Wayside Park(Brackin Wayside Park)

Located in the community of Okaloosa Island,Wayside Park – also known as Newman C. Brackin Wayside Park - is a long and wide beach with white sand and nearby sparse vegetation. 

Wayside Park has many amenities including lifeguards, a playground, fire pits, barbecues, picnic tables, pavilions, restrooms, showers, a pier, and volleyball nets. Dogs are allowed at Wayside Park if they are on a leash, and the beach is open from 6 am until sunset. 

Wayside Park offers many fun activities including fishing, bird-watching, biking, hiking, jet-skiing, paddle boarding, scuba diving, snorkeling, volleyball, water-skiing, sailing, and swimming. If you are planning to go into the water near Wayside Park, we recommend you to be careful as the water here is known to have rip currents. This beach is a popular fishing spot. In addition, tourists can spot many birds resting and foraging along the shoreline including sandpipers, white egrets, ospreys, pelicans, seagulls, red-breasted merganser, savannah sparrows, great blue herons, and wood stocks.  The Boardwalk on Okaloosa Island is present near this beach – this boardwalk has many great restaurants, shopping stores, and it also offers a variety of water activities including paddleboarding, kayaking, parasailing, boating, sailing, and snorkeling expeditions.

Getting to Wayside Park is easy – the access trail to the beach is present near 1450 Miracle Strip Parkway and you can easily get to this access trail from the United States Highway 98.  A free parking lot is also available near the access trail leading to the beach.

There are many attractions near Wayside Park. Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park hosts many interesting activities including dolphin’s encounters and sea lions shows. In addition, this marine park is home to many kinds of local marine wildlife including sharks, rays, sea lions, and dolphins - and also offers interactive animal-feeding and animal petting sessions. Wild Willy Adventure Zone is a dinosaur-themed adventure park that offers many fun activities including a mini-golf course, a roller coaster, an indoor games arcade, bungee trampoline, bumper boats, and a 4D movie theatre.  If you are looking for another attraction near WaysidePark, Navarre Beach Marine Science Station offers a unique beachside center offering marine-focused environmental education through camps & events.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Wayside Park, Sealand Restaurant is an upscale restaurant serving a fantastic range of pasta, salads, steak, and seafood - and also offers vegetarian food.Dock on The Island is a waterfront restaurant that serves incredible seafood, steak, pizzas, burgers, tacos, and gumbo. If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near Wayside Park, modestly priced family-friendly Upper Deck Beach Bar & Grill offers delicious lunch and breakfast dishes including waffles, pancakes, French toasts, sandwiches, burgers, and salads.

If you are looking for a hotel near Wayside Park, there are many great nearby options. If you are looking for an upscale hotel, the 4-Star Emerald Grande at Harbor Walk Village is eight minutes away by car and offers many amenities including an outdoor pool, a hot tub, a spa, a fitness center, a saloon, an Italian restaurant, a coffee shop, and complimentary boat shuttle to nearby beaches.A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Holiday Inn Resort Fort Walton Beach, an IHG Hotel that offers many amenities including an outdoor and indoor pool, a hot tub, a fitness center, a business center, an arcade, and a seafood restaurant. As another moderately priced option, the 3-Star Four Points by Sheraton Destin - Fort Walton Beach offers many amenities including a fitness center, two outdoor pools, a children’s splash pool, a hot tub, and a restaurant. If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near Wayside Park, the modestly priced 2-Star Best Western Ft. Walton Beachfront offers several amenities including an outdoor pool, a restaurant, and complimentary breakfast.