Florida Road Trip US HWY 98

One lazy summer we took a road trip along the Northwest Coastline of Florida.  We drove from the Southeast coast over to Naples and headed north stopping off briefly in St Petersburg.  By day’s end, we reached the beautiful stretch of US HWY 98 that led us all the way to the Panhandle and ultimately to Pensacola. The stretch of HWY 98 covers a variety of old and new Florida towns that offers a collection of one-of-a-kind worldly beaches that you could not find anywhere in the nation.  The Town of St. Joe is one of the newest communities while older and more established towns like Panama City, Destin or Pensacola are inviting visitors to the less-crowded, most relaxed beaches one could ever imagine.

The anglers could enjoy the beautiful coastlines or many fishing piers while RV travelers would never run out of options to camp in many RV parks and campgrounds.  We strongly suggest a stop in St. Joe for lunch or a snack and walk around the elegantly designed town and from there on you are set to go through an unforgeable road-trip that covers many National Parks such as Apalachicola National Forest or the St. Andrews State Park, which is a full facility campground on white Sandy beaches of Panama City and a perfect place to camp overnight.

If you are taking on a short road trip, your next stop will need to reserve most of your time as you arrive at the incredible Emerald Coast area of the Gulf of Mexico and welcomed by the three of the most relaxed sugary white sandy beaches you will ever come across.  Destin is arguably the home to one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.  The surrounding Fort Walton Beach is the home to swim with the dolphins at Gulfarium, and Okaloosa Island makes Emerald Coast the crown jewel of beaches in Florida and the nation.  Santa Rosa beach is in close proximity of Destin while Navarre Beach is a must see on your way to Pensacola.  

At this point may we suggest a more scenic route by taking HWY 399 by Fort Walton Beach to Navarre Beach rather than the shortcut of the HWY 98 (Gulf Breeze Hwy).  Pensacola Beach in Santa Rosa Island is the next destination which is a popular town by locals and tourists for their shopping malls and the ultimate stop of this memorable road trip.