Florida’s Forgotten Coast

Route description

Pensacola has one of the oldest European settlements in the United States, with its historic district, and nearby Pensacola Beach has white sand on a barrier island. Head east on US-98 along the Emerald Coast, busy with resort towns, until the development thins out beyond Panama City. This is where the Forgotten Coast begins.

US-98 runs along the Gulf through Mexico Beach and Port St. Joe to Apalachicola, an old cotton and oyster port with brick warehouses and a working waterfront. St. George Island, across a causeway, has a state park with quiet beaches and dunes. The bay’s oyster harvest has declined, but seafood is still at the heart of the town.

Head inland to Tallahassee, the state capital, set among hills and canopy roads lined with live oaks. From there, follow US-19 and US-98 south along the Big Bend, a coast of salt marshes and pine forests with almost no beaches. FL-24 ends at Cedar Key, a small island town of weathered wooden buildings, known for clam farming and sunsets over the Gulf.

Services are sparse on the Big Bend, so fill up in larger towns. Spring and fall are the best seasons, while summer is hot and hurricane season runs from June to November. Some coastal towns are still rebuilding after recent hurricanes, so check campground openings in advance.