Terms of use

Effective October 7, 2026.

These terms describe the use of Emerald Coast Explorer and apply alongside our community guidelines. Our privacy policy explains how we handle information.

Using the directory

Emerald Coast Explorer helps you discover local places and events. Browsing is free. Listings may be added from public sources without the business claiming them; inclusion does not imply that a business has partnered with or endorsed the site.

Hours, prices, availability, access conditions and event details can change. Confirm important details with the business, organizer or relevant authority before making plans. Reviews are contributors' opinions. Map pins and directory information are not guarantees of accuracy, accessibility, safety or service quality.

Reservations, purchases and visits arranged with a listed business are between you and that provider. Its terms apply. We do not operate the listed businesses or fulfill their offers.

Accounts and responsible use

Provide accurate account information, protect your sign-in access and tell us if you suspect misuse. Do not impersonate another person or business, interfere with the service, bypass access controls, scrape private information or use the site for fraud or unlawful activity. Some actions require a verified email address.

We may restrict access or remove content to address violations of these terms, protect users or comply with law. You can contact us to request a review of a decision. Honest criticism alone is not a reason to suspend an account or remove a review.

Your contributions

You retain ownership of content you submit. You must have permission to share it and follow the community guidelines. By submitting content, you give us nonexclusive permission to store, reproduce, display and format it as needed to operate the site, including resizing images and showing published contributions on related listing pages and feeds. This permission does not transfer ownership of your work.

Submission does not guarantee publication. You can withdraw reviews and remove your community photos from your account. Business content can be managed by authorized representatives or by contacting staff. We may retain nonpublic records for the purposes described in the privacy policy. We cannot remove copies others have independently made of previously public material.

Claiming and managing a business

Only owners and authorized representatives may claim a business. Claim verification is free and requires a contact name, email address, phone number and information about your role. Staff assess the claim before granting access and may request further verification. A verified claim confirms permission to manage a listing; it is not an endorsement of the business.

Verified representatives can use free basic listing tools to submit accurate contact details, hours, listing corrections and photos under the applicable review process, and publish replies to reviews. Premium at $79 per month includes event publishing for the business’s verified locations without a $45 event-publication fee, weekly recurring-event tools for up to 26 dates, customer-action reporting and trackable offers. Offers require staff review. Premium event details publish without routine staff review at eligible public locations, subject to the community guidelines. They remain responsible for the accuracy of their submissions and for having permission to use uploaded images. Access can be revoked if authorization ends or a claim is false. Ownership access does not allow a business to edit visitor ratings or remove criticism.

Payments and sponsored content

Claiming a business does not require a subscription or create a charge. The pricing and billing page states whether paid enrollment is open and describes any available plans. Checkout remains unavailable wherever the site indicates that paid enrollment is closed. Legacy subscriptions keep their existing price and billing interval unless separately changed; remaining eligible legacy and founding access is honored without creating a new charge. Any purchase requires a separate checkout showing its price and applicable billing terms.

Members without included Premium event access may submit an event for a $45 one-time publication fee. Staff review the request before checkout becomes available. A rejected request is not charged. Publication requires approval, confirmed payment and continued eligibility; payment does not grant ownership of the venue. Premium businesses publish their own location events through the business workspace without this fee.

Promotions are optional, separate purchases for verified business listings or eligible published events, including events submitted by members. Each approved order states its placement, dates, amount and payment deadline. Promotion begins only after staff approval and confirmed payment. An expired or changed request may require new dates and review; a received payment that cannot be fulfilled is held for staff attention. Contact support about delivery or refund requests. Cancellation does not itself promise a refund.

A paid service does not guarantee impressions, clicks, rankings, sales or favorable reviews. Promoted placements are labeled so visitors can distinguish them and do not change organic ratings. Customer-action reporting distinguishes clicks, inquiries and business-confirmed offer redemptions; none of these should be described as verified sales or revenue.

Event updates, inquiries and offers

Weekly upcoming-event email and browser notifications are optional. Choose them in My account, verify your email, and allow each device separately for browser notifications. You can turn them off, remove devices or unsubscribe from weekly emails. Delivery depends on provider configuration, your permissions and device availability; it is not guaranteed. SMS event notifications are not available in this release. Confirm event details with the organizer before traveling.

Business inquiries are private messages to the selected business’s verified managers, not public reviews or bookings. Do not send passwords, payment-card details or unnecessary sensitive information. A business is responsible for responding and for its published offers. An offer code must meet its eligibility, dates and other terms; a verified business representative confirms redemption. Requesting a code alone does not establish that an offer was redeemed.

Availability, changes and contact

Features and information may change, and the site may be temporarily unavailable. We do not guarantee uninterrupted access or error-free information. Nothing in these terms excludes rights or remedies that cannot be excluded under applicable law.

When these terms change, we will update the effective date and highlight material changes on the site. Contact us about a listing correction, account issue, ownership dispute or these terms using the email above.