Dizzy with excitement-Vertigo opens its doors to Destin teens

There are plenty of 21-and-over establishments in town, but some say that local teens deserve a venue of their own.

Enter Vertigo, a place for teens to hang out, dance, shoot pool and enjoy their favorite cuisine.

“It’s been in the works for a while,” Kim Brown, co-owner of Vertigo, said. “We’ve been working hard for two months.”

Friends can relax on funky couches or sit at a high top table and share pizza, nachos, hotdogs and other fare. Vertigo’s soda bar also serves ice cream treats and frozen drinks.

Located in what was once JR’s Original Green Knight Bar & Grill, the owners have created an atmosphere for teens that clearly mimics the feel of a nightclub for adults.

Vertigo’s two main attractions are the high energy dance floor and four full-sized pool tables.

Now that school is out, Destin teens have been trickling in.

“The pool tables are pretty cool, and the lights are awesome,” said 13-year-old Destin Middle School student Matthew Fuller.

The dance floor has a complete set of laser lights, strobes, big screen, a fog machine and a high quality sound system that pumps the sounds of D Nice, the club’s resident DJ.

“I’ve been DJing for fifteen years,” D Nice, better known as Donnie Perry, said.

Perry has been established in the area for two-and-a-half years, providing a mobile DJ service. He is glad to take on the full-time gig at Vertigo.

“I’ll be spinning mainstream, urban and top forty dance music,” Perry said.

Vertigo welcomes ages 13 to 17. Club employees have noticed that the crowd starts out younger and gets older as the night progresses.

During club hours, two offduty law enforcement officers and in-house security supervise the party.

Anyone that enters the club is also required to pass through a metal detector.

“What we’re here for mainly is to watch the metal detector and be out in the parking lot to look for disturbances, drugs and drinking,” said Kelly Henderson, a deputy with the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. “We make sure the kids are safe.”

Drugs, weapons, large purses, tobacco, alcohol and fighting are strictly prohibited at Vertigo. They also forbid obscene, revealing or gang-related articles of clothing.

Vertigo owner Brown says that the club provides “the best of both worlds” for parents and teens.

“It’s our priority to provide a safe environment for teens to feel comfortable and be themselves,” Brown said.

In the near future, the club plans to invite garage bands to play, host an American Idoltype contest and have karaoke nights. The club is also available for booking events.

This is a new idea for Destin and Vertigo’s owners are optimistic.

“The city and everybody else has been very supportive,” Brown said.

Published on Saturday, June 14, 2008