Happy Thanksgiving From The Emerald Coast 

For the Thanksgiving holiday, we left Melbourne, FL and drove 8 hours to visit family on the Emerald Coast of Florida.  That’s right . . .  we drove 8 hours straight and never left Florida !!

The “Emerald Coast” refers to the northwest panhandle area of Florida from Pensacola Beach to Panama City Beach.

Some of the spots we checked out were Destin, Navarre, Santa Rosa National Seashore, and of course Pensacola.

This part of Florida was relatively new to both of us, but we’ve always heard so many good things about the Emerald Coast.   It did not disappoint!

Family Time :

This trip came about with the opportunity for us to visit Jennifer’s dad and his wife for the Thanksgiving holiday and also celebrate his birthday. They were spending  a month or so in Pensacola at the Blue Angels RV Resort.

Jennifer and I were hoping to post about our visit to the Naval Aviation Museum at NAS Pensacola and all things “Blue Angels”, but it was not to be.

We made plans to go to the museum with Jennifer’s dad and his wife on Wednesday before Thanksgiving.  Unfortunately, the museum closed early because of the holiday and we missed our chance on this trip.

We were turned around at the gate by a Navy security officer who seemed to take her job very seriously!  Thank you for keeping us safe ma’am.

We made the most of our time together anyway, exploring Pensacola Beach and enjoying a nice dinner out.  We were able to spend 3 great days with Jennifer’s dad, but we’ll have to catch the Blue Angels tour on our next visit to Pensacola.

Where We Stayed :

Pretty much everywhere we travel in Florida ends up being near a beach. Turns out that the hotel we chose just outside of Pensacola gave us excellent access to some of the best beaches the Emerald Coast has to offer.

Shopping on price during the Thanksgiving holiday, we landed on the Best Western Milton Inn just off of I-10 on Hwy 87. Jennifer and I enjoyed our stay there very much. The rooms were bright and clean, the parking was well lit, nice pool, and one of the better (included) breakfast buffets we’ve had. We crushed it every morning!

Additionally, we found that Hwy 87 runs north toward Old Town Milton and the Blackwater River and south towards the beaches.                                                      Guess which way we went . . .

Hwy 87 south from the hotel is an easy and scenic drive. Before you know it, the road ends at Hwy 98 which runs west to east and is a very busy highway.  My recommendation is to turn left on Hwy 98 and catch the closest causeway across to the beach.

If you do turn right onto Hwy 98 like we did the first day, you’ll have every business possible available to you.  So we stopped at Publix for sub sandwiches and ice before making the long and slow ride west to the Pensacola Beach causeway.

Pensacola Beach :

As we came across the causeway onto the beach, it became obvious why this area is such a popular summertime (or anytime) destination. There is so much to see and take in as soon as you arrive.  Restaurants, hotels, gift shops, beach events, and watersport rentals.  Super cool place to bring the family and kids.

Our first stop was the Pensacola Beach Pier for the mandatory tourist photo of the iconic beachball tower.

 

 

So . . .  while there are tons of things to do around the pier area, that’s really not our thing.  Jennifer and I like to search out the spots where the locals like to go.

We drove a few miles east and began to look around some of the residential areas and noticed that public beach access was available but limited.

We found  an access on Avenue #16 with parking for maybe 6 cars and a very comfortable walkout pad.  What an awesome beach!! 

 Beautiful sugar sand, clean and deep. The water clarity was excellent that day and the water color was amazing!  Good ol’ blue skies and sunshine didn’t hurt either.

We set up camp and immediately got in the water. Even in late November, the water temp was still comfortable and the visibility was unbelievable!  We’ve spent plenty of time in the Keys and on both Florida coasts in some nice water. This was a different kind of beautiful water.

Jennifer spent hours shelling (her favorite thing) and I couldn’t take enough pictures of the beach and the water.  We swam, we soaked up some sunshine, and then it was time to move along.

Santa Rosa Beach :

After leaving Pensacola Beach, we continued east on the beachfront road towards our next stop, Navarre Beach.  On the way there, we passed thru the most beautiful and undeveloped shoreline. This area between Pensacola and Navarre is the Santa Rosa National Seashore.

We must have stopped 6 or 8 times just to walk out and get a better look at the miles of empty beach. With only a few access and parking areas, Santa Rosa beaches are pristine and mostly untouched. The entire area is a protected zone for shorebird nesting.

Jennifer and I agreed that Santa Rosa Beach is a spot worthy of a return trip. We’ll come back here for sure!

Navarre Beach :

As you leave the Santa Rosa National Seashore heading east, the next little gem is the shoreline of Navarre Beach.  Tall sand dunes and sea oats line this section of the coast and the feel of summertime fun takes over.

Multiple beach access spots, limitless rental homes on stilts, and everyone on golfcarts gave this area that “vacation” vibe.  Considering that we were there in late November, I can’t imagine the crowds during the peak season.

Regardless, Jennifer and I found a few spots to explore and we had a great time for the few hours that we spent there. The water was just as nice as in Pensacola Beach and the shell selection was pretty decent. Definitely another spot worth revisiting.

At the easternmost end of Navarre Beach is the Sea Turtle Conservation Center. We highly recommend a stop there. Bring the kids and learn all you can about the sea turtles and their environment.

Just before the turtle center is the Navarre Causeway back to Hwy 98.  As a side note, a quick left turn at the bottom of the causeway brings you back to Hwy 87.

Do It Again :

Jennifer and I tried to duplicate our first beach visit the following day. Unfortunately, the weather was cloudy and a low-hanging misty fog covered up our plans. We still made the most of it and enjoyed ourselves walking the beaches for shells and took in some local food and shopping.

We had a fantastic visit with Jennifer’s family in Pensacola and explored a part of Florida that was new to both of us.  Florida’s Emerald Coast has a lot to offer and better beaches than we could have imagined.

We’re already planning and looking forward to another trip back.

 

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“See You on the Water”