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Walton County, the western edge of South Walton

Miramar Beach, Florida: where the Emerald Coast pours a glass

Miramar Beach is the stretch of Walton County shoreline just east of Destin, with the Gulf on one side and Choctawhatchee Bay on the other. Every spring it throws the longest running wine party on the coast. Here is what to eat with it, and what the boats bring in.

Friends at an outdoor cookout by the water, with ribs on the grill

Between the pass and the dunes

Miramar Beach is not a city. It is an unincorporated community in Walton County, and the first of the beach neighborhoods that Visit South Walton lists as you come east out of Destin. U.S. 98 runs through the middle of it, condos and rental houses face the Gulf, and the quieter bay shore sits a short drive north.

The anchor is Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, which describes itself as a 2,400 acre property stretching from the beach to the bay, about eight miles east of Destin. On the bay side is the Village of Baytowne Wharf, a pedestrian village of shops and restaurants built around a 223 slip marina. That marina is where offshore boats tie up and where the local calendar tends to gather.

Food here leans on what the Destin fleet and the bay can supply. Snapper, grouper, triggerfish and Gulf shrimp show up on most menus, and plenty of visitors book a charter out of the harbor next door and bring their own fillets back to a rental kitchen. That is the cook we write for.

One note for this fall. Hurricane Isaias came ashore near Destin on October 9, 2026 as a Category 2 storm with 105 mph winds, according to the National Weather Service in Mobile, which reported surge and beach erosion along the Okaloosa County coast. Walton County Tourism keeps a page of local updates, so check it before you plan a trip.

Forty years of the wine festival

The Sandestin Wine Festival has run for close to four decades, and its organizers call it a pioneer among Emerald Coast festivals. The 39th edition ran April 16 to 19, 2026 at Baytowne Wharf, opening with a winemaker dinner on Thursday and building to the Grand Wine Tastings on Friday and Saturday, with hundreds of wines poured under tents in the village.

It is a food weekend as much as a wine one. The program lists dinners with guest chefs, culinary tents and a farewell brunch, and it runs rain or shine. Friends who do not drink can walk the Grand Tasting with their group at no charge; they simply go without a wristband. The 40th festival is set for April 9 to 11, 2027.

What is in season

The Miramar Beach fishing calendar

Season dates are the FWC's 2026 rules for Gulf state waters and private recreational anglers. Bag and size limits change, so read the current FWC page before you keep a fish.

WhatWhen
Gray triggerfish open in Gulf state waters, one per person, 15 inch fork lengthIn season nowMarch 1 to May 31
Sandestin Wine Festival at Baytowne WharfIn season nowApril
Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic weighs fish at Baytowne MarinaIn season nowJune
Gray triggerfish open again for the second half of the yearIn season nowAugust 1 to December 31
Red snapper open, then weekends and holidays into early JanuaryIn season nowOctober 23 to 25, 2026 Official dates
Last scheduled days of the 2026 red snapper seasonIn season nowJanuary 1 to 4, 2027 Official dates

Festivals and events

Miramar Beach on the calendar

Both of the area's headline events happen at the bay end of Sandestin. Dates below are the organizers' own. Dates update every month: confirmed means the organizers posted it, expected means it follows the usual pattern.

The next twelve months in Miramar Beach

  1. Oct2026
  2. Nov
  3. Dec
  4. Jan2027
  5. Feb
  6. Mar
  7. Apr9
  8. May
  9. Jun16
  10. Jul
  11. Aug
  12. Sep

From the lineup

What we would pack for a Miramar Beach rental

One bottle for the wine crowd, one for the charter catch, one for the shrimp you pick up on the way in.

Beautiful Sunset

Mild, 3.5 oz, $9

Dried orange peel and ancho with a touch of sweetness. It flatters mild Gulf fish and plays nicely next to a glass of white.

Gulf Coast Blackening

Some Heat, 3 oz, $9

Smoky, herby, with a pepper build. Our pick for snapper or grouper fillets in a hot cast iron pan.

Port A Shrimp Shack

Some Heat, 3.5 oz, $9

Named for Port Aransas, made for shrimp. Citrus, celery and coriander, dry on the grill or stirred into the pot.

Cook it at home

Grilled triggerfish with orange and ancho

Triggerfish is the sleeper of the Destin docks: tough skin, sweet white meat, and open again in the fall. A light rub and a hot grill are all it asks for, and it pours well with a crisp white.

What you need

  • 4 gray triggerfish fillets, skinned, about 6 oz each
  • 1 tbsp Beautiful Sunset per pound of fish
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp butter, melted, with the juice of half an orange
  • Lime wedges and chopped cilantro

How it goes

  1. Pat the fillets dry, coat lightly with olive oil and season both sides with Beautiful Sunset. Let them sit 10 minutes while the grill heats.
  2. Heat the grill to medium high, clean the grates well and oil them with a folded towel.
  3. Lay the fillets on at an angle and leave them alone for 3 to 4 minutes, until they release on their own.
  4. Turn once and cook 2 to 3 minutes more, until the flesh is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
  5. Spoon the orange butter over the fish, scatter cilantro and serve with lime.
Worth knowing. Beautiful Sunset runs a little sweet, so keep the heat at medium high rather than blazing. If snapper is what came home in the cooler, the same method works.

Another one from our kitchen: Beautiful Sunset Pork Chops

Questions

Questions about Miramar Beach

When is the Sandestin Wine Festival in 2027?

April 9 to 11, 2027 at the Village of Baytowne Wharf in Miramar Beach, according to the festival's own site. It will be the 40th festival. The 2026 edition ran April 16 to 19.

Is Miramar Beach part of Destin?

No. Destin is a city in Okaloosa County. Miramar Beach is an unincorporated community just to the east, across the line in Walton County, and it is the western gateway to South Walton.

Is triggerfish in season near Miramar Beach?

In Gulf state waters the FWC opens gray triggerfish from March 1 to May 31 and again from August 1 to December 31. The limit is one fish per person, at least 15 inches fork length.

Was Miramar Beach affected by Hurricane Isaias?

Isaias made landfall near Destin on October 9, 2026 as a Category 2 hurricane. Damage assessments were still under way in mid October, so check Walton County Tourism's updates for current beach and access conditions.

Do you ship to Miramar Beach?

Yes. We ship anywhere in the U.S. Orders go out within two business days, and shipping is free over $45.

Run a shop, market or kitchen in Miramar Beach? Carry JollyGringo'z by the case. Tell us about the shop and the price sheet, the case packs and a sample bottle come straight back.

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Keep going

More Florida towns near Miramar Beach

Okaloosa County

Destin, Florida

The World's Luckiest Fishing Village and a fishing rodeo that fills October

Walton County

30A, Florida

Rare coastal dune lakes, Seaside's Saturday market and a November wine weekend

Okaloosa County

Fort Walton Beach, Florida

Seventy years of Billy Bowlegs pirates, a temple mound and Santa Rosa Sound

Bay County

Panama City Beach, Florida

Two 1,500 foot Gulf piers, the spring cobia run and mackerel

All 47 Florida town guides

Before you go

The organizers

More from us

Where our facts come from

We checked every date and title on this page against these sources in October 2026. Festival dates move, so confirm with the organizers before you travel.

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