Scenic Hwy 98: Apalachicola to Cedar Key

st. george island lighthouse

Interesting Attractions and Campgrounds along the Gulf drive from Apalachicola to Cedar Key Florida The section of the Gulf Coast Drive along Scenic Hwy 98 from Apalachicola to St. Marks is known as the Forgotten Coast. It lacks the pristine white sand beaches of the Emerald Coast between Pensacola Beach and Panama City Beach. The … Read more

Nature Trails Cedar Key Wildlife Refuge

sunset cedar keys national wildlife refuge

Shell Mound Nature Area Hiking Trails People visiting the picturesque island town of Cedar Key who enjoy hiking and nature trails should visit the Shell Mound unit of the Cedar Keys Wildlife Refuge less than 10 miles from Cedar Key proper. Within walking distance of Shell Mound County Park & Campground is the Trailhead for … Read more

Scenic Highway 30A Travel

Grayton Beach Florida


Scenic Gulf Drive – Destin to South Walton to Rosemary Beach

Directory of Articles & Maps: Traveling the Gulf Coast Scenic Drive

Previous Article: Gulf Drive Pensacola Beach to Destin

Going East of Destin on Gulf Highway 98 you connect with Scenic Highway 30A just past Topsail Hill State Park. This will give you an opportunity to return to driving along with a view of the gulf and through the South Walton beach communities along the Emerald Coast. While there still are condos and town homes along this stretch, they aren’t as tightly packed on top of one another like in Destin and along the route you begin to see some actual single family homes with larger yards.

You’ll also pass several ponds that are called coastal dune lakes, freshwater lakes that drain into the Gulf, providing a unique ecosystem due to the exchange of salt and fresh water. Some of these coastal lakes have preserved, natural shoreline – no homes or condos and therefore indeed offer some natural scenery to justify calling this a scenic drive. About a mile before you get to the community of Grayton Beach you are actually driving through Point Washington State Forest.

coastal dune lake
A portion of Draper Lake, one of several unique coastal dune lakes along this section of Scenic Highway 30A

While the drive doesn’t offer an abundance of notable scenery, it is a more pleasant and slower paced drive than traveling on busy highway 98. But about halfway along the 24 mile route there is a genuine scenic and unique  destination: the historic beach town of Grayton Beach (see article) and it’s popular neighbor Grayton Beach State Park – see our article here.

Grayton Beach, Florida

The tiny village of Grayton Beach traces its founding back 125 years when vacationers used to travel by horse and buggy to enjoy its white sand beaches and small town character. As you walk through the town you can see many examples of old cottages lovingly restored and some with a humorous and artistic twist.

Grayton Beach Cottages
One of the many artfully landscaped cottages in Grayton Beach

The town is largely surrounded by Grayton Beach State Park (see our review) which has served to limit the expansion of the village and probably played a role in preserving its unique character. The State Park’s gulf beach extends on both side of the village providing more than a mile of relatively uncrowded pristine beach terrain. The park also encompasses a 100 acre coastal dune lake providing opportunities for canoeing, kayaking, paddle-boarding and fishing. There’s a 59 unit campground and 30 cabins in the park and biking and hiking trails. Make your reservations early as this is a popular park.

Grayton Beach and the State Park are located along the paved Walton County hike/bike path that runs adjacent to Scenic Highway 30A. Biking is one of the best ways to get around town as well as the three nearby towns east of Grayton Beach . . . as there isn’t a lot of public parking space.



Seaside Florida
Hundreds of bikes in the town of Seaside, every where you look bikes.

Seaside to Rosemary Beach

Going east of Grayton Beach on 30A you quickly arrive at the very upscale community of Seaside with an extensive collection of modern condo units and a popular town square that hosts entertainment, beach-related enterprises, festivals and outdoor food carts. We drove through this town in late March during spring break time and were in awe of seeing what seemed like a thousand kids on bikes running back and forth along the bike path adjacent to the road and droves of teens crowding around the food and entertainment in the town square plus walking to and fro. I wonder how crowded the beaches were because there were sure lots of people walking and biking around town. Seaside is a popular place.

