Home to four state parks, a 15,000-acre state forest, and 200 miles of hiking and biking trails, South Walton County offers plenty of wide-open spaces for visitors to enjoy, says Karen Morris, CMP, director of sales, Visit South Walton. “South Walton County has the flexibility to welcome meetings of all sizes, from a 10-person retreat to a 1,500-person convention. Our incredible activities for excursions or teambuilding outings and our breathtaking scenery make for an unforgettable experience,” Morris says.
South Walton’s neighborhoods include Miramar Beach, Sandestin, WaterColor, Seaside, Seagrove Beach, Alys Beach, and Rosemary Beach.
Planners looking for nature experiences will enjoy Western Lake, a rare 100-acre coastal dune lake with nature trails and paddling options, or a unique diving experience at Morrison Springs, which produces 48 million gallons of cold water every day from an aquifer with three natural underground chambers, the deepest at 300 feet below the surface.
New or expanded facilities include Camp Creek Inn, a 75-room boutique hotel with outdoor event space where guests enjoy access to all of the Watersound Club amenities, including two golf courses. The 600-room Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort and Spa, with more than 40,000 square feet of meeting space, is scheduled to complete a $35 million renovation this spring, with upgrades to guest rooms, meeting rooms, restaurants, spas, and pools.
South Walton has more than 15,000 guest rooms and other lodging options. The largest facilities with event space include Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort, with 1,000 guest rooms and 65,000 square feet of function space; 250-room Hotel Effie, within the Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort, with 20,000 square feet of meeting space; The Pearl in Rosemary Beach, with 60 guest rooms and 3,000 square feet of event space; 155-room Embassy Suites, with 6,000 square feet of meeting space; and WaterColor Inn, with 60 guest rooms and 2,000 square feet of function space.
