With a pristine shoreline, sugar-white sands and emerald waters, Navarre sets the beach bar high. This travel guide rounds up top activities and a unique stay for the perfect beach escape to Navarre, Florida.
Getting There
Navarre Beach is located in the Florida Panhandle, home to some of the best beaches in the nation. The Emerald Coast is a 100-mile stretch in the Panhandle praised for its sugar-white sands and emerald waters. The largest airport in this area is Pensacola International Airport.
The Panhandle is within driving distance for many states in Southern USA that are not blessed with picture-perfect beaches. We drove in from Houston, an eight-hour drive crossing the states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama before reaching the Sunshine State. Gulf Shores and Orange Beach on the Alabama Coast house beautiful beaches, but the Emerald Coast is worth the extra miles.
Where to Stay
We towed our trailer to Navarre, which saved us a hotel headache on Labor Day weekend. With a pristine coastline, hotel options are limited and expensive in Navarre Beach. We got premium views at The Hideaway Retreat, a dreamy waterfront campground on the opposite side of the Santa Rosa Sound. The Santa Rosa Sound separates the mainland from the Santa Rosa Barrier Island, where Navarre Beach is located.
With the campground fully booked for the weekend, the large pull-through spot we had reserved was in high demand. We were asked to move our little teardrop trailer and got to pick our own invented spot. Parked next to the summer house in front of the lagoon, our water view went from below average to premium plus.
Top Activities
Navarre’s main attraction is the stunning white-sand beach flanked by emerald waters. The shoreline is relatively undeveloped, with only a handful of hotels and no real beachfront bars or restaurants. There are several options on the beach for renting loungers and umbrellas. We came prepared with a full cooler and stayed until golden hour made the beach look white as snow.
Island Hopping @ Santa Rosa Sound
Navarre Beach is separated from the mainland by a 33 mile-long lagoon, known as the Santa Rosa Sound. Near Fort Walton, the lagoon is scattered with idyllic little islands. We rented a jet ski at Navarre Family Watersports for an afternoon of island hopping.
Paddling & Floating
Navarre Beach and the calm waters of Santa Rosa Sound are perfect for stand up paddle boarding. Navarre Beach Paddle offers complimentary drop-offs and pick-ups of quality SUP boards in the area. They also rent floating chairs and loungers to spend a day relaxing on these warm emerald waters.
The Navarre Beach Pier is the longest in the Gulf of Mexico, measuring 1,545 ft. It’s lined with fishermen having a pick at their next catch in the clear waters below. You can walk to the end of the pier for beautiful views of Navarre’s pristine coastline.
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