Guest boson69 Posted March 25, 2006 Posted March 25, 2006 I was doing contractor ground testing on an Army RC-12Q over at Eglin J-PRIMES on Thursday and what a base! First time for me there, but it was awesome. Near the ocean, everything is very clean, grass nicely cut, and the staff was great. F-15s and F-16s flying over my head the whole day - it never got old. Saw one A-10 as well. Met a couple Army pilots while there - real nice crew. I had a chance to ask them about my color deficiency and they all said to pursue it more. Go see a private doctor and then push for a re-test and ignore what the recruiter said... I guess I kind of have my hopes up again, so I'll be looking into it some more. ~F Johnny.
Toasty Posted March 25, 2006 Posted March 25, 2006 I was there this week as well- the VAQ was decent, despite the complete lack of cold A/C. The Full size bed was also a bit cramped for myself and my girlfriend. The base's dock and rental boats were great- went tubing and waterskiing in a rental pontoon boat, and that thing hauled. They wouldn't let us out into the bay though- apparently the calm winds were causing "moderate chop"...yeah, ok. Still a good time. The beaches were great as well- not crowded at all, even during peak spring break. I would definately look forward to dropping by again in the future. Edit: Oh, and the liquor shop by the commissary is absolute GOLD. [ 25. March 2006, 15:54: Message edited by: toastychicken ]
ClearedHot Posted March 26, 2006 Posted March 26, 2006 A best kept secret when visiting Fort Walton is the VOQ at Hurlburt. Recently remodeled and much nicer than Eglin. Hurlburt is only ten minutes from Eglin and much closer to the beach.
Guest lovelacm Posted March 26, 2006 Posted March 26, 2006 Personally, I'm a big fan of Niceville Seafood on Hwy20.. Just picked up a couple of Tuna fillets for dinner tonight... only ran me $12!
Toasty Posted March 26, 2006 Posted March 26, 2006 The piano bar "Howl at the Moon" on beachside was worth the money. Great entertainment, even if the jack and cokes cost $7.
ClearedHot Posted March 26, 2006 Posted March 26, 2006 Originally posted by toastychicken: The piano bar "Howl at the Moon" on beachside was worth the money. Great entertainment, even if the jack and cokes cost $7. I hate that place... Lots of good bars all up and down the beach.
Guest MistahKurtz Posted March 26, 2006 Posted March 26, 2006 Don't pass up the Green Frog either, classy joint...
Guest KoolKat Posted March 26, 2006 Posted March 26, 2006 Speaking of classy joints...FWB offers a number of semi-classy adult ways of spending a quality night out, as well. Or so I've heard. :D BENDY EDIT: My favorite thing about the base itself was the part of the main strip through "country Eglin", which if you time just right, you can get a F-15 at 200' to completely drown out your radio, even if it's turned all the way up! [ 25. March 2006, 20:30: Message edited by: Bender ]
Bergman Posted March 26, 2006 Posted March 26, 2006 Originally posted by MistahKurtz: Don't pass up the Green Frog either, classy joint... HA! I love that place. Used to have $2 cover/$2 pitchers on SUNDAY. Gotta love it.
Guest boson69 Posted March 26, 2006 Posted March 26, 2006 We spent 1st night at Helen Back and then next night checked out the whole strip around Howl At The Moon - even stopped by Swamp, kind of made me feel old...
Guest 60flyer Posted March 26, 2006 Posted March 26, 2006 McGuire's Irish Pub has great burgers and the O'club actually had a really good seafood buffet.
Guest lovelacm Posted March 26, 2006 Posted March 26, 2006 McGuire's makes a mean fillet mignon, as well! If you're up near the Destin Commons area (i.e. where White Point Rd --> MidBay Bridge --> Destin puts you), try the Bonefish Grill... Fantastic grub and some tasty beverages, too. Just celebrated closing on our house with dinner there last week! Back to the NCAA Tourney! Cheers! Linda
Guest boson69 Posted March 26, 2006 Posted March 26, 2006 I did get a fillet mignon at McGuires - and man, I almost wet my pants, it was incredible! Thanks for pointing out all these great place - I should be back at Eglin within the next couple of months doing ground and flight tests for UC-35A, so I'll be sure to check all these out!
