The “Forgotten Florida” is that stretch of the Sunshine State from Pensacola east to almost Tallahassee. In olden days, it was a sparsely populated region of thick pine forests, with the old colonial city of Pensacola acting as its hub. In recent years, though, thousands of vacationers have discovered the sugar white beaches and the ample scenic and historic sites the “Emerald Coast” has to offer.

Apalachicola
Situated at the mouth of the Apalachicola River, this old river city was one of the most important cotton exporting ports in the antebellum South. Oystering in the surrounding extensive bays and estuaries became the economic livelihood of the community (90 percent of Florida’s oysters still come from Franklin County). Much of Apalachicola’s old Florida charm remains. The glorious 1907 Gibson House Inn is a popular place with its inviting tin roof and wrap-around porches. The 1838 Orman House is a classic antebellum mansion, now a state park. One street over is the John Gorrie Museum. Across the bay and up the east bank of the river is the site of Fort Gadsden, a fort established by General Andrew Jackson in his historic 1818 invasion of Spanish Florida.
 

Blountstown
This old river city is the county seat of Calhoun County. The Old Courthouse from the early 1900s has been preserved as one of best Romanesque buildings in the state. At the Panhandle Pioneer Settlement is an outstanding collection of over a dozen historic structures. Across the river is nearby Torreya State Park, home to the rare Torreya tree and the elegant antebellum Gregory House perched on a high bluff. South of Blountstown, at the town of Wewahitchka, a popular destination for fishermen and photographers, is the picturesque Dead Lakes State Recreation Area.

 
Carrabelle
Located north of St. George Island along Highway 98, Carrabelle is a paradise in this region of “unspoiled Florida.” The 1880s Old Carrabelle Hotel offers historic accommodations, and sightseers will want to view the 1895 Crooked River Lighthouse. During WWII, Camp Gordon Johnston was established at Carrabelle to train soldiers in amphibious landings – preparing them for the Normandy invasion. Carrabelle also boasts the “World’s Smallest Police Station” (it’s in a phone booth!).
 

Chipley
Originally known as “Orange,” this West Florida town was renamed in 1882 in honor of William D. Chipley, who pushed the Pensacola and Atlantic Railroad. Three miles south of Chipley is Falling Waters State Park, which features a spectacular 100-foot-deep, 20-foot-wide sinkhole in the form of a cylindrical pit, into which a quaint waterfall plummets. West is Ponce de Leon, where swimmers and divers flock to Vortex Spring and Ponce de Leon Springs State Park. South of Chipley is tiny Wausau, which holds on the first Saturday in August its annual “Possum Day Festival and Funday.” (Where else can you see a granite monument commemorating the lowly possum?!)


Crestview
The county seat of Okaloosa County, Crestview is located on a ridge between the Yellow and Shoal Rivers. Spawned by the construction of the first railroad to link Pensacola with Tallahassee in 1881, Crestview grew and was eventually incorporated in 1916. The Main Street Program in recent years has been successful in revitalizing and beautifying the downtown area. Crestview has easy access to the Blackwater River Forest to the northwest and to the beaches and Eglin to the south. Northwest of Crestview is the small town of Baker, with the Baker Block Museum in the old 1908 General Store; this museum specializes in the history of northern Okaloosa and Walton counties.

DeFuniak Springs
The county seat of Walton County, DeFuniak Springs emerged in the 1880s as a stop on the Pensacola and Atlantic Railroad (later the L & N). The town was centered around a completely round lake (Lake DeFuniak). The Florida Chautauqua, which hosted educational lectures and programs, was held at Lake DeFuniak from 1885-1920. The spectacular 1909 Chautauqua Hall of Brotherhood has been restored and still is the centerpiece of the town. Numerous and dazzling Victorian homes line “the circle” around the lake. In 1996, the Florida Chautauqua was revived and has since been held every spring. The Walton County Heritage Museum is located in the restored L & N Depot on the circle, and down the street is the 1886 library, one of the oldest in Florida. Also located in DeFuniak Springs is the Chautauqua Winery.


Destin
The “World’s Luckiest Fishing Village,” as the residents like to boast, Destin was first established by New England fisherman Leonard Destin in the 1840s. The marina of Destin still thrives with the largest concentration of fishing boats. Every October, Destin hosts the Destin Fishing Rodeo, when intrepid fishermen seek the largest sailfish or marlin. Can’t hook your own fish? Then check out the Destin History and Fishing Museum to see how the community and the sea have been tied together for over 150 years. Destin boasts some of the whitest beaches in the state; doubters can be convinced by checking out the emerald green waters and bright white sands of Henderson Beach State Park, just east of Destin.
 
 

Fort Walton Beach
Originally named Camp Walton after a Civil War outpost, the modern city of Fort Walton Beach boasts numerous recreational facilities. On the beach is the famous Gulfarium, where dolphin shows have been delighting audiences since 1955. In downtown Fort Walton Beach is one of the finest collections of prehistoric ceramics in the Southeast, at the Indian Temple Mound Museum, which is adjacent to the largest surviving temple mound structure west of Tallahassee. The complex also houses the 1912 Camp Walton School House Museum. In nearby Valparaiso, the Heritage Museum of Northwest Florida sheds light on the history of the Choctawhatchee Bay region. Eglin Air Force base is adjacent, and is one of the largest Air Force bases in the eastern U.S. Jimmy Doolittle and his “Tokyo Raiders” practiced here for their historic raid. Eglin hosts the highly visited Air Force Armament Museum, with a collection of planes and armament.


