When I found out that SoFabCon was in Bentonville, Arkansas, I thought it would be fun to get a group of my blogging friends together for a road trip there. We reached out to Chevrolet to see if they’d consider sponsoring our trip, and they gracious agreed to provide a 2013 Chevrolet Traverse to take us there in style.

Last December, I had the chance to test drive a 2013 Chevrolet Equinox, and I currently drive a 2008 Equinox, so I was excited to try out the Traverse. The Equinox is a great vehicle, but with seating room for only 5, I’ve often thought it’d be nice to have something larger.

The Chevrolet Traverse we drove seated 7, but the back seat easily stowed to add more cargo space. With four women headed to Arkansas for four days, we knew we’d need that extra space. I was impressed, though, by how easily our bags fit once the seats were stowed.

I drove most of the five-hour trip to Bentonville and I can tell you — the Traverse drives really smoothly. It didn’t feel like we were going as fast as we were, and at times, I had to slow down. The cruise control easily managed my speed with the flip of a switch.

It rained most of the way, and the Traverse easily handled the mountain inclines, even on the wet roads.

We had several more bags on our way home (woohoo swag!), but everything still easily fit in the cargo area.

This time, I got to sit in the back seat and let me tell you, it was comfy! I had ample leg room and the leather bucket seats were really comfy. I know Jamie, who drove us home, really enjoyed the heated leather seats. Did I mention that it snowed while we were in Bentonville?

The built-in navigation system guided us home. Jamie got it set up and had us on our way in no time.

This is what happens on the way home from a blogging conference — blogging! Luckily, the Traverse was spacious and the ride was smooth so we could get some work done, thanks to the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE hotspot!

Here are just a few of my favorite features in the 2013 Chevrolet Traverse:

1. Built-in dashboard navigation
2. Chevrolet MyLink that syncs with your smartphone to provide hands-free calling
3. A compartment in the dash to store away your phone while its connected to the car — no temptation to text and drive!
4. Sirius XM Satellite radio let us listen to old school country tunes on our way home
5. Heated and cooled leather seats
6. Ample cup holders
7. Memory settings for the drivers seat allow you to reset its position with the push of a button
8. Side Blind Zone Alert with Rear-Cross Traffic Alert lets you know when there’s something you can’t see
9. Rear thermostat allows passengers to control their own temperature
10. Built-in DVD player (with headphones!) would be perfect for a family road trip

Plus, it had great gas mileage. We only had to fill up twice (once on the way there, and again on the way back) during our 10-hour trip. And we had fuel to spare when we got home.

The 2013 Traverse is a great vehicle, and as our family grows, it’s definitely one that I’ll look to add to our family.

What’s important to you when choosing a vehicle?

See anything in the 2013 Chevrolet Traverse that you like?

Disclosure: I was provided use of a 2013 Chevrolet Traverse to travel to Bentonville, Arkansas and facilitate this review. All opinions and photos are my own. 

The post 2013 Chevrolet Traverse: The Perfect Road Trip Vehicle appeared first on The Nerd's Wife.

I’ve had the opportunity to attend several blog conferences this year. Blog conferences are a great way to network with other bloggers and brands, and learn some tips and tricks to improve this little part of the web.

A few weeks ago, I had the chance to attend SoFabCon in Bentonville, Arkansas, a conference organized by Collective Bias. You may recognize Collective Bias as a company that I partner with often — in my experience, they have been the company most interested in providing quality opportunities for bloggers with competitive pay. I was excited for the chance to learn more about Collective Bias, meet some of the employees that I’ve come to know and love online, and, basically, figure out what I could do to better my relationship with them.

In my experience, blog conferences have the tendency to be more about how the blogger can impress brands and the company hosting the conference. It’s all about networking and meeting (and knowing) the right people. I had the expectation that SoFabCon would be the same — a sort-of popularity contest focused on making sure YOU do the right things to impress THEM (whoever “THEY” are).

To my surprise, it was the complete opposite. From the welcome reception at the beautiful Crystal Bridges Museum, it seemed that Collective Bias was there to impress US.

From killer keynotes about how bloggers are transforming the way that brands are perceived online (and the importance of partnering with them), to smaller sessions about ways to improve your photography to enhance your own content, there was not a session I attended at SoFabCon that I felt was a waste. I learned something in every single thing I attended.

