 

rainy afternoon fun, photo evidence

Coolest Rehab On the Coast

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C.A.R.E. Center at the Gulfarium

1010 Miracle Strip Parkway

Fort Walton Beach

(850) 243-9046

www.gulfarium.com

With a mission to act as a beacon for coastal conservation through marine animal rescue and rehabilitation, encouraging awareness with public education and opportunities for active participation, it's no wonder we have chosen the C.A.R.E. Center at Gulfarium to be one of our Coolest on the Coast picks this year! The staff who work tirelessly here, are true heroes to our coast. 

Time and time again over the years we have witnessed the C.A.R.E. Centers amazing efforts to rehabilitate and release various species of sea turtles brought to them or rescued from debilitating situations. From the large Leatherbacks coming in at over 600 pounds to the smaller Green Turtles, we are so fortunate to have a facility like the Gulfarium here On the Coast! The hundreds of people who gather for a turtle release back to the Gulf are always eager to learn and understand the balance we humans play with nature. It's just so exciting and such a great opportunity for the public to learn about the C.A.R.E. Center. 

So what do you do if you find a stranded animal? Well, you call 1-888-404-3922 and observe the turtle at a distance until help arrives. If you try and help and push it back into the water, it might restrand and die so it's best to sit tight with your new found friend and observe. Here's a few more tips while visiting our coast and what you can do to help the sea turtles out. First, if you've been enjoying our beach, when leaving, make sure you fill in ALL the holes you've dug up and flatten those sandcastles and sculptures. This gives a clear path for the female sea turtles who are nesting and those cute little hatchlings. Also keep the exterior lights off of your homes and avoid using flashlights, fireworks and bonfires from May through October. Turtles use the moonlight to help navigate and those manmade light can be confusing to them. So be a good neighbor to our sea life and do your part to help them survive.

Cool Factors: Saving wildlife, educating the public on our sea-life