DINING Keep everyone in your gang happy at The Garden at Palafox + Main —Pensacola’s outdoor food hall—where diverse eats, drinks, and good vibes come together in one lively spot. Feast on award-winning fried chicken and sip craft beers at Fort Walton Beach gastropub The Craft Bar . In Apalachicola, enjoy the view from the open-air deck of Up the Creek Raw Bar while you wait to taste oysters on the half shell. For barrel-aged brews, dart games, and local tunes, grab a seat at the family-owned taproom of Grayton Beer Company in Santa Rosa Beach. Bistrology brings Instagram-worthy aesthetics and big-city brunch vibes to Miramar Beach with elevated coffee drinks, juices, and stacks of pancakes. NOR THWES T GRAYTON BEER COMPANY, SANTA ROSA BEACH Stephen Kubiak OUTDOORS Camp and canoe near Holt at Blackwater State Park ’ s tea-colored river—one of the purest water flows in the country. Check off three adventures in one at St. Andrews Bay in Panama City, where you can fish, snorkel, and surf in sparkling emerald waters. Road-trip down Scenic Highway 30A , a 24-mile stretch hugging the Gulf between Santa Rosa Beach and Seaside Beach, and explore sugar-white sands, rare coastal dune lakes, and charming towns. Traverse Econfina River State Park near Youngstown by horse, foot, or kayak, and take in wild Florida scenery as the river winds its way to the Gulf. Breeze your worries away on a captained catamaran sail aboard Destin Sailing Adventures on Okaloosa Island—keep a lookout for pods of dolphins at play. ECONFINA RIVER STATE PARK, LAMONT CycleHere Films EVENTS Enjoy soulful headliners and let smooth jazz carry you into the sands of Panama City Beach at the five-day Seabreeze Jazz Festival every April. Come June, hook into the Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic in Miramar Beach for exciting weigh-ins, live music, and a lively festival of sport fishermen from around the world. EMERALD COAST BLUE MARLIN CLASSIC, MIRAMAR BEACH Max Impact Photography Scan the QR code for a list of upcoming events: VISITFLORIDA.com/things-to-do/events 28 • VISITFLORIDA.COM
Visit Florida Visit Florida 2026: Page 28
