Navarre (Florida)

Navarre is a beach community in the Florida Panhandle, located between Pensacola, Milton, and Destin. It has won numerous awards for its beaches, and provides easy access to areas for boating, swimming, hiking, fishing, and camping.

Understand
Native Americans inhabited the East Bay River area until 1693 when the Spanish explorers reached the shoreline. They named the city "El Robledal" or "The Oak Grove" and mapped the area during the 1693 expedition. Local government was set up by 1700, and the Axelson family established a homestead by 1850. The family became prosperous toward the end of the Civil War due to their pro-Union stance, and the peninsula was used by Union troops to raid nearby Confederate stronghold Gulf Breeze. The town came to be known as Eagan (after Pensacola postmaster John Eagan) and was home to forty families.

Following World War I, US Army Colonel Guy Wyman bought the land upon which Navarre now stands, but sold it during the Great Depression and became an engineer, although the name his adopted child Noelle assigned to the area stuck.

The town was small until 1970, when it had merely 1,500 inhabitants, before growing to 40,000 by 2020. It is inhabited by U.S. military personnel (due to the nearby two naval air stations and two air force installations) and civilians who come for the beaches and protected areas. Jaws 2 was filmed in the city.

It is part of the Pensacola metropolitan area and the Fort Walton Beach-Navarre Urbanized Area.

By plane
While Navarre does not have a commercially served airport, it is easily accessed by (around a 45-minute drive away), and the smaller, Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (which is around a hour drive away). Both are considered regional hubs and are relatively well served, Pensacola Airport having 19 destinations and Fort Walton Beach-Destin Airport being a focus city for Allegiant (however, many of the flights into Fort Walton Beach are only seasonal).

By car
Navarre can be reached by car by several routes. If coming from Pensacola, Naval Air Station Pensacola, or Gulf Breeze, you may use eastbound US Highway 98 on the Fairpoint Peninsula, Santa Rosa County Road 399 beginning in Midway, or Florida Road 399 on Santa Rosa Island (a scenic route going through Pensacola Beach, Opal Beach, and Navarre Beach). Florida State Road 399 has a toll at Pensacola Beach. If coming from Interstate 10 or Milton, you would primarily take Florida Road 87 southbound. If coming from Fort Walton Beach, Destin, Panama City Beach, Eglin Air Force Base, or Hurlburt Field, you would primarily take US Highway 98 westbound.

Navarre and Navarre Beach must be primarily traversed with the use of private car. Taxis are available by telephone call or prior reservation online. Ubers and Lyft rideshares are limitedly available; and due to their limited availability, their cost is often times at a premium.

Navarre Beach can be accessed by the Navarre Beach Causeway. The Causeway begins at the intersection of US Highway 98 and Florida State Road 399 in Navarre's Downtown area.

Get around
Navarre Beach does not yet offer public transit. The best option is to bring or rent a private car; however, Navarre is serviced by most car-sharing services, and also by taxis, but they are more expensive than those that you might find in urban, large cities.

See
Navarre Beach, with its distinctive emerald green water, earning it the nickname of the Emerald Coast. This is the narrow strip of land in the sea across the causeway. Navarre's enormous stretch of beach is spectacular, with some of the most beautiful white sand beaches in the world. See the 'Do' section and 'Beaches' sub-section for the most prominent beach access points.





Beaches
Navarre is famous for its sugar white sand beach and emerald green water. There are over a dozen public beaches with parking boardwalks across the dunes. There are also three beach access areas, with bathrooms, parking, and pavilions for picnics and events, in the Navarre Beach Marine Park (see above section), which is located immediately to your left after crossing the Navarre Beach Causeway.

The main beach access points are:

Golf
Golfers will enjoy the area championship courses, Hidden Creek is the only one fully included within the Navarre city limits.

Zoology
The Navarre area is home to a number of regionally and nationally famous zoos, aquariums, and birdwatching sites.

