OF TOURISM AND LOYALTY: Visitors put worries aside and bask on 'gorgeous' beaches (PHOTOS)

Angela and Gary Bruner, along with hundreds of other vacationers, spent Wednesday afternoon enjoying Destin’s sugar white beaches and emerald waters.

“It is just so beautiful, and the beaches are gorgeous,” said the couple from Batesville, Ark., as they basked in the sun behind Silver Shells Condominiums

For photos of beachgoers packing Destin area beaches Friday, click here.

The Bruners, like everyone else who is planning on hitting the Emerald Coast for a much needed vacation, have been glued to the TV, watching and waiting to see what impact, if any, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill would play in their plans.

“We were worried about coming here at first,” Angela said from under her beach umbrella. “We didn’t make our reservations until right before we left.”

Angela said she monitored what was happening in Orange Beach and Mobile, and kept updated through different websites before they made their final decision.

Even though the couple lives more than 10 hours away, they said the media coverage in Arkansas has been heavy.

“There is just a lot of concerns,” Angela told the Log. “Some of the places are putting a positive spin on what is going on because they want people to come — I just try to overlook it and find out what is really going on.”

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A COLLECTION OF COVERAGE

To see Thursday's photos from the cleanup, click here.

For photos from Wednesday's operation, click here.

To see the BP OIL SPILL LIVE FEED, click here. This may be shut off as BP works on the pipe.

New, giant sea oil plume seen in Gulf moving toward Mobile

Fixing oil disaster my responsibility, Obama says

Matt Gaetz holds oil spill town hall over the phone

WHAT OIL? Resorts looking forward to ‘very strong holiday weekend’ (PHOTOS)

To see the latest photos from our untouched beaches, click here.

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Ava Sutton also made her first trip to Destin after her friend told her it “was the most beautiful place in the country.”

Sutton, along with her daughter Camille, and best-friend Kaylee, made the journey all the way from Poplar Bluff, Mo., to find out whether or not Destin lived up to the hype.

When asked if it did, she said “Yes. It’s awesome here.”

Just like the Bruners, Sutton said she has been living and breathing oil spill coverage in the run-up to her vacation.

“It’s an extremely serious situation,” she said. “We were really hoping they could have contained it out at sea.”

Shaking her head, Sutton said “I am very frustrated with BP, very frustrated.”

Sutton’s daughter, Camille said she has also been following the story closely, even though it doesn’t directly affect her.

“It’s hard not to pay attention to something this big,” said the 17-year-old. “It’s everywhere.”

She did say that even if the oil had been on the beaches, they still would have come to Destin.

“It wouldn’t have ruined our vacation,” she said adamantly. “Even if we couldn’t go in the water, we would still be able to enjoy the beach and lay out. There are plenty of things to do here — you could still have fun and go to all of the awesome restaurants.”

“Who doesn’t love the coast, whether it is Alabama, Louisiana, or Florida,” Kaylee added. “This is where all of our friends like to come.”

Even some of the long-time visitors on the beach agreed that it will take more than oil to derail their fun in the sun.

“I’d be here cleaning up the beaches if it was necessary,” said Roswell, Ga., resident J.C. Massey.

As they wait for friends to join them next week, Massey and his wife Fran, who have owned property in Destin for nine years, said “these are some of the prettiest beaches they have ever seen.”

Brad Knight and his wife Ashley agree. They have been frequenting Destin for the past 10 years.

Even with the threat of oil, Ashley said the couple never thought twice about coming to Destin for vacation.

“We decided we were going to do it regardless,” she said.

While the Paducah, Ky., couple said they were “a little worried” before making the trip down, they have no regrets after sitting on the beach.

“You really couldn’t ask for much more than this,” Brad said while overlooking the Gulf. “The weather is amazing, and the beaches are beautiful.”