What are some of the good beaches near Pensacola, Florida? What should you know about these beaches?
Miles of white sands and rolling dunes covered with oats and seagrass, an emerald green ocean that stretches southward to meet an endless sky, and waves of all sizes""sounds like some faraway tropical island. But it's not. It's actually a fairly typical summer or winter day on the
beach in Pensacola.
Gulf Breeze
This tiny resort town is just across the water from Pensacola. Its beaches are in bays, lagoons, and rivers. There are all sorts of other water recreational activities including sailing, boating, water skiing fishing and diving.
Pensacola Beach
This is part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore and offers miles and miles of unspoiled sand, crystal clear water all with a minimum of fuss or traffic.
Fort Pickens
This is actually a chain of forts constructed in the early 19th century. It was used to protect the harbor, during the Civil War, and as a prison for Geronimo. There are a number of different stretches of beach, any one of which offer surf fishing, parasailing, windsurfing, body surfing and, of course, sun bathing.
Perdido Key State Recreation Area
Only 15 miles from Pensacola, it can be remote. It's a special getaway for beach connoisseurs. Over 70% of it is protected park land offering everything from nature walks to beaches.
Big Lagoon State Recreation Area
This park is a bird watchers paradise featuring many species of land and water birds. There are pristine beaches and salt marshes. The fishing is great. If you like photographing wildlife, an observation tower
offers some great opportunities.
If you can't find anything here, Pensacola is the start of what is known as the Emerald Coast. It stretches all the way east to Panama City and is named for the sparkling green waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Some seaside towns with excellent beaches include Navarre, Fort Walton Beach
and Destin.