The very best session, though, was “SEO: Titles, Tags & Bathrooms, Oh My!” by Dan Morris of Letters from Dan. It blew my mind. I have NEVER understood SEO like I do now. He gave me tangible things on my blog that I could implement right away (and I’m working to do). I’m hoping to write an entire post with my notes on what I learned in that session alone.

Full Disclosure: I did step away for about an hour on Saturday morning to get some work done in my hotel room. So I didn’t attend every single session.

The fabulous Tiffany Romero of the SITS Girls killed it in the opening keynote on Saturday morning. She talked about the importance of setting boundaries between your life online and your “real” life. Learning to power down is something that all bloggers struggle with and her comments hit home with me in particular.

My fabulous roomies made the weekend even more awesome — Courtney from My Crazy Savings, Jamie from Roubinek Reality and Staci from 7 on a Shoestring. This is us with John Andrews, one of the founders of Collective Bias. Their support made it easy to be myself and I love that I’ve developed a real friendship with these women.

Throughout the conference, Internet Media Labs monitored the #SoFabCon hashtag and measured the real-time influence of those who were participating in the discussion. Boards throughout the conference tracked the influence and top influencers were awarded “Jedi” ranking. It was really awesome to see our own tweets and how they were influencing the stream.

Some of the Social Fabric Community Managers (Kim from Crafty Mama of 4, Mel from MamaBuzz, Brandi from Mama Knows It All, and Kristin from Mama Luvs Books) gave a lunch-time panel on some ways to improve sponsored content. The bottom line of their discussion was that bloggers with great sponsored content take the content and show how it fits THEM. Twist the narrative — turn it on its head. Why does the product fit YOU? What makes YOU want to buy it? The most important thing you can do is be AUTHENTIC and do your best to provide amazing content.

But the closing keynote was where I really saw that Collective Bias “gets” it. The original speaker couldn’t make it, so they asked one of their own, Jasmine from Just Jasmine, to lead a discussion about sharing your authentic self online. It was eye-opening and emotional, and I may have cried several times.

Other community members shared their own stories and Jasmine talked about how you can share pieces of yourself, pieces of your story, and others will connect with it. That is something that I have struggled with for a long time — it is my story to tell? What about others that I might hurt? But then again, what about others I might help? I’m going to do my best to show you pieces of myself and to be authentic here in this space.

The whole conference screamed one big exclamation:

We want you to just be YOU!

No formulas. No equations. No lists of things to include in your sidebar. No promises of “just be like me, and you’ll be successful.”

Collective Bias celebrated each individual member of their community and rejoiced at our differences. They want to enable our successes by embracing our differences. They “get” it.

At the end of the weekend, I walked away with resources and experiences to fill my bucket and help me be a better blogger. To help me celebrate myself. And my investing in me, Collective Bias invested in themselves. This is a conference I will not hesitate to attend again.

They flipped the blogging conference narrative. This conference was not about how I could learn to work with them. It was about how they could learn to work with me. And I’m excited for what the future holds.

The post #SoFabCon 2013: How Collective Bias Gets “It” appeared first on The Nerd's Wife.

While it may have looked like I just spend a weekend playing in the sun and sand during my Destin resorts vacation, I actually was there to learn from and connect with other bloggers and brands. That’s what #Brandcation is all about!

Upon our arrival at the Emerald Grande, I got to meet the ladies I would come to know and love over the next few days. We sat down together to talk about the sponsors that made this trip possible, and receive some products to test during our trip.

I wanted to take a moment to thank these sponsors — without whom this trip wouldn’t have been possible — and to highlight a few of the products that I really enjoyed.

Location Sponsors:

Emerald Grande at HarborWalk Village

Click here to read my thoughts about the hotel and what all you can do there.

• Website: http://www.emeraldgrande.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheEG.Destin

La Famiglia on the Harbor

• Website: http://www.lafamigliadestin.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lafamigliadestinfl

Grande Vista Bar & Grill

• Part of Emerald Grande

Harry T’s

• Website: http://www.harryts.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Harry-Ts-Lighthouse

Kitty Hawk Kites

• Website: http://www.kittyhawk.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kittyhawk.florida?fref=ts

Boogies Watersports

• Website: http://www.boogieswatersports.com

Buccaneer Pirate Cruise

Click here to read about my experience on the Buccaneer Pirate Cruise.

