I recently got back from the beach, a whole week with absolutely nothing to do. It was fan-freaking-tastic.

The trip was a mini family reunion. My parents came from Oklahoma; my sister, brother-in-law, 3-year-old nephew and 3-month-old niece from Virginia; and my aunt and uncle from upstate New York. Then there was me, my boyfriend, my 3-year-old daughter and my 7-year-old daughter. We were staying in a lovely house near Panama City Beach, Fla. It was actually a couple blocks from where Jim Carrey's "The Truman Show" was filmed. I kept seeing posters for the movie everywhere I went, but I wasn't sure if it was filmed there until I got back home and searched IMDB. Now I'm dying to rent the movie...

The beach was beautiful - white, sugary sand. The water was a different story. It was filled with this weird algae that made you feel as if you were swimming in really pulpy orange juice. Bleh. Then, on about the third day, the jellyfish rolled in. Actually, it was more like bits of jellyfish - a tentacle here, a head bit there. My 7-year-old daughter nearly had a heart attack when she saw them, and she basically swore off the ocean from that day on. Luckily there was a fresh-water inlet and lake for her to swim in. 

Overall I would definitely recommend the area to vacationers. Just make sure you avoid the traffic hell in Destin.  :)