 |
NAVARRE BEACH, FLORIDA
A GEM ON THE EMERALD COAST
By Bob Barrett & Shifra Stein
It's early morning and the sun is beginning to light up the emerald green waters of the Gulf of Mexico. We sit on the spacious balcony of our condominium and gaze below us at the pristine, sugar-spun sands. With our binoculars we watch precocious manta rays frolic in the water, playing together in the breaking waves. Morning at Navarre Beach, Florida has begun and, as the sun arcs its way over the cloudless blue sky, the day will fill with memories to take back home from this special place.
Navarre Beach lies just across the toll bridge that links it to the town of Navarre, which lies along State Highway 98. Once you cross the bridge to the island, you're in another world, where you can walk and never encounter another person. Heavy industry does not pollute the waters here, and you can enjoy eight miles of the longest continuous stretch of protected beach in Northwest Florida. The shimmering sands are located within the federally protected Gulf Islands National Seashore, which extends from Pensacola east along State Road 399, all the way to the southern tip of Santa Rosa Island.
Anchored on one end by the City and Bay of Pensacola, Santa Rosa Island stretches for nearly 50 miles eastward to its terminus at Ft. Walton Beach. At the West end of this mile-wide island is Pensacola Beach, which offers tourist amenities such as condos, high rises, and hotels. As one drives eastward on Route 399, the only road on the Island, there is a sign that marks the beginning of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. There are places to stop and park along the way that offer access to the water. Along this stretch are a few private homes, and the road eventually leads to the few high-rise condominiums of Navarre Beach.
With unlimited areas to walk, beachcomb, fish, swim, and surf in a secluded and scenic setting, the visitor enjoys a place that is relatively free from congestion, noise, and crowds usually associated with beachfront communities. If you decide you never want to leave the Navarre Beach area, you're in luck when it comes to finding a good place to eat. Close to the condominiums on the Navarre Beach side of the bridge is Sailor's Grill Restaurant and Bakery, on Navarre Beach Boulevard. Every order is prepared from scratch, and you can order up homefries, cheese grits, pancakes, and great omelettes. A plate overflowing with biscuits and sausage gravy is only $3.95, and the place boasts the "best buns on the beach"—sticky and cinnamon, for $1.25 each. Lunch and dinner is also served here, and dessert should absolutely be the legendary Key Lime Pie.
A lot of shopping, dining, and nightlife can be found along Highway 98, just across the bridge from Navarre Beach. You can have your pick of designer and name brand merchandise at Silver Sands Factory Stores outlet center a short drive east on Highway 98, or chow down on a great steak at Cowboys Restaurant just east of Navarre Beach Bridge.
Plan to spend a day exploring the diverse range of things to see and do including some of the military installations and attractions that lie in and around Santa Rosa County. The National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola is only about 40 minutes west of Navarre Beach. This is one of the largest air and space museums in the world. Actual planes including those of the famed Blue Angels, the Navy's precision flying team, reside here, hanging from the ceiling in a formation of four.
The Blue Angels, whose home base is nearby Pensacola Naval Air Station, are a popular attraction, and can be seen flying over the area and the museum, itself, during practice flights.
Housed inside the National Museum of Naval Aviation are more than 130 restored aircraft, equipment, artifacts and memorabilia that tell the story of nine decades of U.S. Aviation history. Unusual displays include amphibious planes, such as the 1940s model that torpedoed and sank a German U-boat 100 miles from Houma, Louisiana, in the Gulf of Mexico. A special IMAX theater offers The Magic of Flight, the Museum's signature film which includes breathtaking in-flight sequences of the Navy's world famous Blue Angels.
If you're feeling a little adventurous try out the Museum's flight simulator, which takes you aboard a Blue Angels F-118 as the team performs manuevers. Admission to the museum is free. There is a special rate for seniors to get into the IMAX Theater and the flight simulator.
Other historic attractions include Fort Pickens, a pre-Civil War-era fort built in 1829 to protect Pensacola Bay. Fort Pickens is located within Historic Fort Pickens National Park in Gulf Breeze, Florida, in the Gulf Islands National Seashore area. The place is interesting historically as well as scenically and many people go there just to watch spectacular sunsets and birdwatch. There is a nominal entrance fee to the park for seniors.
Another "must-see" place for people of all ages is simply called "The Zoo". Located between Pensacola and Navarre Beach, in Gulf Breeze, this is a wonderful 30-acre wildlife preserve that can be viewed on an elevated boardwalk that allows you up close and personal views of free-roaming habitats. Gorillas, chimpanzees, baby Bengal tigers, red kangaroos, bears, hippos, rhinos, and many other animals comfortably reside here, including a people-friendly giraffe that loves eating out of your hand. The overhead boardwalk affords a look at endangered African wild dogs. This rowdy bunch is a sight to see. Extremely rare, the dogs are skilled hunters who race along together at speeds of up to 35 mph. Bring your camera along with you to snap pictures of these and other uncaged inhabitants of this animal-friendly place. Seniors get a discount on admission prices.
For a change of pace, enjoy an excursion 30 minutes north of the beach area to the "Canoe Capital of Florida" where you'll find the largest concentration of freshwater canoeing rivers in the state. A company called Adventures Unlimited offers completely outfitted excursions by canoe and kayak along the Blackwater River and Coldwater Creek.
Located near Milton, Florida, Adventures Unlimited is nestled right in the midst of a riparian ecosystem made up of pine and hardwood forests, rippling rivers, and sandbars. The company can arrange everything from short canoe trips and catered lunches to three-day camping trips. Bed and breakfast accommodations are also available on the grounds, and groups can come here and enjoy a day of teambuilding with a challenging ropes course, or relax in pleasant accommodations that have no telephones, television sets, radios or clocks to mar the stress-free experience.
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
For more information on what there is to see and do in Santa Rosa County, contact the Santa Rosa TDC and Navarre Beach Chamber of Commerce at 800-480-7263, or see their website at www.beaches-rivers.com. Getting to Navarre Beach, Florida from Kansas City is easy. Northwest Airlines flies into the Pensacola airport and from there you can rent a car and drive east for 25 miles to Navarre Beach. There are numerous Gulf side accommodations available, ranging from bed and breakfasts to townhomes and condominiums. The Summerwind Resort, for example, features beautiful interiors, full kitchen facilities, washer/dryer, heated swimming pool, and other amenities with rates as low as $100 per day in off-season. Call (800) 858-2488 for information.
|