• Website: http://www.destinpirateship.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BuccaneerPirateCruise?fref=ts
• Trip Advisor: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g34182-d3331383-Reviews-Buccaneer_Pirate_Cruise-Destin_Florida.html

Starbucks

• http://www.starbucks.com

Destin Snorkel

Click here to read about my experience with Destin Snorkel.

• Website: http://www.destinsnorkel.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/destin.snorkel?fref=ts
• Trip Advisor: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g34182-d1902245-Reviews-Destin_Snorkel-Destin_Florida.html

Big Kahunas

• Website: http://www.bigkahunas.com

Crab Island Cantina

• Website: http://crabislandcantina.com

Photos courtesy of MomDot

Swag Sponsors:

Flashing Blinky Lights

I had so much fun dressing up with the pirate accessories that Flashing Blinky Lights provided for our pirate cruise! They have all sorts of fun party favors!

• Website: http://www.flashingblinkylights.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EllyD4FBL?fref=ts

LifeLock

LifeLock provided each Brandcation attendee with a year of free service — I can’t wait to try it out!

• Website: http://www.lifelock.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LifeLock

Camera Coats

These are the coolest. I am always throwing my DSLR in my purse — Camera Coats hang on your camera strap and act as a protective cover for your camera.

• Website: http://www.cameracoats.com
• Twitter: @CameraCoats
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CameraCoats

Band-Aid, Neosporin, Johnsons Baby

• Twitter: @rfbinder

CoTZ Face Mineral Sunscreen

I LOVED this sunscreen! It’s lightweight and creamy — it feels like foundation. It not only gave me protection from the sun, it made my skin look flawless, too. I’ve already added it to my daily makeup routine!

• Twitter: @CoTZskincare
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cotzskincare

Tervis Tumbler

This is seriously the coolest cup ever. It keeps your drink cold or hot — I’ve been using it constantly since I got back from my trip!

• Website: http://www.tervis.com
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TervisTumblerCo
• Twitter: @tervistumbler

Reflect Who I Am (shirts and bags)

• Website: http://www.reflectwhoiam.com
• Twitter: @refectwhoiam
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Reflect-Who-I-Am/124972764261232

Brush Buddies

• Twitter: @brushbuddies
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/brushbuddies

Belkin

• Website: http://www.belkin.com
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/belkin
• Twitter: @belkin

O-Venture (key rings)

These key rings are awesome! They are so big that they slide up your arm when you go to pick up your kids — keeping the keys out of their face and away from their bodies! I love that the ring is big enough for me to find it easily in my purse. Plus, they’re fun colors!

• Twitter: @shopoventure
• Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/OVenture
• Facebook: http://facebook.com/shopoventure

Rock-A-Pockets

• Website: http://www.rockapocket.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RockAPocket

Attending Bloggers:

Click here to read more about my Destin resorts vacation!

Disclosure: Media rates and, in some cases, comped activities were provided to showcase this venue properly. All opinions are my own. Photos are property of The Nerd’s Wife, unless otherwise noted.

The post Thank You to the #Brandcation DESTINation Sponsors! appeared first on The Nerd's Wife.

As a Verizon Wireless Ambassador, I’ve gotten the chance to test several of Verizon’s coolest smartphones and devices. But I’m quickly learning that Verizon Wireless is more than just a cell phone company.

Last week, I shared My Top 5 Smart Wireless Accessories and gave you a sneak peak at just a few of the cool things they offer to compliment your smart device. Many of the items on that list were things you’d expect — a waterproof iPhone case, a wireless charger, even a pedometer that integrates with your smartphone.

But did you know that Verizon Wireless offers toys that integrate with your smart device?

My favorite is the iCade: Arcade Cabinet for iPad®. This old-school, arcade-style cabinet comes complete with a joystiq and buttons to control your iPad. The cradle offers an ideal screen-viewing angle. Once iPad® is in place, simply launch any supported iCade-compatible app and it’s game on!

This fun accessory would be an ideal addition to our already large collection of video game paraphernalia. In fact, we have a room in our house — the Nerd Cave — that is the exclusive home to these items.

