Navarre Beach

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.

Tourist information 1 Santa Rosa County Visitor Information Center, 8543 Navarre Pkwy, ☏ +1 850-981-8900. Visitor information center. (updated Jan 2023)

Getting there

By plane

While Navarre does not have a commercially served airport, it is easily accessed by 1 Pensacola International Airport (around a 45-minute drive away), and the smaller, Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (which is around an hour's 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.

Getting 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.

1 Navarre Beach Marine Park (first left after crossing the Navarre Beach Causeway from the mainland). The quieter area of the beach; preferred beach by the locals. Two beach access points (with a third being built for summer 2019) with bathrooms, picnic pavilions, wash-off showers, and a lifeguard post that is manned during the peak season. Should you wish to use the beach pavillons, they can be reserved at the County administration's website. (updated Jan 2023) 2 Navarre Beach Marine Science Center, 8638 Blue Heron Court (inside Navarre Beach Marine Park), ☏ +1 850-261-2141. A marine science center and conservation station; often has events and marine science camps for the general public, check schedule on their website for specifics. (updated Jan 2023) 3 Navarre Park. A small park at the mainland shore, just west of the causeway. The park has playgrounds, picnic tables, a basketball court, pavilions and a splash pad. The visitor information center is in the park as well, and the Navarre Beach sign is at the junction of Navarre Parkway and the Causeway. (updated Jan 2023) 4 Navarre Black Hawk Memorial, 8513 Navarre Pkwy (within Navarre Park). A memorial to the 2015 crash of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, which crashed within the Santa Rosa Sound (between the mainland of Navarre and the beach), as well as a memorial to all of those who have lost their lives in service to the United States and its allies. (updated Jan 2023)

Do

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:

1 Opal Beach (Gulf Islands National Seashore; Opal Beach) (between the main areas of Pensacola and Navarre Beach). A typically quiet area of the beach; part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore; location of the landfall of its namesake, Hurricane Opal. (updated Feb 2018) 2 Navarre Beach (cross Navarre Beach Causeway, continue straight, parking lot for beach will be directly in front of you). This is the main beach access point, often the busiest during the summer months. (updated Feb 2018) 3 Mom's Beach (Soundside Beach at Navarre Beach Marine Park) (enter the Navarre Beach Marine Park, turn left at first left, and proceed forward to parking lot). A quiet beach with calmer waters; popular with families, kayakers, and canoers; avoid visiting directly after heavy rains, due to potentially hazardous conditions. (updated Oct 2018)

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

4 The Club at Hidden Creek, 3070 P.G.A. Blvd (off County Road 399, in the Hidden Creek neighborhood). +1 850-939 4604. Open to the public. 18 holes. (updated Jan 2023) 5 Tiger Point Golf Club, 1255 Country Club Dr., Gulf Breeze (less than 15 minutes west of Navarre), ☏ +1 850-930 4653. Open to the public. 18 holes. Golf lessons available. (updated Jan 2023)

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

Zoos