Lindsay B.
Yelp
The Commons is one of the things that made me feel better about living in such a small town. Besides the beach, Destin is just a small town that more than likely wouldn't have any of the big name shops and restaurants that they do have. Destin has really done a great job accommodating its full-time residents and the tourists that spend money here. The Commons is one of those ways. This isn't an indoor shopping center - its outdoors and incorporates restaurants, shopping, a movie theater, and even a play area for kids. The have really nice stores, too. Not just weird, off-brand stuff that people really don't care about. Lush, Sephora, Williams-Sonoma, Southern Living, Forever21, Belk, B&B, Books A Million, are just a few. There is a Starbucks, a Johnny Rockets, a Mexican food place, Chipotle, a juice bar, and many more.
I shop here often, but I also like to bring our dog to walk around. It's particularly nice right now - November - but even on the hottest days one side of the street is always shaded so he doesn't overheat. They also have two dog water fountains. Many of the stores are also for-friendly. We just left there after going specifically to look at one of those free little libraries. It's on of those mini-libraries on a stand that you can "borrow" a book from. It's right outside of the movie theater.
This is definitely a good source of shopping in the area. Better than the outlet mall, in my opinion!