Equestrian sports
Though there are no trail riding providers in the area, there are a number of regionally renowned horseback riding teachers and facilities that call the area home.

Boating
The Navarre area is home or has access to a great number of areas, marinas, portages, and rentals for boating.

Boat ramps




Buy
Navarre is home to a number of souvenir shops and markets, all in addition to having two Walmart stores (one being a neighborhood store, the other a superstore; and there's also another superstore about 20 minutes west of Navarre), a Winn-Dixie supermarket, and a Publix supermarket.

Eat
Navarre is home to a wide variety of independent restaurants, as well as the majority of the regional and national fast foods chains (specifically: McDonald's, Domino's, Pizza Hut, Burger King, Culvers, Taco Bells, Jersey Mikes', Hungry Howie's, Subway, Firehouse Subs, KFC, and Whataburger). The majority are in downtown, and are less than a five-minute drive from the gulf-side beaches. There are few chain, sit-down restaurants, mainly including the regional chain of Shrimp Basket. Nearly all restaurants are primarily casual, with the notable exception of the Beach House Bar and Grill. (See 'Splurge' sub-section below).

Stay safe
Beaches are a popular draw for visitors, but it is important to stay safe throughout your stay.

Lifeguards are the best way to stay safe on the beach. They primarily operate on the gulf side inside the Marine Park section of the gulf beach. Their operating times vary by season. Navarre Beach Lifeguards are operated by Navarre Beach Fire Rescue, one of the two fire departments in Navarre. If an emergency happens on the beach where there are no lifeguards, call 911 for help.

Rip tides are powerful currents that occur when water trapped near the shoreline escapes back into the ocean through a break in an underwater sandbar. They can drag even powerful swimmers out to sea for a very long distance. To escape a rip tide, do not panic! If you are near a lifeguard station, you can wave your arms and shout for help. Wait until the rip tide is no longer carrying you out further from land, then swim parallel to the shoreline to escape the current. Then, you can swim back towards shore. To avoid rip tides, don't swim between the shoreline and underwater sand bars, don't swim during low tide, and pay attention to the color-coded flags.

At all lifeguard stations, color-coded flags are flown that tell how safe the water is for swimming. If no flags are flying, then there are no lifeguards on that section of the beach.

Sunburn and dehydration are the most common ailments at the beach. Although it's tempting to skip the sunscreen, even if you have tanned skin, it's a bad idea in Florida summer. The white sand that draws visitors here also reflects the UV rays from the sun, and unprotected skin will burn quickly. Bring plenty of fresh water or hydrating beverages to the beach and a fresh bottle of high-SPF, water-resistant sunscreen, which you will need to re-apply every 40 to 80 minutes all day long. (If you won't be in the water, then normal sunscreen will stay on your skin for up to two hours.) Sunglasses, hats, shady umbrellas, and UV-protective clothing can also protect your vacation from sunburn.

Being at the Gulf coast, Navarre can get hit by hurricanes during the North Atlantic hurricane season (summer and fall).

Go next

 * Milton, known as the Kayak Capital of Florida, Milton is home of Coldwater Creek and the Blackwater River, beautiful kayaking/canoeing rivers. In addition, Milton is home to several adventure outfitters, who provide zip-line, backpacking, and tubing services for the forests and rivers of central and north Santa Rosa County.
 * Ft. Pickens, part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, is a nature preserve and a civil war-era fort and museum. Activities include fishing, camping, historical research, and tours.  A 7-day pass is $8, and covers a private vehicle and all passengers.  It's located on the far west end of Santa Rosa Island, about 45 minutes west on Highway 98, then take the CR-399 bridge south at Gulf Breeze, then follow CR-399 right.
 * Panama City Beach is an area more targeted to the younger crowd. It is a popular spring break destination. Head east on Highway 98 about an hour.
 * Gulf Breeze is a smaller town to the west of Navarre, and provides bridge access to Pensacola Beach