Seaside Town Square
The Food Court at the Seaside Town Square is a favorite gathering place.

Further east of Seaside is the community of Seagrove (more beach condos) and then at the end of Scenic Highway 30A the community of Rosemary Beach essentially a replication of Seaside with condos, beach resort venues, a very busy town square and people walking and biking everywhere. These three villages east of Grayton Beach seem to be very popular, especially with families. If you rent a house, cottage or book lodging at a condo many types of entertaiment, in addition to the beach, are within walking distance (and biking and bike rental places abound!). These villages must have a reputation as safe places because there were young kids streaming all over the place, many without any adult supervision.

Travel and Visitor Links:

Continuing on the Scenic Gulf Coast Drive: Gulf Drive Rosemary Beach to Apalachicola – – –

Indian Pass RV Campground

Indian Pass Campground Beach

RV Campground Review: Indian Pass Campground, Port St. Joe, Florida

Indian Pass is a hook-shaped peninsula, about 3 miles long, jutting out into the Gulf along Scenic Highway 30A between Port St. Joe and Apalachicola.

Indian Pass Campsite
One of the pull-through RV campsites

The Indian Pass Campground is at the very tip of the peninsula adjacent to a portion of the St. Vincent Wildlife Sanctuary and the Boat Ramp and Ferry Dock. There are 34 RV sites with electric, water, and basic cable, plus a handfull of tent sites. There is a bath and shower building, a laundry area, and a modest store in the campground office. Wi-Fi is available at the office and on the porch. The lagoon formed by the peninsula and the adjacent St. Vincent Sound (bordering St. Vincent Island) make the campground popular with kayakers and canoeists. The convenient boat ramp and the protected waters are also ideal for fishermen. While the campground has its own beach, the isolated sand beach bordering the wildlife refuge is a better alternative for sunbathing and swimming.

Indian Pass Beach
The beach across the street at the wildlife refuge.

The Indian Pass community is mostly homes with a few smaller condos with few commercial establishments so there’s not much traffic and being located at the end of the road, the campground is in a very peaceful setting and the extensive beach looking out towards St. Vincent Island is uncrowded and unspoiled.

The campsites in general are well-shaded and mostly level. The sites are arranged in a somewhat crazy-quilt manner oriented around the trees and terrain. I think this adds to the general attractiveness, although it means large units will have trouble accessing some of the sites. But some will easily accommodate larger RV units and some sites are pull-through.

indian pass campground layout
Indian Pass CG Aerial View. Google Maps

Other Nearby Attractions. The nearest bar or restaurant is 3 miles away on Highway 30a at the entrance to Indian Pass. The closest general shopping is in Port St. Joe, 13 miles from the campground. The St. Joseph’s Bay Golf Course (see our review) is 10 miles away and for us a nice bonus as we enjoyed the course very much. Historic Apalachicola, with many notable seafood restaurants, raw bars, galleries and shopping boutiques is 21 miles from the campground.

Gulf Coast Drive Travel Links:

Grayton Beach State Park

grayton beach sunset

RV Campground Review: Grayton Beach State Park With its sugar sand beach being one of the most pristine and uncluttered along the Gulf Coast, Grayton Beach State Park is a very desirable campground along the Scenic Gulf Coast Highway. It is hard to top its beach for swimming, sunbathing and surf fishing. It also borders … Read more

Best Pensacola Beach Restaurants

Peg Leg Pete's Oyster Bar Pensacola Beach

According to Trip Advisor, the Grand Marlin is the number 1 rated restaurant in Pensacola Beach. But as it is also listed as the most expensive restaurant in Pensacola Beach we’ve not dined there. But considering its good rating, perhaps we ought to find out “how expensive” it is! 🙂

But we have had a chance to sample some of the Beach’s other top rated restaurants.

