Few things can capture the natural beauty that the Emerald Coast exudes like stargazing on the beach. The fine, white sand under your toes and bright, sparking stars overhead will result in an overload of joy of intergalactic proportions. The Department of Environmental Protection s Henderson Beach State Park will host a star gazing program. Volunteers from the Northwest Florida Astronomy Association will set up several telescopes for public viewing of star clusters, planets, and galaxies and to answer questions about the night sky. Also, the club will set up

William Augustus Bowles, AKA Billy Bowlegs, came to Pensacola, Florida in 1779 to prevent the capture of Pensacola from the Spanish. After being defeated by the Spanish, Bowlegs developed a fueled hatred for Spain, and began the lucrative business of pirating on the high seas. He was known for forming the Independent State of Mukegee, the longest lasting independent state, behind only the Independent Republic of Texas. Next weekend, June 5-7, Billy Bowlegs will return to ye old stompin grounds and try to round up some new faces to wreak

Filled with top-of-the line shops and restaurants, anticipating the expansion to include Uncle Buck’s Fish Bowl and Grill, Charming Charlie, Everything but Water, Chipotle, Sunglass World, and H&M, the Destin Common’s has a lot to celebrate this summer. The Destin Commons will host the Fourth Annual Smoke on the Coast and Fireworks Festival on July 3, 2014 in coordination with the opening of the new stores. The event will include street performers, face-painting, children’s activities, and live bands such as Heritage, The Maxx, Chris Alvarado, Jones and Company, Coconut Radio,

The Crab Island Cantina will be hosting the annual stand-up competition that has really taken off since its inception in 1988. The idea was the brainchild of Karen Koren, serving the purpose of finding new comedic talents. Some rules for the events are as follows: -The performer cannot have performed stand-up regularly, either paid or unpaid, before June 1, 2013. -The performer may not have appeared on So You Think You’re Funny before -The performer’s materials must be completely original. -The performer must have at least 8 minutes of original

He has got a mind of his own, he has got the Mind of Mencia. Honduran funny man, actor, and writer Carlos Mencia will be lighting up Howl at the Moon at 8pm on May 6. The festivities will kick-off at 7pm with a famous Dueling Pianos show, and everyone in the room will be laughing till their faces hurt when Mencia takes the stage. Mencia will jump around to all different types of subject matters. From man-on-the-street interviews and nationwide sold-out tours, to his film endeavors, Carlos Mencia will

Sip on a little bit of the good stuff while taking in the scenic Sandestin/Destin area at the Baytowne Beer Festival! The festival will feature over 40 craft brewers, and more than 200 domestic and international beers, all in the quaint Village of Baytowne Wharf on October 17 and 18. American specialty beers from all over the nation will also be available for sampling. The Baytowne Beer Festival has quickly caught on in the area and has become known as the Best Beer Fest on the Emerald Coast.” The event

Deliver My Wine is the premier wine delivery service of the Emerald Coast. You can kick back, relax, and enjoy your vacation, while leaving your alcohol needs up to us. Not in Destin? Not a problem! In addition to having your order at your doorstep within an hour if you’re in the Destin/30A area, Deliver My Wine also happily delivers nationally and can have your wine shipped to your doorstep. Because alcoholic beverage delivery is a relatively new concept, Deliver My Wine frequently receives questions about how their service works.

For the 19th consecutive year, The Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation will host its Annual Concerts in the Village at Dugas Pavilion in the Mattie Kelly Cultural Arts Village. Every Thursday from May 1 through June 26 at 7pm, live bands will be putting on performances. General admission is $10 and kids under the age of 12 will get in for free. Food, water, soda, beer, and wine by the bottle will be available for purchase, with all proceeds benefiting the Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation. All genres will be represented throughout

The Summer Boating Splash Series is a new wave concept of being able to leave your car home and take your boat (or a rental boat) and drive right up to a show! The special event series features two movie showings and two live concerts, both at waterfront destinations. On May 17, the premiere event of the series will be a showing of the popular Kurt Russell and Martin Short film, Captain Ron. The movie will be displayed on a 26-foot screen with concert quality sound at North Light Marina