Fort Walton Beach & Okaloosa Island vacation rentals

Okaloosa Island is the barrier island across the Brooks Bridge from downtown Fort Walton Beach, with the Gulf on one side and Santa Rosa Sound and Choctawhatchee Bay on the other. The beachfront is condos and hotels around the Okaloosa Island Pier, and to the east a long undeveloped stretch reaches toward Destin, including the Okaloosa day-use area of Gulf Islands National Seashore on the bay side.

On the mainland, Fort Walton Beach, Mary Esther, Shalimar and Niceville are year-round towns on the bays and bayous, close to Eglin Air Force Base and Hurlburt Field. Rentals there are mostly houses with yards, some on the water, and they suit longer stays, military visits and families who want room plus a short drive to the island. The Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport is closer here than anywhere else on the coast.

Things to do near your rental

• Okaloosa Island Pier and the island beaches
• Gulf Islands National Seashore Okaloosa day-use area
• Heritage Park and the Indian Temple Mound museum downtown
• Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park in Niceville