Waterscape Brings Family Fun to Fort Walton Beach

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Fort Walton Beach is known for its emerald-green water and powder-white sand

Photo Credit: VISIT FLORIDA

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WaterScape is an upscale vacation rental property that features a mini water park.

Photo Credit: VISIT FLORIDA

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WaterScape's pool area features kids' play areas, cascading waterfalls and a LAY-Z-RIVER.

Photo Credit: VISIT FLORIDA

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From spectacular beaches to marine-themed attractions, Fort Walton Beach offers much for families.

Photo Credit: VISIT FLORIDA

A new vacation rental property called Waterscape will add water park fun and island-style elegance to the Northwest Florida coastline when it opens this spring. It features a 10-foot-tall waterfall, free-form pool, play area for kids and even a LAY-Z-RIVER, all on the stunning Emerald Coast beachfront.

This year's family getaway started out like any other:  mother, father and two sons were packing for a northwest  Florida beach stay at a ResortQuest property called Azure. (The  name alone invoked daydreams of cerulean blue water, shell hunting and long,  lazy naps.)

Awaiting us were three nights at this world-class resort  overlooking the crystal-clear Gulf waters of Okaloosa Island, in the Fort Walton Beach area. With the Xbox 360 in tow, we headed  west.

After checking into our lavish suite, I went  downstairs to ask the counter clerk what was around that could possibly hold  the same allure as Call of Duty  4: Modern Warfare for a couple of teenage boys.

She  grinned, empathized and mentioned The Gulfarium, just down the street at the light. She also mentioned that we might be interested  in checking out WaterScape, a  recently opened  ResortQuest property  two buildings down. When she said something about a  mini water park on property, she got my attention. I knew this was going to be  something the boys couldn't resist scouting out.


Waterscape on the Horizon

Waterscape, opening in spring 2008, is an elegant  vacation rental property wrapped into one 10-acre site on 490 feet of beachfront. And not just any beachfront - this part of Florida is known as the Emerald   Coast for a reason. The water is stunningly blue-green, and the sand is strikingly white and fine.

Of more interest to kids, no doubt, will be Waterscape's pool  area. As we gazed from the model unit at this sprawling tropical courtyard, our  eyes met a 10-foot-tall waterfall cascading into a massive, free-form pool. There were wet and dry play areas for small children - plastic  pirate shipwreck and squirting water mushrooms included. My boys couldn't  believe there was an actual LAY-Z-RIVER, a gently winding loop around an island. I could imagine myself there, floating in the water, soaking in the sun.

Oh, and there's more: another pool, two hot tubs, Southern-style porch  swings, a white-washed gazebo (great for weddings), gas grills (perfect for  picnics) and an exercise room that would make your gym manager green with envy.

Waterscape has 339 condos. The appliances are stainless steel, the counter tops granite, the balconies 8 feet long. And the water-view rooms are complete with floor-to-ceiling glass  windows and sliding doors that let in volumes of ocean-kissed sunlight.

Conveniently, some floor plan features built-in bunks for  the kids, and the units come in one-, two- and three-bedroom suites with beachside service.  And as we saw, almost every room has a view. Unlike most other properties, Waterscape is built in a U-shape, offering a dramatic view of the split-level courtyard and ocean.

By the end of our little tour, we had all agreed on a new  place to try for our next family getaway.


The Gulfarium and Beyond

For dinner, we opted for Angler's Beachside Grill, a family-friendly  seafood restaurant  with ocean views and excellent top-shelf margaritas. After a little cajoling, I convinced the boys to go with me to the Gulfarium,  the world's oldest marine show aquarium, the next day.

I was pleasantly surprised by their reaction to the 20-minute sea lion show. Here were two boys who'd not recently expressed interest in anything that wasn't blowing up on screen, and yet they sat mesmerized as the 500-pound creature  glided through the water. Later, they seemed entranced at the sight of a harbor seals.

We've visited SeaWorld plenty of times before, but there was something personal and intimate about The Gulfarium that big parks just couldn't provide. Of course, it didn't hurt that they were getting extra attention from a very cute and smart animal trainer named Marci.

Marci escorted us back to a trailer where we snuck a peek at Gulfarium's newest family addition - a Blackfooted tropical penguin.  We watched intently as the penguin was fed a krill-based formula. The boys were relentless with questions: Where do they come from? How long do they live? Do they really sleep standing up?

Later  we headed  to Old Bay Steamer, where we cracked open a pound of crab legs and talked about all things marine. We even entertained the idea of returning to Fort Walton Beach in a few months - Waterscape  would be open then, and maybe we'd have time to visit the Indian Temple Mounds and Museum, go dolphin watching or explore downtown.

On our way home, we stopped at the Silver  Sands Factory Stores in Destin, about 15 miles east of Fort Walton Beach.  This mall is another kind of animal with over 100 designer brands within a half-mile area. It's a shop-a-holic's sinful pleasure, but as my son noted as he  donned a new dolphin T-shirt, "It's no Gulfarium."

For more information on planning your own vacation home  getaway to Fort Walton Beach or other Northwest Florida destinations, call 888-909-6807 or 850-275-5060, or  visit www.ResortQuestNWFL.com.