Grayton Beach
Originally begun in the 1890s by an army major, Charles T. Gray, the small community of Grayton Beach in south Walton County was isolated from the rest of the world for decades because of an inadequate road network. Thus it has kept much of its old Florida charm, with many cottages and buildings dating back 100 years. Grayton Beach State Park gives access to the Gulf and trails that explore the unique coastal forest, dunes covered with sea oats and the charming Western Lake and its saltwater marsh ecosystem.

 
Gulf Breeze
Located between Pensacola and Pensacola Beach, Gulf Breeze is one of the most popular communities in the Pensacola area, surrounded by water on three sides. Gulf Breeze is also the location of the headquarters of the Gulf Islands National Seashore.
 

Marianna
The county seat of Jackson County, Marianna dates back to the 1820s. Antique shops, houses on the National Register of Historic Places and a Civil War battle monument highlight the downtown area. Scuba divers frequent the underwater cave at Blue Springs, and those who like to go into caves that are dry flock to Florida Caverns State Park, just north of the city. Florida Caverns is the only cave system owned by the state, and guided tours are offered daily.


Mexico Beach
Situated in Bay County and platted in 1946, Mexico Beach once had an eccentric booster that claimed it was the only place in the world that served milk-fed fish. Today it is known for its two time zones; at New Year’s Eve revelers can celebrate twice. For those wanting to get away from the hustle and bustle, Mexico Beach offers swimming, fishing and fine seafood.


Milton
The county seat of Santa Rosa County, Milton was originally called “Scratch Ankle” in the 1830s but became “Milltown” and then Milton. Numerous sawmills powered the economy in the 1800s and early 1900s. The community is often called the “Canoe Capital of Florida” because of its easy access to some of the best canoeing and kayaking streams in the northwest – Cold Water, Blackwater and Juniper. South of Milton is the old mill town of Bagdad, the world’s largest exporter of yellow pine lumber in the 1890s. It is also home to Blackwater River State Forest.


Navarre
Colonel Guy Wyman originally platted the town of Navarre in 1925, and his French bride named it after the Spanish province which lies on the border of France.


Panama City Beach and Panama City
At a place called St. Andrew’s Bay in the 1860s, Confederates secretly made salt for the war effort and tried to avoid Union raids. Panama City (named after the Panama Canal in the early 1900s) is the largest city between Pensacola and Tallahassee. Panama City Beach also has a few relics of its kitschy past – the circa-1959 Goofy Golf course has been redone and is still packed with summer tourists, and the Alvin’s Island Magic Mountain Mall is the old site of Jungleland from the 1960s – with an authentic fake volcano (which still puffs smoke from its summit to this very day!).
 

Pensacola and Pensacola Beach
Pensacola is one of the oldest cities in Florida. Spaniard Tristan de Luna first attempted a settlement here in 1559 but it failed within two years. It was not until 1698-99 that the colony was permanently settled, and through the centuries five different flags have flown over the town (hence, Pensacola’s nickname – the City of Five Flags). Visitors love to stroll the colonial streets near Seville Square and visit the 1832 Old Christ Church. The Historic Pensacola Village presents costumed living history interpreters that bring the past alive. In 1931, a series of bridges and roads connected Pensacola to Santa Rosa Island, the longest barrier island in West Florida, bringing visitors. East of Pensacola Beach are the undeveloped beaches of the Gulf Islands National Seashore.


Perdido Key
The westernmost section of the Florida coast, Perdido Key boasts beautiful white sand beaches. Nature enthusiasts can find rewards at Perdido Key State Park, Big Lagoon State Park, Tarklin Bayou Preserve State Park and the Perdido Key section of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. East of Perdido Key is the acclaimed National Naval Aviation Museum at the Pensacola Naval Air Station, with over 150 restored vintage airplanes. Across from this museum are the picturesque Pensacola Lighthouse and the historic Fort Barrancas, which both stand watch over the pass to the Gulf.
 

Port St. Joe
In the early 1700s, the French constructed a small outpost called Fort Crevecoeur on St. Joseph’s Bay, but it was soon abandoned. In the 1830s, the new American town of St. Joseph emerged, even hosting the 1838 Florida Constitutional Convention, which the Constitution Convention Museum State Park commemorates. To the south of Port St. Joe is the 1885 Cape San Blas Lighthouse; across the bay is the pristine St. Joseph Peninsula State Park.

Santa Rosa Beach
Located in south Walton County, this includes the historic town of Point Washington on Choctawhatchee Bay. One of the most visited sites is Eden Gardens State Park, located on Tucker Bayou. In 1895, the Wesley family constructed this beautiful “Tara”-like mansion, complete with white columns and a wrap-around porch. Beautiful live oaks with Spanish moss and ferns surround the home, which is open for tours (the eco-horror movie Frogs was filmed here in the early 1970s!). The celebrated Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort is located just west of Santa Rosa Beach.


Seagrove Beach
One hundred years ago there was no Seagrove Beach; it was a tiny hamlet known as Russ’ Hammock. One of the most isolated areas, it is now a primary resort destination, thanks largely to the early dreams of developer C. H. McGee, Sr., and scenic highway 30-A which connects Seagrove Beach to Seaside, Grayton Beach and WaterColor. To the east of the community is Deer Lake State Park, a half-mile of beachfront which features a rare freshwater coastal dune lake.
 

Seaside
One of the most famous sites in south Walton County, Seaside was developed in the 1980s by Robert Davis as a “modern” Victorian town with narrow streets, picket fences and dwellings, a place that could generate a sense of old-fashioned community and where people could walk wherever they needed.


St. George Island
St. George Island separates the Gulf from Apalachicola Bay. A prime example of a barrier island, it is 28 miles long and about two miles wide at its widest point. A four-mile bridge connects it to the mainland.