Navarre Beach, FL--An Island in Paradise

If you enjoy wading through emerald green waters and strolling along sugar sand beaches, then Navarre Beach is the place for you.  Navarre is located on Santa Rosa Island just off the panhandle of Florida, a little east of Pensacola.  Thirty years ago, Navarre was known as the location where most of the movie Jaws 2 was filmed.  As a little girl, I remember many family vacations to this beautiful island--chasing sandpipers down sandy shores and body surfing in foam-crested waves.  Back then, the island's main structures were a Holiday Inn hotel and a few scattered beach houses.  Today, there are few high-rise condominiums and hundreds of beach houses all along the island.  Navarre is still off the beaten path of the busier beach towns of Northwest Florida, but this makes it even more charming and family-friendly. Some of the things you can find on the island are gift shops, pet stores, island clothing, day-spas, surfboard gear, bicycle rentals, custom gift-baskets, furniture, antiques, and more. There are also a growing variety of local retail stores, with virtually any goods and services. Also found nearby are waterfront and seafood dining, as well as your favorite nationally known fast food and eat-in establishments. Santa Rosa Mall is nearby in Fort Walton. The beauty and splendor of Navarre Beach is just how I remember it from my summer vacations 30 years ago and I look forward to building the same memories with my children as well.