Emerald Coast
The Emerald Coast, also called the Miracle Strip, is in the Florida Panhandle and consists of the coastal regions of Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, and Bay counties. The region is informally known as the "Redneck Riviera". South Walton Beach 30A, a 15-mile beach road between Panama City Beach and Sandestin, is a relatively unknown jewel consisting of first-class development, totally rewriting the idea of "Redneck Rivera".
Cities
- 🌍 DeFuniak Springs
- 🌍 Destin
- 🌍 Fort Walton Beach
- 🌍 Freeport
- 🌍 Mexico Beach
- 🌍 Niceville
- 🌍 Panama City
- 🌍 Panama City Beach
- See the West Florida page for information on these cities also within the Emerald Coast region:
Other destinations
Understand
The Pensacola-Navarre area (Escambia and Santa Rosa counties) is also included in this area, but it is primarily described in the West Florida.
Get in
There are four commercially served airports in this region.
- Pensacola International Airport, the largest airport in the region, located in Pensacola, primarily serves Pensacola, Navarre, Milton, and Fort Walton Beach; mainly covered and described within the West Florida article
- Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport, the largest airport within the counties specifically included in this article (see the above, "Understand" section for details, primarily serves Fort Walton Beach, Destin, Navarre, and Niceville.
- Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport, an airport in Panama City Beach, serving the city thereof.
- Destin Executive Airport, a small airport in Destin, only serves small Cessna Caravan flights to Atlanta, Jackson, and Memphis on Southern Airways Express.
Get around
See
- Apalachicola National Forest
- The Beach is absolutely beautiful on the Emerald Coast in Destin and Fort Walton Beach.
- Museum Of Man In The Sea.
- South Walton Beach 30A, 15 mile beach road. This road between Panama City Beach and Sandestin is a relatively unknown scenic route.
🌍 Britton Hill - Highest natural point in Florida. It is in the northern part of the county, about half a mile from the Alabama border. Lakewood Park was built on the spot on the west side of CR 285. It contains a stone monument marking the spot. Oddly, there is not much signage on the roads to help find Britton Hill.
State parks
- Camp Helen State Park. A Florida State Park and historic site located west of Panama City Beach, in northwestern Florida. The park is south of U.S. 98, and bounded by the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Powell (one of the largest coastal dune lakes in the state). The park has such amenities as beaches, birding, beachcombing, boating, canoeing, fishing, hiking, kayaking, picnicking areas, swimming and wildlife viewing. It also has a visitor center and an interpretive exhibit.
- Deer Lake State Park.
- Eden Gardens State Park. A 115 acre Florida State Park and historic site located in Point Washington, south of Freeport, off U.S. 98 on CR 395, in northwestern Florida.
- Grayton Beach State Park.
- Topsail Hill Preserve State Park.
- St. Andrews State Park.
- SS Tarpon shipwreck.
Do
- Deep Sea Fishing
- Parasailing