Our Reviews of Best Restaurants in Pensacola Beach

Below are reviews of:

  • Flounder’s Chowder House
  • Red Fish-Blue Fish Restaurant
  • Native Cafe.

Review – Flounders Chowder House

Flounders is a beach front casual, seafood dining and entertainment emporium that has been in Pensacola Beach since 1979. It is full of nautical paraphernalia, antiques, and fanciful creations. A former world record 980 lb Blue Marlin hangs from the ceiling of the Marlin Bar. Adjacent to the street-side entrance is the 55 foot former shrimp boat, the M/V Flounder named after its owner Captain Frank Flounder. Frank’s three sons opened Flounders Chowder House after serving their tours shrimping.

Diners have a choice of seating: an open-air outdoor deck adjacent to their beach, a covered outdoor deck, and inside seating. There’s also a separate, cafeteria style Sushi Bar. The stand-up Tiki Bar is out on beach and the more spacious Marlin Bar is in the open-air covered area.

The sand beach fronts on Pensacola Bay and includes a long pier with boat docking facilities for guests arriving by water. The large beach area also hosts a volleyball court and a kids playground area within view of the restaurant so Mom and Dad can keep an eye on the kids while they dine. The entertainment stage looks out over the the deck, but no one was performing the day we were there. But Jamaican music played in the background on their PA system.

flounders bar and grill
The former Flounder’s Shrimp Boat welcomes visitors to the restaurant.
Beach Volleyball at Pensacola Beach
Beach volleyball in front of Flounders Chowder House
Founders Restaurant Pensacola Beach
Dining on the deck at Flounders Chowder House.

Rating Flounders Food & Service

I had the Grilled Mahi Taco Salad and Jo chose her favorite burger basket, a Mushroom & Swiss Burger w fries. The food portion size was large and the quality good, but not outstanding. We’ll give it Four stars. The wait service was prompt and friendly. A fun, family friendly, entertaining place to spend an afternoon or evening. Next time I’ll have to try their signature Floyd Flounder’s Phenomenal Chowder, a past winner of the Great Florida Chowder Cook-off.


Red Fish, Blue Fish Restaurant

Red Fish Blue Fish is another funky beach front dining and entertainment also located on the Pensacola Bay side of the island. Like Flounders it has an extensive white sand swimming and lounging beach, in fact maybe a little larger than Flounders. As with Flounders you can be in the open-air patio, the covered deck, or inside away from all the elements. There’s no volleyball court but there are corn-hole game sets on the patio and on the beach.

The day we were there a country-pop trio was performing on the outdoor stage. They had a Simon & Garfunkel style of close harmony and a wild electric fiddle that I loved. It was an idyllic afternoon, good food, good music, sun, beach, ocean breezes, and a very tasty Bloody Mary.

Our lunch was Grilled & Blackened Mahi on a bed of steamed asparagas, rice & spinach. Excellently prepared and decent wait service. We’ve had and enjoyed Grilled Mahi at other Gulf Coast eateries and the dish served up by Red Fish Blue Fish didn’t disappoint us.

Red Fish Blue Fish Pensacola Restaurant
Relax on this funky bench outside the entrance to Red Fish Blue Fish
pensacola beach
The Patio of Red Fish Blue Fish Restaurant in Pensacola Beach is where everyone wants to be.
Red Fish Blue Fish Seafood Grill
Some great tunes out on the Patio of Red Fish Blue Fish

Native Café

Also a bit away from the hustle and crowds is the best breakfast spot in Pensacola Beach (also serves lunch until 3pm). Nestled in a plain jane strip mall east of Pensacola Beach’s entertainment center, Native Café is easy to miss unless you know about their reputation. We found out about them on Trip Advisor where they are rated the #2 Restaurant in Pensacola Beach behind the Grand Marlin, which is the top rated place to eat in the Beach – but is also the most expensive.

