Most Relaxing Beaches on Florida’s Panhandle
Planning a Florida vacation without doing your research can land you in unexpected places like packed-to-the-gills South Florida or less fun-packed Daytona Beach quiet places in florida.
To experience Florida’s pristine and beautiful beaches away from the crowds, consider bypassing the sparsely populated peninsula and setting your sights on the sun on the loneliest region – the Panhandle – instead.
Many people associate the narrow northern part of Florida, facing the Gulf of Mexico, with the crowds of Panama City. The bustling resort town is the heart of what used to be called the Redneck Riviera, much to the chagrin of marketing, brands working hard to brand the beaches around Panama City as the “Emerald Coast.” “
Snowbirds, especially from Canada and the Midwest, are abundant in the winter months throughout the Panhandle. However, they tend to stick to the more populated areas of Fort Walton Beach and Destin. Come summer, the crowds thin, and you’ll find endless stretches of lonely sand.
From east to west, we’ve selected four of the Panhandle’s most beautiful and lesser-known places.
1: The island of dogs
The Nature Conservancy owns most of this eastern Panhandle island, giving you an idea of how untouched the Isle of Dogs is. For unspoiled beaches that you can enjoy on your own all year round, few Florida islands can compare. There is only one hotel on the approximately four-mile-long island, the character-filled or charming Pelican Inn, where you can grab one of the 8 studio oceanfront properties for your private retreat. The “island that time forgot” is reached by travelers from Carabelle (50 miles southwest of Tallahassee). You can’t bring a car, as about 100 locals who live here call it their sanctuary. But you are guaranteed a quiet beach with powdery sugar sand, lots of shells and aquamarine water.
2: St. Louis Peninsula State Park. Joseph
From the eastern side of the Panhandle like a soft fishing spot, Cape San Blas – bounded on three sides by the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and St. Lucia – one of the most amazing in the world. Joseph Bay – home to one of the highest beaches in the world. In St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, located on the edge of the coastal peninsula, 10 miles of uninterrupted sugar-white beach awaits. The sand spit faces the crystalline water of the cave, and the water temperature in summer can reach 84 degrees. The park is a paradise for bird watchers, with over 240 species of birds. And there is a fully equipped camp located just off the beach if you want to stay the night. Postcard-perfect doesn’t even begin to do this place justice; if you like your beach time as close to nature as possible, you will be in heaven.
Grayton Beach
Bypass the nearby Truman Show-esque resort towns of WaterColor and Seaside and head for the artsy neighborhood of Grayton Beach – a fun beach burg with heaps of character and equally stunning sand. Hemingway’s wooden houses cover the side streets “carved” with crushed oyster shells, reminiscent of Florida beach towns of the past. Come sunset, head to the Red Bar for some local color and live jazz; the bar is a stand-up bar, Grayton Beach’s version of Key West’s Sloppy Joe’s. Nearby, Topsail Hill Preserve State Park is a can’t-miss natural destination, with secluded beaches and freshwater lagoons.
4: Blue Mountain Beach
A blip on the radar between the popular resorts of Destin and Seaside, Blue Mountain Beach is a popular community of beachfront homes available for weekly or seasonal rentals. Save for a few health food stores and gourmet food vendors, there isn’t much commerce in the city – and so do the locals. Regional lore has it that the lake gets its name from the blue color of the wildflowers
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