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The Northwest region is defined by waterways. From the Gulf of Mexico to the crystal-clear streams inland, this region is known for its beaches and rivers, where travelers come to experience the great Florida outdoors.
The sandy beaches and salt marshes of Big Lagoon State Park Recreation Area, west of Pensacola, are a favored habitat of the great blue heron. The relaxi ng small towns of Navarre and Gulf Breeze dot the coast that is home to the Gulf Islands National Seashore. This narrow, lengthy park is mostly made up of white-sand barrier islands, with intervening parcels on the mainland. These are often dotted with Spanish and early American fortifications, including Fort Pickens and Fort Barrancas. Perdido Key State Recreation Area is a 247-acre barrier island consistently ranked among the top ten beaches in the nation. Other award-winning shores in the Northwest are Grayton Beach State Recreation Area and St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, both voted to Dr. Stephen Leatherman’s “World’s Best Beach” list.
St. Andrews State Recreation Area is another favorite beach site, but its charms also include marshes and woodlands populated by alligators and deer. Nearby Audubon Island is a nesting and breeding ground for the brown pelican.
Apalachicola National Forest’s half-million acres make it the largest in Florida, and provide a superb habitat for the largest red cockaded woodpecker population in the world. Within the forest is the Fort Gadsden Historic Site, an oft-traded relic of early British forays into Florida. Heading west and underground, the limestone stalactites and stalagmites of Florida Caverns State Park mark the town of Marianna.
Destin claims to be “The World’s Luckiest Fishing Village,” with five saltwater world records. Boat captains seem to agree: the area is home to the largest charter fleet in Florida. The reason the fishing is so good, by the way, is that the Hundred Fathom Curve—the beginning of the deep water where large game fish live—comes closer at this point than anywhere else in the Gulf. Oysters are another favored catch, especially in the town of Apalachicola, which harvests 90 percent of Florida oysters. This historic fishing town, once the third largest port on the Gulf, has more than 150 structures on the  National Historic Register.
Fort Walton Beach, also a prime fishing center, features a rich past. Early land inhabitants are remembered at the Indian Temple Mound Museum, which has over 6,000 bone, wood, and clay artifacts left behind by the mysterious Mound Builders and their successors over the 10,000-year history of human life in the Fort Walton area.
Panama City, meanwhile, is dubbed the "wreck capital of the South" for the number of excellent dive sites off its coast. Several World War Two-era ships and a coastal freighter are among the notables. Not coincidentally, the city is the home to the Museum of Man in the Sea, the world’s only diving museum.
Pensacola, which recently celebrated its tricentennial, has known many masters. The nickname "City of Five Flags" refers to its Spanish, French, English, American, and Confederate governors. The city has two important historic areas: the Seville Historic District, one of the oldest in the Southeast; and Palafax Historic District, where New Orleans ironwork balconies grace the restored structures of Old Pensacola. The Civil War Soldiers Museum preserves artifacts from both sides of the War Between the States. The National Museum of Naval Aviation is one of the world’s largest air and space museums. |