ClearedHot Posted March 26, 2006 Posted March 26, 2006 Lots of good places over in P-cola as well. A bit of a drive, but worth it to checkout P-cola beach on a weekend. Saturday and Sunday afternoons make sure to stop by Juana's out on Navarre Beach. Lots of chicks playing beach volleyball. I used to put my boat in a Jaunas and Ski on the other side of the birdge. If a storm came long (like it does almost everyday in the summer), I just drove the boat right up and parked it on the beach in front of Juana's...run inside and start drinking.
Wing Sweep Posted March 26, 2006 Posted March 26, 2006 CH, I haven't been able to do the drive from VPS to HRT in under 25 minutes since '02. Traffic is way too bad. I do drive like a grandma though, so that could explain it. Hellenback in FWB and KJs in Destin are good local hangouts. Linda, you should be getting familiar with KJs very soon, if not already. One can also go a little further east to Sandestin and there's a bunch more bars. In P-Cola, Mcguires is awesome. Who can forget Syphilis (I mean Seville) Quarter and the surrounding downtown area. You can always catch a hockey game too at the P-Cola civic center.
ClearedHot Posted March 26, 2006 Posted March 26, 2006 Originally posted by g2s: CH, I haven't been able to do the drive from VPS to HRT in under 25 minutes since '02. Traffic is way too bad. I do drive like a grandma though, so that could explain it. Grandma is an understatement...it is only 8 miles! Which way do you go?
Murph Posted March 26, 2006 Posted March 26, 2006 Juana's should be re-opening (reconstruction from hurricane) in about a month. It's a blast from all the stories I've heard.
Guest DaRevrend Posted March 27, 2006 Posted March 27, 2006 You can always catch a hockey game too at the P-Cola civic center.Good luck keeping a straight face while the crowd chants "Let's go Pilots!" (clap, clap, clap clap clap). I still think the name Ice Pilots is too close to Ass Pirates...at least in the mocking Kim Jong Il voice. Oh herro Hans... A solid pre-game makes the 5 buck beers not hurt as much, and live sporting events are always a good change of pace. Anyone in the area for more than a few weeks should definitely hit up McGuire's mug club on Wed night. You break even after six beers, and then it's only a buck a beer after that and is good in both the Pcola and Destin locations. The bars around Destin are going to depend on what type of crowd you want. KJs (great band hole-in-the-wall joint) and Helen Back (cheap beer and pizza) are local favorites but other great spots can be Blue Point (more upscale, live music, 2.50 20 oz drafts of 18 beers on tap after 10), Slick Mick's, Hogs Breath, and Harbor Docks (Thurs night for the ladies). Rev
Ram Posted March 27, 2006 Posted March 27, 2006 The Swamp. I have never had a bad time there...always a great story for the next day. But be careful...it's kinda a younger crowd...
Guest Mary G Posted March 27, 2006 Posted March 27, 2006 Ah - this is a well-timed post! My best girl-friends and I have FINALLY all arranged leave/passes for Memorial Day weekend (difficult since we are all at different bases and on the road all the time) to head down to Ft Walton Beach/Destin area. So thanks for the heads up on some good bars - much appreciated! [And yes, I said head.]
ClearedHot Posted March 27, 2006 Posted March 27, 2006 Memorial Day is big down there. Having a boat is key to Memorial Day weekend. If you go to Destin the channel will be wall to wall boats. Navarre and P-cola Beach will have a ton as well. They have a poker run from Destin to P-cola and back that is also fun, but I can't remember if it is Memorial Day weekend. Whatever you do, bring your stunt liver.
Guest txaggie_99 Posted March 27, 2006 Posted March 27, 2006 Swamp = good times. I heard a lot of good stuff about Hog's Breath, but it turned out to be a total joke. On a side note, going TDY to Tyndall next week...any ideas/suggestions for some good places?
Guest Hydro130 Posted March 27, 2006 Posted March 27, 2006 For those "in the know", please help keep the TDY Gouge (CONUS and OCONUS) section of Baseops.net up to date also with info like this post's. Hook a fellow brother (or sister) up with recent TDY adventure inputs! It's been a huge help to me in the past... Cheers, Hydro
Guest Jpilot Posted March 28, 2006 Posted March 28, 2006 Originally posted by Fury220: The Swamp. I have never had a bad time there...always a great story for the next day. But be careful...it's kinda a younger crowd... Definately- was down there last week and enjoyed every minute. I was really impressed by Eglin too ( the class VI had J. Weed. ), except for the previously mentioned damn little tag on the VOQ A/C that tells you that the A/C blows out warm air during the winter. [ 28. March 2006, 15:16: Message edited by: Jpilot ]
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