My hubby would love playing vintage games like Asteroids and PacMan, and I’m sure my son would love watching his Dada take the controls.

Check out the other Toy and Game accessories from Verizon Wireless. See any that your family would love?

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Last year, I had my first taste of Tillamook Cheese when they contacted me and asked me to create a recipe with one of their products. I had so much fun creating that Queso Blanco recipe. So when they contacted me again to create another recipe — this time for National Burger Month!

Tillamook’s National Burger Month Grillabration

To prepare, Tillamook sent me a Cheeseburger Kit with a package of their Medium Cheddar Slices along with some other fun Tillamook promotional items.

I love grilling when it’s hot outside, and May is the perfect time to start! I love burgers because they are simple to make, and easy to customize to your own taste. This is an easy recipe that you can make, then top with our own favorite fixings.

Southwestern Avocado Burger
Featuring Tillamook Medium Cheddar Cheese

Ingredients:
Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns
1 lb Lean Hamburger Meat
Tillamook Medium Cheddar Cheese Slices
Homemade Taco Seasoning
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Tomatoes
Red Onions
Sliced Avocado
Fresh Lime Juice

Directions:

Form patties with the hamburger meat. Sprinkle with taco seasoning. It’s ok to be generous with it, if you don’t mind a little heat. Otherwise, a light sprinkling will do. Add a bit of salt and pepper.

Grill the meat for 4-5 minutes on one side, then flip and grill on the other for 4-5 minutes until cooked through. Add the buns to the grill about 2 minutes before the meat is done to allow them to toast for a bit. You can also add a slice of cheese to the patties about 2 minutes before they’re done to allow the cheese to melt. When the meat is finished cooking, squirt a bit of lime juice on the cooked patties.

Place the meat, cheese and other toppings on the buns and serve warm.

Enjoy!

Disclosure: Tillamook Cheese provided the product mentioned in this post, along with some other promotional items, to facilitate this review. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own. Photos are property of The Nerd’s Wife.

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As the temperature continues to rise in Texas, I am constantly searching for light, fresh meals that I can easily prepare for my family. Last weekend, as part of a sponsored post for Collective Bias, I used Kraft Fresh Take meal kits to create a summery pasta dish that was a big hit with my two boys.

I really enjoyed using Kraft Fresh Take to create this recipe. It made seasoning the dish simple and I didn’t have to worry about buying a bunch of different spices. It really makes meal prep simple.

You can find Kraft Fresh Take meal kits in the cheese aisle at your local Walmart.

The Kraft Fresh Possibilities Tour truck will be making stops across the country from March through the end of July. To see if they are making a stop in your town, click here.

Want to save some money while you shop? You can pick up a coupon from select packages of chicken in the meat department at Walmart. This coupon takes $1.00 off the price of one (1) chicken item with the purchase of Kraft Fresh Take. The coupons will run 5/1-7/31.

Be sure to check out my trip to Walmart to shop for Kraft Fresh Take and the other ingredients for this recipe.

Parmesan Breadcrumb Pasta

Ingredients:
12 oz whole wheat spaghetti
1/4 c olive oil
2 c grape tomatoes, cut in half
2 c sunburst tomatoes, cut in half
1 pkg Kraft Fresh Take Cheese & Breadcrumb Mix – Italian Parmesan Recipe
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Prepare spaghetti according to package directions to serve al dente.

Heat olive oil over medium heat until warm. Add in both kind of tomatoes and sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Add in 3 Tbsp of Kraft Fresh Take breadcrumb mix and stir well. Cook 2-3 minutes until tomatoes are fragrant. Remove from heat.

Drain spaghetti and stir into tomato mixture. Serve warm, and top with the parmesan cheese from the Kraft Fresh Take.

You can use the leftover breadcrumb mixture to coat chicken to serve with the pasta, or use for a later meal.

Enjoy!

Want some more great ideas for summer?

Kraft is featured in this new digital magazine:

Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and Kraft Fresh Take. All photos and opinions are my own. #FreshTake #CBias

The post Kraft Fresh Take Parmesan Breadcrumb Pasta #CBias appeared first on The Nerd's Wife.

One of my favorite things I got to experience during my Destin resorts vacation was the Buccaneer Pirate Cruise. In HarborWalk Village, you can’t miss the giant pirate ship that sails in and out of Destin Harbor. It often fires its canon and the booms can be heard all around the strip.

