Shopping in Destin

What began in 1984 as a home business with a single phone has grown into a go-to source for women's apparel with retail stores across the country. Headquartered in Sandpoint, Idaho, Coldwater Creek curates a varied selection of elegant but comfortable clothing, ensuring closets stay stocked with more than just the relatives who only get pulled out around the holidays. You'll find everything from sweaters and jackets to jeans and dresses, as well as jewelry, handbags, and other extras for accessorizing new outfits. And if you can't make it to one of Coldwater Creek's physical locations, just head to the website to find the perfect cardigan, cashmere sweater, or pencil skirt.

The instructors at Destin Pilates Center incorporate both Pilates and yoga principles into their workouts. In addition to offering reformer classes, the instructors also lead aerial silks classes where students learn how to climb and pose with two pieces of fabric hanging from the ceiling. Destin Pilates Center is a Pilates Method Alliance certification studio in the area for Balanced Body University, which is one of the largest manufacturers of Pilates equipment.

The surfing and skating savants at Innerlight spread outdoor sporting enthusiasm through a wide selection of lessons and beachside merchandise. Stand-up paddle boarding (SUP) synthesizes the buoyant balance of surfing and self-propulsion of canoeing to form a single aquatic super-sport. Led by an American Red Cross–certified instructor, the one-hour private lesson hones pupils with boardborne basics. Students learn stable-paddling techniques, ocean-safety skills, and how to read the tides for good conditions without reading goggles. SUP riders receive a paddle and a height- and weight-appropriate board for use during the lesson, with training wheels available upon request.

Customers at Luxe Apothetique can seek the fashion infopinions of the stylish staff before outfitting both face and frame in high-end cosmetics, bags, and duds from famous names such as 7 for All Mankind, Splendid, and James Perse. Tasteful handbags and jewelry from Marc by Marc Jacobs ($38–$398) accent naked arms, and bills burning holes in flammable pockets are expertly contained in Marc’s stylish wallets. Luxe Apothetique's own line of dresses ($35–$95) mix elegance and utility like a cummerbunded assassin. Luxe Apothetique also stocks epidermal aids such as Kiehl's Crème De Corps lotion ($10-$17) to sate parched pores, and visual aids including Voluspa candles ($5.99–$39.99) to facilitate relaxing bedrooms or spooky bath-times.

For YOLO Board's team, "stand-up paddleboard" is an abbreviated term. Depending on who's taking the board out to sea, it might be a stand-up-and-surf board, or a stand-up-and-fish board—or, perhaps, just a stand-up-and-enjoy-the-view board. This versatility is part of why YOLO Board founders Jeff Archer and Tom Losee wanted to bring the hobby to Florida's coast. Another motive can be found in their business's name: YOLO, or "you only live once," speaks to their passion for adventure.

Today YOLO Board has outposts in Florida and California, as well as a line of boards and equipment available nationwide. There are even inflatable models, which makes transporting a board to the Caribbean a feat that no longer requires dressing it up as your tall, flat cousin. The sport's appeal has reached even farther, too—boarders have sent in pictures from locations such as Mozambique and Costa Rica, contributing to the YOLO World community.

Instructor Brittany Lee can attest to Joseph Pilates’ claim that “after 10 sessions, you will feel better”—she felt the same way after discovering Pilates herself despite an extremely active lifestyle of running, hiking, biking, and surfing. She imparts this same sense of well-being in classes at SoWal Pilates, where students perform the core-chiseling, muscle-lengthening moves on mats, with props, or on reformers. The class curriculum also includes Booty Barre, a blend of Pilates, dance, yoga, and sculpting that tones the body and torches calories.