Their artsy marquee was matched with a funky, artsy and intimate interior. Some light jazz played in the background adding to the unique café atmosphere.

Native Café is family run, operated by fifth generation Pensacolians, Joyce and Charles Brown and their children, Josef Wiggins, Jesse Brown and Arin Brown. Their commitment to good food, a fun atmosphere and good service has people like us going to an effort to find them.

Native Cafe Pensacola Beach
Native Cafe’s South Western Motif
Native Cafe Fish Sandwiches
Delicious Mahi-Mahi Tacos in the foreground, Mahi-Mahi PoBoy background.

Rating the Native Cafe

We were there for a late lunch. Jo had their signature PoBoy Mahi-Mahi sandwich basket that included a side of fresh veggies. I had their famous Florida Fish Tacos, which contains sautéed Mahi which chopped cabbage, tomato, and bell peppers and 2 kinds of sauce. Excellent taste, large portions left us stuffed. Great food coupled with fast, friendly service stands up to their #2 rating. Love the artsy coffee shop atmosphere and their choice of music. 5 stars. We look forward to returning the next time we are in Pensacola Beach.


Other Top Rated Pensacola Beach Restaurants.

Peg Leg Petes Pensacola Beach (pictured at the top of the page)
Bustling, pirate-themed seafood restaurant featuring a children’s play area & raw bar

We’ve driven by Peg Leg Pete’s several times on the way to and from Fort Pickens. The parking lot was always full so we never stopped as we figured there would be a long wait for a table. They get good reviews on Google and Trip Advisor so one of these days we have to give them a try. (We finally did in 2020 – see our review)

Grand Marlin
The Grand Marlin is at the tip of peninsula that juts out into Santa Rosa Sound with a terrific panoramic view of the cove between the island and the Gulf Breeze peninsula. Highly rated by Trip Advisor for the quality of their food and service. But warning you also pay top dollar for that four star rating. With extensive docking facilities it is a popular dining and entertainment spot for boaters. One of these days we’ll dig into the Piggy Bank and stop there for dinner or lunch.

The Pensacola News Journal recently posted some announcements of new Pensacola Beach Restaurants recently opened that included The Drift Casino Beach Bar & Grille.

Pensacola Beach Links

shotgun house
Pensacola’s historic district is loaded with beautifully restored homes from the 1800s.

Pensacola Visitor Links

See More Florida Gulf Coast Restuarant Reviews

What are your favorite Pensacola Beach Restaurants & Bars? Let us know in the comments below.

Your Gulf Coast Travel Guide, Ross Reinhold

Grayton Beach Florida

Grayton Beach Florida

The Best Small Town Beach Community along the Florida Gulf Coast

Number 1 in Grayton Beach attractions is the “Beach” that fronts the village and the adjacent Grayton Beach State park. This beach is regularly voted among Florida’s top beaches. And according to beach aficionado Dr. Beach, who is also Professor and Director of the Laboratory for Coastal Research at Florida International University, Grayton Beach is one of the top 10 beaches in the World! In his annual ranking of Best Beaches World-Wide based upon 50 criteria, Dr. Beach has ranked Grayton Beach tops for 2020.

Along with Apalachicola, the village of Grayton Beach is our favorite small town resort communities along the Florida Gulf Coast Scenic Drive. In contrast to slickly landscaped condo communities in South Florida, created by a myriad of developers, little Grayton Beach has retained it’s character of quaint cottages, some of which are over hundred years old. Aided by a community of artists and artisans, the town retains a unique character and whimsy. As the town’s website says “Grayton Beach is a state of mind. Our town is a funky little beach town full of free-spirited folks with a laid-back attitude. The narrow roads are shaded by southern magnolias, towering pines and moss-draped oaks. The salt air is ever present and so is the fine white sand covering the worn floors of our old beach cottages.”

grayton beach boardwalk
Jo finds a bench to empty the sand from her shoes after a stroll on Grayton Beach’s famous beach.