The Buccaneer Pirate Cruise invited our group to come aboard and experience their adult-only “scurvy” trip one night. It was so much fun!

We decided to dress in pirate gear for the trip. My homemade costume was enhanced by a few trinkets from Flashing Blinky Lights, including a flashing ring and LED pirate hat.

Once we boarded the ship, we were treated to a barbecue dinner from Jim ‘N Nick’s Bar-B-Q. I devoured their pulled pork sandwiches and chicken salad. YUM.

Soon, the cruise was underway and we were all called to the deck to meet the crew. They were decked out in pirate gear and played their parts really well. We had to play several, umm, interesting games as a group (remember, this was an adult-only cruise, and the content was very mature). I had such a fun time laughing with the other girls.

Once the games were over, the party really began. The crew turned up the music and we turned the deck into a dance floor.

The crew was so engaging that I forgot I was aboard a ship. It didn’t even feel like a cruise and I probably missed some pretty great views of Destin from the water. Oh, well.

The Buccaneer Pirate Cruise also offers a treasure hunt cruise that’s perfect for children. It would be a great family activity to enjoy during a Destin resorts vacation! To read more about our trip, click here.

Disclosure: This activity was sponsored and comped by Buccaneer Pirate Cruise. All opinions are my own. Photos are property of The Nerd’s Wife, unless otherwise noted. 

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Where can you meet Captain Jean-Luc Picard, take a photo with a Storm Trooper, and learn how to convince your mom to read comic books, all in one place? Houston Comicpalooza 2013!

In the years since I’ve married The Nerd, we’ve been to the Dallas Sci-Fi Expo, Dallas Comic Con, and Quakecon. But we’ve never traveled somewhere else to attend a sci fi convention. Until now.

When I was invited to attend Houston Comicpalooza 2013 and given free tickets for our family to the convention, I started planning our visit immediately. Would we watch the Quidditch matches? Listen to the panel on acting in Doctor Who? Learn to Salsa Dance with a Power Ranger? Take a gun safety course with tips for surviving the zombie apocalypse?

The lineup of panels and presentations is impressive and appeals to all aspects of Nerd culture — from Star Trek fans to My Little Ponies lovers.

The guest panels, autographs, and photo ops are star-studded, with appearances by Sir Patrick Stewart, Michelle Rodriguez, Sam Huntington and Danny Trejo. The Nerd is really excited about seeing Captain Picard.

I was impressed with the range of genres covered at the convention. There are panels on steampunk fashion, romance in sci fi, young adult paranormal novels, Star Wars culture, ghosthunting, writing comics, family board games, and much, much more!

Houston Comicpalooza 2013 takes place May 24-26, 2013 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have you ever been to a sci fi convention? See anything at Houston Comicpalooza 2013 that catches your eye?

Disclosure: I was provided two free tickets to attend Houston Comicpalooza 2013 in exchange for online promotion. All opinions are my own. 

The post Houston Comicpalooza 2013 appeared first on The Nerd's Wife.

During my Destin resorts vacation last weekend, I got the chance to snorkel for the first time ever. Destin Snorkel graciously donated their time and services for our group of bloggers so we could experience this fun water activity.

I was really excited, but also a little anxious because I didn’t know what to expect. The Destin Snorkel crew quickly put my fears to bed, though, with their fun, upbeat attitudes and excitement for our trip.

When you have a group of ladies this fun, how can you not be excited?

Photo Courtesy of Destin Snorkel

It was cold and rainy, so we all climbed into wetsuits for the trip. Some of the group had decided to snuba — I knew that probably wouldn’t work out for me, since I tend to be claustrophobic and the thought of being under lots of water terrifies me. I was happy to get my snorkel on, though!

Once we had our gear, we loaded up onto the boat and set sail for Holiday Isle. On our way, we got to see several dolphins! There was a beautiful rock jetty with lots of sea life for us to see.

With a bit of trepidation, I jumped in the water and started to make my way to the jetty. About this time, it started to rain. But I really couldn’t feel anything in my stylish wetsuit. At least that’s what I told myself.

Photo Courtesy of Destin Snorkel

By the way, flipper may make it easier to swim, but they definitely make it harder to walk. Not sure if the good outweighed the bad. But then again, I’m not a fish and I like my feet how they are.

