Sights & Attractions in The Panhandle

A good place to start your trek through northwest Florida is the region's and state's westernmost city, Pensacola. After viewing its antebellum homes, historic landmarks, and museum exhibits, head east on coastal U.S. 98 to Fort Walton Beach, the Emerald Coast's largest city, and on to neighboring Destin, where sportfishing is king. Continuing along the coast, there are a dozen or so family-friendly communities collectively known as the Beaches of South Walton. This is where you'll find some of the Panhandle's newest, most luxurious developments, such as WaterColor and Seaside, where luxury meets modern seaside chic in smartly designed vacation homes and intimate inns. The next resort center along the coast is Panama City Beach, and to the far southeast is historic Apalachicola, the Panhandle's oyster-fishing capital. Just to the south, St. George Island, a 28-mi-long barrier island bordered by the gulf and Apalachicola Bay, has vacation homes on one end and a pristine state park on the other.

Inland, a number of towns lie along Interstate 10, which crosses the historic Suwannee River on its long eastward trek from Jacksonville to the state capital, Tallahassee. If you want a more scenic route, take U.S. 90. This less traveled, original, two-lane back road takes you directly through the cute communities of Quincy, Marianna, DeFuniak Springs, Crestview, and Milton.