The Panhandle - Florida - page 996

Deep-sea fishing is an entrenched part of the area's tradition, with an offshore shelf
dropping to depths of 100ft about 10 miles off Destin's east pass. Locals call their town the
'world's luckiest fishing village' - not that it looks much like a village any more.
Between the towns, which bend around Choctawhatchee Bay like two crab claws, lies
pristine beachfront owned by the US Air Force, whose largest base, Eglin, is here.

INTERSTATE MULLET TOSS

Every year in the last full weekend in April, locals gather on both sides of the Flor-
ida-Alabama state line for a time-honored tradition: the mullet toss. The idea - apart
from a very fine excuse for a party - is to see who can throw their (dead) mullet (an
abundant local fish) the furthest across the border from Florida into Alabama. People
have developed their own techniques: tail first, head first, or breaking its spine and bend-
ing it in half for better aerodynamics.
The mullet toss is organized by Perdido Key's Flora-Bama Lounge, Package and Oys-
ter Bar ( 850-492-0611; www.florabama.com ; 17401 Perdido Key Dr; 11am-2:30am), a le-
gendary bar and roadhouse just east of the state line. Out-there events are a hallmark of
the Flora-Bama - it also hosts the annual Polar Bear Dip (with a free drink if you brave the
winter seas) and the Frank Brown International Songwriters' Festival ( frankbrownsong-
writers.com ; Nov). Flora-Bama has tried to get mullet tossing into the Guinness Book of
World Records,but its time hasn't come - yet.
Hurricane Ivan sadly did a number on the Flora-Bama, but after years of fundraising
and beer-fueled rebuilding parties, the lounge rose again in April 2011. So if you miss the
mullet toss, still do stop by for a rowdy night of live music, booze and a mean plate of fried
pickles!

Sights & Activities
Fishing, snorkeling, dolphin-watching and party-boat cruises are all popular activities in
the area.

Indian Temple Mound & Museum ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
( 850-833-9595; fwb.org/museums/indian-temple-mound-museum ; 139 Miracle Strip Pkwy SE,
Fort Walton Beach;

10am-4:30pm Mon-Sat Jun-Aug, noon-4:30pm Mon-Fri, from 10am Sat Sep-

May)