America. In November, the town hosts the
Florida Seafood Festival, Florida's oldest maritime event. All things oyster are the
centerpiece of this two-day feast, which draws
visitors from around the world.
At the end of the day, sit on the deep porch
of C-Quarters Marina with a cool drink and
listen to the locals tell tales of oystering on
Apalachicola Bay.
APALACHICOLA TO PENSACOLA
THE EMERALD COAST ROUTE (US 98)
163 Miles, 3.5 hours without stops
In the late 19th century, Apalachicola was the
third-largest commercial port on the Gulf of
Mexico. Today, the town is famous for the oysters still hand-tong harvested in Apalachicola
Bay. Between January and March, the restored
Dixie Theater hosts professional music and
stage performances.
Port St. Joe celebrated its centennial in 2013.
Have dinner on the patio of the Sunset Coastal
Grill—sweet succulent Apalachicola oysters accompanied by their specialty cheese grits—and
be mesmerized by a spectacular sinking sun.
Panama City Beach came in as No. 51 on
CNN's 100 most beautiful beaches in the world
in 2013. White-sugar sand, one of the Gulf 's
largest natural concentrations of bottlenose dolphins and 320 days of sunshine a year are among
the reasons it is the new Spring Break capital.
From Miramar Beach west, the Emerald
Coast Parkway passes highrises and hamlets,
interspersed with nearby stretches of dunes,
wilderness and breathtaking water scenes.
The Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park at
Fort Walton Beach offers stimulating hands-on
encounters with bottlenose dolphins, sea lions,
stingrays and seals.
At Navarre Beach, cross the Intracoastal
Waterway channel to the barrier islands to
drive through the magnificent dunes along the
Gulf Islands National Seashore. Pause at one or
more of the pull offs and walk this wild sea oat
stabilized stretch of the Emerald Coast.
At the end of Pensacola Beach's new pier, look
down through the clear blue-green water at the
sharks and dolphins that often congregate there.
The last stop along the dunes drive, Fort
Pickens stands guard to Pensacola Bay. Spanish,
British and French galleons negotiated this
narrow opening in the 16th and 17th centuries as
they traded dominion over Florida's first capital.
Natural unspoiled beach along the Emerald Coast of Florida
FEATURED LINKS
Apalachicola National Forest
fs.usda.gov/apalachicola
Big Cypress National Preserve
nps.gov/bicy/index.htm
Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge
fws.gov/chassahowitzka
Clyde Butcher's Big Cypress Gallery
clydebutchersbigcypressgallery.com
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
corkscrew.audubon.org
Cracker Country
crackercountry.org
Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park
floridastateparks.org/wakullasprings
Florida Forest Festival
floridaforestfest.com
Florida Seafood Festival
floridaseafoodfestival.com
Gulf Islands National Seashore
Sunset in the Pensacola Bay area
Across the bay in Pensacola, visit the newly
expanded National Naval Aviation Museum.
Home to the Blue Angels, the original aircraft
and artifacts here are priceless national treasures. Try your hand at flying a fighter jet in the
flight-training simulators.
An in-person visit to Joe Patti's World Famous
Seafood Market is a seafood lover's must-do stop.
For more than 80 years, this venerable waterside
emporium has delivered fresh Gulf seafood to locals and now ships all over North America. FL
nps.gov/guis
Honeymoon Island State Park
floridastateparks.org/honeymoonisland
Joe Patti's Seafood
joepattis.com
Manatee Springs State Park
floridastateparks.org/manateesprings
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park
floridastateparks.org/marjoriekinnanrawlings
Miccosukee Indian Village
miccosukee.com
National Naval Aviation Museum
navalaviationmuseum.org
The Everglades National Park
nps.gov/ever
2014 TRAVEL GUIDE TO FLORIDA
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