Milton (Florida)

Miltonis in the Florida Panhandle. It prides itself on its large variety of outdoor activities. Downtown sits on the banks of the Blackwater River, and the vista of early 1900s buildings overlooking the water is the iconic image of the town. Canoeing, kayaking, and innertubing are available on the rivers just north of town, beaches are located to the south, and a local rails-to-trails project has created an impressive, 14-mile (22-km) bike path beginning in downtown Milton.

Understand
Milton was founded in 1844 under the Florida Territorial Acts of 1844. Milton is the county seat of Santa Rosa county.

A massive fire destroyed large parts of downtown on January 6, 2009. This fire destroyed the historic Imogene Theater and the Mudd Pitt coffee shop, among other buildings.

Get in

 * Interstate 10 provides access to Milton, by traveling north after using exits 22, 26, 28, or 31. Driving east from Pensacola, travel time is about 10 minutes.
 * Highway 90 travels east-west through Milton, and is the primary thoroughfare through town. Travel time between Pensacola and Milton is about 30 minutes via Highway 90. Locals refer to the highway as Caroline Street while in city limits.
 * Highway 87 and Highway 191, known as Stewart Street and Munson Highway respectively, provide access from the north to Milton. Travel time from Brewton, AL to Milton via Highway 87 is about 45 minutes.  Travel time from Munson, FL and Blackwater State Forest to Milton via Highway 191 is about 30 minutes.
 * Highway 281 is more commonly referred to as either Avalon Boulevard or Garcon Point Road, and travels south from Milton to Gulf Breeze. A bridge  provides a shortcut over the East Bay, however, expect to pay a toll of $3.50 for a two-axle vehicle for each use of the bridge, or $7 round trip.  Drivers can pay by cash, or using the Florida Sunpass.

Get around
Only a small portion of downtown Milton is pedestrian-friendly, and there is no public transportation available here. A majority of the city must be traveled by car, since walking along the busy Highway 90 is dangerous. Car rentals are available from Enterprise Rent-a-Car, on Highway 90 about 5 minutes west of city limits.

Do




Buy
Most businesses in Milton are nationally recognized chains. A few locally owned businesses are noted below.

Sleep
Due to the limited amenities in Milton, most visitors choose to sleep in nearby Pensacola. If you want to stay closer to Milton, or the outdoor amenities near the Blackwater River, your options are below.

Stay safe
Like all of Florida, Milton is susceptible to hurricanes. Due to Blackwater River and Coldwater Creek running through town, the city is highly susceptible to flooding during a storm, especially in the downtown area. Listen to radio or TV news reports, and if the area where you are is told to evacuate, do so immediately. When evacuating from Milton, head north. The official hurricane evacuation route is Hwy 87, and is marked with blue and white hurricane evacuation route signs. Since this road can get very congested during an evacuation, you can also use Chumuckla Hwy (SR 197) or Munson Hwy (SR 191), but these roads are not marked with evacuation route signs, so make sure you have a map. If you can't evacuate, and believe you're in an unsafe area, make your way to a hurricane shelter. Hurricane shelters are designed to be nearly indestructible, and have cots, food, and water. The first shelter to open is at the Milton Community Center, 5629 Byrom St; if needed, secondary shelters open at S.S. Dixon Intermediate School, 5540 Education Dr, and at Avalon Middle School, 5445 King Arthur's Way.

Just west of Milton is Air Products-Taminco, a fertilizer company, which works with chemicals that could be dangerous to the surrounding community. In the event of a chemical spill at the plant, loudspeakers around the community will blare a siren, followed by a voice giving directions on what to do. These sirens will also activate in the unlikely event of a tornado. The sirens are tested on the first Sunday of every month, at 2:15PM.

Go next

 * Pensacola is the nearest large city to Milton, and is about twenty miles from downtown. Pensacola offers shopping, lodging, numerous restaurants, and has a large historic district.
 * Gulf Breeze and Pensacola Beach are both located south of Milton, near the coast. Gulf Breeze is home to the Naval Live Oaks Preservation, and Pensacola Beach features a popular boardwalk and miles of sandy, white beaches.  The quickest route is via the Garcon Point toll bridge, which costs $3.50 per use, and an additional $1 toll bridge takes you to Pensacola Beach. To avoid the toll bridge, you can detour via the Pensacola Bay Bridge, or through Navarre.
 * Navarre is a popular beach town located South of Milton on Florida Highway 87. Highway 87, which branches off of Highway 90 about 2 1/2 miles east of the Blackwater River, is the quickest route.