Navarre Gears Up for Spring Break

Come Back to the Island" is the spring and summer promotional theme for Navarre Beach, located on the eastern end of Santa Rosa Island, between Pensacola and Fort Walton Beach.

The 12-mile stretch of beach is bordered by the Gulf Islands National Seashore and the Navarre Beach State Park.

"We are a family friendly destination with lots to do for everyone without breaking the bank, " Kate Wilkes, executive director of the Santa Rosa County Tourist Development Council, said in a news release. "We are seeing strong booking numbers this season from our feeder markets in Baton Rouge, Birmingham and Atlanta."

Wilkes said higher gas prices actually are a benefit to Navarre Beach and surrounding attractions in Santa Rosa County.

"We are an easy drive from several large Southern cities, and once you get here all the amenities you need such as grocery stores, souvenir shops and restaurants are within a five-mile drive," Wilkes said. "Many of our visitors choose to stay in condominiums where they have the option of cooking some of their meals or enjoying one of our local restaurants. It's another way to stretch the family vacation budget."

Wilkes also pointed out that there were several family-friendly activities within an easy drive of Navarre Beach including the Panhandle Butterfly House, the Northwest Florida Zoo and the L&N Train Depot. Also available for rental are surf fishing gear, sea kayaks, sailboats, snorkeling gear, bicycles and other beach toys.

There are three hotels located in Navarre, just over the beach bridge, including the newly opened Hampton Inn. Santa Rosa County also features wooded cabins, RV Parks and tent camping sites in the northern end of the county nestled next to white-sand bottomed creeks and rivers in the Blackwater River State Forest. The area is known as the canoe capital of Florida.

Golfers will enjoy the new online reservations system available at the newly rejuvenated Hidden Creek and Tiger Point golf courses. There are also several day spas available within a five-mile drive.

Families who haven't booked their spring or summer trip might want to look at doing that soon.

"Many of our rental companies are urging callers to go ahead and book their trip, especially during summer vacation weeks," Wilkes said. "The trend the past few years is people are waiting until the last minute to book their vacations, but 2008 is not the year to do that."

View Spring/ Summer Specials, Events Calendar and Summer Promotion on www.ComeBacktotheIsland.com.

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