One of Florida’s Top White Sand Beaches. The beach itself is a treasure, especially for those who have the special beach passes that allow them to drive on the beach itself. And since the town is actually surrounded by Grayton Beach State Park, there’s always plenty of room on the beach. (see Beach Scenes of Grayton Beach beaches here)


Best Grayton Beach Restaurants & Bars

Red Bar Grayton Beach
The funky Red Bar is the lynch pin of Grayton Beach’s tiny downtown.

There are two bars near the beach, The venerable Red Bar (see our review), with its crazy interior decoration motif and signature blackboard menus, and the recently remodeled Chiringo bar down the street. In 2015 we were introduced to the Red Bar, its fantastic Mahi-Mahi basket, signature Bloody Mary, and super-service from the Wait Staff. We also caught some great musical entertainment. The Red is a very popular place and if you can’t get a table right away, rather than wait in line, I’d give its neighbor Chiringo Bar down the street a try. Looks like it would be a fun place. We hope to do a review on our next visit.

Another good dining option is away from the beach itself along Scenic Highway 30: The Grayton Seafood Company (see our review here).


Slide Show – A few of Grayton Beach’s Unique Cottages


Grayton Beach CottageGrayton Beach Cottagegrayton beach cottagesgratyon beach homesgrayton Beach cottage





Their tongue-in-cheek “Grayton Beach: Nice Dogs, Strange People” bumper sticker misleads a little bit because the people are also really friendly. As their website says “Grayton Beach is a state of mind. Our town is a funky little beach town full of free-spirited folks with a laid-back attitude.”

Grayton Beach Visitor and Travel Links:

Visitor Attractions Pensacola Florida

Tourist and Travel Interests in Historic Pensacola

In the early spring we like to escape the cold Wisconsin winters by traveling to Northern Florida and the Florida Panhandle.

One of our favorite places to spend some time is in Pensacola and Pensacola Beach. Since we travel by motorhome, we stay at RV parks and prefer state and national parks for their wilderness settings and hiking trails.

On our first visit to the area we stayed at the Fort Pickens Gulf Islands National Seashore Park campground on the far western end of Santa Rosa island. The island is a gulf barrier island that is mostly within the Gulf Islands National Seashore but also includes the resort town of Pensacola Beach. The Fort Pickens campground and recreation area is about 6 miles west of the busy resort town and is a quiet and low-key contrast to the resort atmosphere.

Florida State Museum Pensacola Florida
The Spanish architecture of the Florida State Museum is fitting since it is built on the site of the old Spanish fort
historic us post office pensacola
US Customs House & Post Office – 1887 – is now the Escambia County Courthouse. One of many historic government and commercial buildings in the downtown Palafox Historic District.

While Pensacola has many beaches that face Pensacola Bay and has beaches on protected lagoons, only Pensacola Beach and Santa Rosa island have beaches that are actually on the Gulf of Mexico. So when Pensacola residents say they are “going to the beach” they are talking about Santa Rosa island’s lengthy and un-crowded beaches facing the Gulf. Many of these beaches, since they are part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore Park, are quite secluded because they have no hotels or structures fronting the beaches.

Things to See and Do in Pensacola, Florida

Pensacola, home of America’s first new world settlement (1859), is known for its military and cultural history, its southern cuisine, and its sparkling sugar-sand beaches. We sampled some of the Pensacola’s military history at the National Naval Air Museum, Fort Barrancas, and at Fort Pickens on Santa Rosa island. The Naval Air Museum  (with over 150 planes on exhibit) and the Blue Angels Flying Squadron is by far the most popular Pensacola attraction. We spent several hours there on several return trips and there is  still more to see. The actual restored Fort Pickens (the “fort” itself vs the park with the same name) is also a top Pensacola attraction. In 2020 there will be a ferry service from the mainland to the fort which if you are staying in Pensacola itself will save about 50 miles round trip you would normally take by auto to visit the Fort.

