'''The Florida Panhandle''' is a region of Florida.
Regions
Emerald Coast - The Emerald Coast, also called the Miracle Strip, includes Bay, Okaloosa and Walton counties. The Pensacola area (Escambia and Santa Rosa counties) is also often included in this area.
Forgotten Coast - This region is comprised of Franklin, Gulf, Jefferson, and Wakulla counties, some of the most rural of Florida's coastal counties.
West Florida - This is the only part of an east coast state to be in the Central time zone and consists of the ten counties west of the Apalachicola River (Bay, Calhoun, Escambia, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Walton, and Washington}. This region was once part of the Spanish and British colonies of West Florida (which included parts of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana as far west as the Mississippi). Its capital was Pensacola.
Middle Florida - This is the region of North Florida between the Apalachicola and Suwannee Rivers. It was once the core of antebellum Florida's slave-based cotton plantation economy. Only the western half of the Middle Florida region is actually in the Panhandle. It includes the six easternmost counties of the Panhandle (Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, and Wakulla) as well as some counties in the western part of the North Florida region.
Cities
Tallahassee - The State Capital
Apalachicola
Carrabelle
DeFuniak Springs
Destin
Fort Walton Beach
Gulf Breeze
Marianna
Niceville
Panama City
Panama City Beach
Perdido Key
Quincy
Pensacola
Seaside
Sopchoppy
Other destinations
Apalachicola National Forest
Choctawhatchee National Forest
Gulf Islands National Seashore
Saint Marks National Wildlife Refuge
St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge
Understand
The Florida Panhandle has hung onto its Southern culture better than probably any other region in Florida, so expect traditional Southern hospitality and more conservative values.
An exception to this general trend is Tallahassee, which, while retaining a great deal of that Southern charm, also contains pockets of the progressive, creative atmosphere typical of college towns.
Get in
By Air
'''Pensacola Regional Airport''' - located in Pensacola and is the gateway to the western Florida Panhandle. Pensacola Regional has many flights on many carriers to destinations across the eastern United States and within the state of Florida.
By Car
'''Interstate 10''' and its scenic byways slice across the Panhandle parallel to, but several miles inland from, the coast. I-10 follows the route of the older Highway 90. Closer to the coast, Highway 98 is the most important route. Like much of the US a car is really a requirement to see this area. There is local bus service in most cities, and biking is popular both for getting around town or for longer tours of the coast.
Get around
See
Marianna is home to Florida Caverns State Park.
Torreya State Park in Liberty County.
Saint Marks National Wildlife Refuge in Wakulla County.
Saint George Island State Park in Franklin County.
Wakulla Springs south of Tallahassee.
'''Florida Lighthouses''' are numerous and beautiful in the Panhandle, take some time to visit these iconic images of the coast.
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Do
Spectator Sports
Tallahassee is home to the Seminoles of Florida State University, and college football is a religion for many Panhandle residents, with Saturdays in the fall being the holy day. Pensacola is home to the semi-professional ice hockey team, the Pensacola Ice Pilots.
Festivals/Holidays
Major holidays in Pensacola include Mardi Gras and the Fiesta of Five Flags. Celebrations of note in Pensacola are the Greater Gulf Coast Arts Festival, the Seafood Festival, the Bushwhacker Festival, the Bill Fishing Tournament, and the Gay and Lesbian Memorial Day Festival. Fort Walton Beach is known for the Billy Bowlegs Festival, and Panama City for Spring Break. Niceville is know for its Mullet Festival.
Eat
In the Panama City and Panama City Beach area there are many great places for local fare. The most recognized restaurant is Captain Anderson's on Thomas Drive in Panama City Beach. It's located on the lagoon and get there early to see the fishing fleet arrive and unload the day's catch.
Other restaurants of note include Pompano's on Front Beach Road, Saltwater Grill on Middle Beach (Hutchison Road) and Canopies. Canopies is a "fine dining" establishment overlooking St. Andrew's Bay in Panama City.
Drink
The Panhandle is home to two of Florida's four dry counties, where the sale of alcohol is prohibited (Washington and Liberty). However, alcohol of any variety can be found in abundance in the college town of Tallahassee and the Spring Break destination of Panama City Beach.
Stay safe
Get out
North Florida
Alabama