Fort Walton Beach Vintage Montage

Ah man, I miss Fort Walton Beach.  All through the 80's and early 90's, every single summer, we would go there and stay at the Blue Horizon.  I'd say '92 was the last time I was there.  My parents went back last year, they were on a trip elsewhere and detoured through Fort Walton for a bit of nostalgia, and they said it wasn't recognizable at all.  The Blue Horizon is gone, the pier where we used to leave on fishing trips is gone in place of a mega hotel, no Sandflea, and just completely different overall.  I'd still like to go back, but it seems like without all those things that I enjoyed in my childhood, it would basically be just another beach.  

I was born in Ft. Walton in 1956. One of six kids, I am Luanne. We lived behind Quaity Cleaners. We were the "Brown kids" Best place to grow up.

My hometown loved it when it was like this.

I have fond memories of Victor's disco 1979. We went there 5 out of 6 nights and I had the time of my life at 18 years old. This is where I learned what one night stands were :-). Ah yes, the good ole days.

I rmeber going to Funway Park and playing the pinball machines there (long before video games, lol). The Water Flume was the only of its kind that I can recall in my childhood. The lines were long but so worth the wait. I remeber the rubber mats we had to use for the slide, they were like magic floating carpets hurling down the slide. After a while on the slide we would cross "Bloody 98" and go to the Pier. The old pier was probably twice as long as the Island Pier that is there now.

Brings back 'memories', remember hearing that old song back in the 60's, and the F-102 Delta Dagger downtown, "Home of the Sonic Boom", before 'noise' was such an issue.

I performed at Carmichael's Surfside 7 in the 70's with Professor Turban (Married to him for several years) and with Casey Jones, Emerald Knight, Heaven Lee, Aja Lynn, Johnny Burgess, Lucia Lexington, and so many more. Loved Ft. Walton Beach!

That video is awesome. I have been visiting Ft. Walton since 1979 and this video brings back a lot of memories. The beloved Funway Park and the Water Flume are place I spent a great deal of time in my youth !

WOW! This is awesome! Makes me feel like a kid again. Getting sick after to many Roller Coaster rides and hot dogs. Searching the beautiful beaches, swimming and fishing all over the place with my dad. My next Holiday may have to be on the beaches in Fort Walton Beach! Thanks so much! Alan FWB Native! and a Happy Fish Head

Great Video. Thanks for sharing. I too, am a FWB native

"Hog's Breath is better than no breath at all"

This is GREAT!! I am do glad you posted this here. I have lived here for almost 40 years and Emerald Knight, Casey Jones and Heaven Lee were friends of mine & I danced at Victor's and ate at The Green Knight....and played plenty of GoofyGolf. This is a great town!

Actually, both the Mayor and the Chamber of Commerce have seen this video. But really it was something that I threw together using pictures from our Facebook group: "Fort Walton Beach: What We Did." There are many more vintage images from "The Fort" available there. I'm glad you like it.

Thanks Gareth, This brings back such wonderful memories.  My father was stationed at Hurlburt AFB from 1971 to 1975.  I remember Goofy Golf and Funway Amusement Park.

GREEN KNIGHT!

Hurricane Opal in 1995 changed FWB forever. I moved to Okaloosa Island in 1990 and left the Island and bought a house in town just before it hit. The "island' in those 5 years was the most fun a 30 year old single guy just returned for overseas for 4 consecutive years could stand. The Seagull, The High Tide (still open), Timbers, the original Hogsbreath, Hosers and the best bar ever was the Stowaway Lounge atop the Carousel Beach Resort. No need for Destin, except an occasional trip to AJ's or the Green Night, maybe Night Town. FWB had great "dive bars" back then. The Starcade, El Villa's, the Early Bird (closed @ 6 AM, opened at 7:00 AM, swear to God), the Red Carpet, we knew them all! They are mostly gone now. The island needs a comeback and with the increased traffic in the past years, most locals don't even bother trying to go to Destin proper or Miramar, let alone South Walton from Memorial Day to Labor Day. I have decided to keep my home here and spend summers out west, fishing and chasing 75 degrees in the mountains and return in fall.  Many of us are hoping the new bridge to the island and the Landmark project in downtown FWB will spark a comeback and inspire more business in FWB and the Island. Unfortunately this place suffers from "We want it all but don't want to pay for it." or better yet "Let the tourists pay for it."  If you want to see what is left of "old Florida, I suggest heading east on Hwy 98 past Panama City and towards to "Forgotten Coast", Places like Port St. Joe, Indian Pass, Apalachicola, Carrabelle. I find Apalachicola absolutely charming. It feels like driving into the fifties. Like the song says "Everything changes baby that's a fact".

Thanks for watching! How did you come across the video? I also enjoyed your old-school surfing video from 1972. Do you have any other old-school footage of "The Fort?" Landmarks/old businesses/etc?

I never did get to ride the roller coaster at Funway, I was not operational back in 1980 and was always rumored to be repaired but it never happened. I still own a home in Mary Esther and enjoy every minute of my time there in the "Playgorund". Who remberes "Carmichaels - Kings Den" downtown ? or the Ft. Walton Golf Cousre 9 hole course ? (now called the Oaks -18 holes) and of course the original Pandoras steak house at the Blue Horizon.

The bulk of these pictures were supplied by members of the "Fort Walton Beach: What We Did" group on Facebook. You can view these pictures and over a hundred more at that site. I want to give credit to the Playground Daily News and all of those within the group who contributed images that were ultimately used in this video.

I'd like to know more about what you remember relative to Funway Amusement Park and especially the Water Flume. Thanks for the kudos on the video.