This is me and Jenna from Bucktown Bargains!
April from AprilGolightly and Tiffany from Babes and Kids Review were so cute with their pregnant belly bumps!

I quickly discovered that snorkeling was not for me. It is very unnatural to breath through your mouth with your nose being plugged. And it totally freaked me out. So, I snapped a few pictures with my awesome LifeProof iPhone case and headed back to shore.

Luckily, the crew of Destin Snorkel had us covered! They had several kayaks on shore for us to take out if we wished, so a couple of the girls and I decided to go for a spin. Let me tell you, kayaking is hard work! But it was fun, and I can now say that I’ve kayaked in the Gulf of Mexico. So there’s that.

I know the other ladies had an awesome time on their snuba adventure. You can check out some photos of the trip over on Destin Snorkel’s Facebook Page.

This is definitely something you don’t want to miss out on when you vacation at Destin resorts, like the Emerald Grande. To read more about our trip, click here.

Disclosure: This activity was sponsored and comped by Destin Snorkel. All opinions are my own. Photos are property of The Nerd’s Wife, unless otherwise noted. 

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Last weekend, I had the chance to experience one of the best Destin resorts — Emerald Grande at HarborWalk Village — with a group of 24 bloggers.

We descended on the Emerald Coast for Brandcation, a sponsored weekend getaway that exposes bloggers to a particular area and the amenities it has to offer. In exchange for media rates, and sometimes comped, activities, the bloggers agree to share their experiences with their readers. You all know how much I love to travel, so this experience seemed right up my alley.

My Destin Resorts Vacation.

I’ll be sharing my Destin resorts vacation in a series of posts, but today I wanted to highlight the resort itself. It was my first time staying in a resort, and I have to tell you — I wasn’t disappointed! The folks at Emerald Grande thought of everything.

Beautiful Views and Spacious Rooms.

Situated right on the Destin Harbor, Emerald Grande offers beautiful views of the gorgeous Florida coast. This Texas gal never tired of seeing palm trees and white sandy beaches.

Even the view from our room was beautiful. We stayed in a three-bedroom condo with a view of the Emerald Grande pool and deck area. Our room was fabulous. There was a master bedroom with a king bed and its own bathroom, a spare bedroom with a queen bed and another bedroom with bunk beds for the kiddos. The room also featured a full-size kitchen that was stocked with dishes and a few snacks, so if you wanted to save money and buy groceries instead of eating out, that’s an option.

Private Beach with Shuttle Service.

A short boat ride took us to the Emerald Grande’s private beach. It happened to be cloudy and cold the morning that we went, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying a bit of fun in the salt water! My friend, Courtney from My Crazy Savings, grabbed a boogie board and jumped in! She was braver than me. I decided to lounge in one of the comfy beach chairs instead.

The secluded beach was a nice respite from the hustle and bustle of HarborWalk Village and the surrounding area. Go early enough in the morning and your family could be the only ones there!

Food and Entertainment Within Walking Distance.

The Emerald Grande is part of HarborWalk Village — a fun collection of shops and restaurants right along the Destin Harbor.

While the hotel does have great food options (you can even get Starbucks delivered to your room!), there are many great restaurants along HarborWalk Village. We had the chance to eat at La Famiglia on the Harbor, Harry T’s, and Crab Island Cantina. Each offered great food and an awesome atmosphere with beautiful views of Destin Harbor.

In addition to the great restaurants, there are tons of fun shops along HarborWalk Village. I had to stop in to Kitty Hawk Kites and buy a few souvenir t-shirts for my son and nephews. And I really loved the accessories at Dalton & Company. I even came home with a fun watch!

There are also lots of fun activities for you and your family. Little ones can jump aboard the Cubby Caboose train to ride along the strip. And there are TONS of water sports available, from paddleboarding with Kitty Hawk Kites, to snorkeling with Destin Snorkel, to jet ski rentals with Boogies Watersports.

I really had a great time, and I’m looking forward to sharing more highlights of my trip with you!

To read more about my Destin resorts vacation, click here.

Disclosure: Media rates and, in some cases, comped activities were provided to showcase this venue properly. All opinions are my own. Photos are property of The Nerd’s Wife, unless otherwise noted.

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