Pensacola Historic District Walks

There are two historic districts in the downtown area. Closest to and technically a part of downtown is the Palafox Historic District. The center-piece of this district is Florida’s State Museum which is built on the site of the former Spanish Fort San Miquel, Pensacola’s first settlement. Palafox street itself contains many historic buildings as well as interesting pubs, restaurants and entertainment venues, many with sidewalk cafes. This area has a New Orleans Bourbon Street feel to it. Nearby downtown is the Seville residential neighborhood, also a historic district, with a number of carefully restored and cared-for homes from the 1800s and some from earlier eras.

Within the Seville neighborhood is the Pensacola Historic Village, a complex of unique museums, with restored pioneer homesteads, structures, and artifacts. There are self-guided and directed tours. During some hours the village is populated by costumed interpreters recreating artisan crafts from the 18th and 19th centuries.

See the Slide Show below of historic homes

  • St. Michaels Benevolent Society pensacola Historic Homes
    One of the many restored historic register homes in the Pensacola Palofax-Seville Park neighborhood.
  • Moreno House Pensacola Florda
    Pensacola's Moreno House 1879
  • shotgun house pensacola
    Hendrix House - 1879 - is an example of a southern style of house popular in the 1800s named for its narrow profile and alignment of one room after another without any hallways.
  • pensacola tuttle house pensacola florida
    Tuttle House - 1850 - is an example of a "double-barrel" shotgun house, two shotgun houses sharing a common wall between them.
  • Lear-rocheblave house pensacola florida
    Lear-Rocheblave House 1890 is one of the community of homes and structures in the Pensacola Historic Village museum that can be toured.

Pensacola Dining

Carmen's Lunch Bar Pensacola
Carmens Restaurant, Pensacola

Within the Pensacola historic districts are a number of interesting pubs and dining places.

Pensacola Golf Courses

Pensacola offers a nice range of golf courses from a modest-priced municipal course to meticulously groomed semi-private courses.

Pensacola Scenic Bluffs

scenic overlook
One of the observation decks along the boardwalk at Pensacola’s Bluff Park

We took a drive along the Pensacola Scenic Bluffs Highway that was advertised in a brochure we picked up. We expected to see quaint cottages, unique restaurants, secluded picnic areas, and bluff-top vistas of Escambia Bay. These bluffs are reputed to be the highest points along Florida’s entire oceon coastline. The scenic drive begins near the Pensacola Visitor & Welcome center (take 17th avenue to East Cervantes Street – also US 90) and ends 11 miles later when US 90 crosses the Escambia River. Bay Bluffs park has an interesting boardwalk trail with some good views of the bay but after that the drive offers little to be called a scenic drive. Unfortunately for us the actual experience fell short of the promotion.

Camping & RVing in Pensacola

In addition to some private parks and campgrounds, campers and RVers can chose from a Florida State Park Campground and a National Park Campground. Both offer beaches on the gulf, some decent hiking/biking trails, modern campgrounds with electric hookups, canoeing and kayaking  and in the case of Fort Pickens some impressive historical exhibits.

More Pensacola Visitor Attractions

One of your first stops in visiting Pensacola should be at the Pensacola Visitor Center, conveniently located at the mouth of the Bayou Texar and at the base of the Pensacola Bay Bridge. Convenient parking, helpful staff, lots of maps and brochures, and hot coffee or chocolate. include map on location.

Gulf Islands Scenic Drive and Scenic Highways 98 & 30A

More impressive was the drive we took down the length of Santa Rosa Island to Destin and then south along Scenic Highway 30A. Our favorite spots along this route are Grayton Beach and Apalachicola.

Scenic Drive Part 1. Pensacola Beach to Grayton Beach

Scenic Drive Part 2. Grayton Beach to Apalachicola

Look for our next gulf drive article covering Apalachicola to Cedar Keys

Happy Trails

Ross