[patticaryl]

Next week, my husband and I will finally get to make our first trip to Navarre/Pensacola area to check out the desirability of relocating there....although, from what I have read on the board, I feel pretty sure already that the panhandle is where we want to be! I am hoping to get a really good last minute deal on Priceline for a place to stay, unless anyone else has any ideas. Can't wait to wiggle our toes in the sand!

I think we will be flying into New Orleans, then renting a car to drive the rest of the way. Anyone know how the drive is? I have never been to this part of the country. Thanks!

[Sunny-Days90]

Originally Posted by patticaryl

Next week, my husband and I will finally get to make our first trip to Navarre/Pensacola area to check out the desirability of relocating there....although, from what I have read on the board, I feel pretty sure already that the panhandle is where we want to be! I am hoping to get a really good last minute deal on Priceline for a place to stay, unless anyone else has any ideas. Can't wait to wiggle our toes in the sand!

I think we will be flying into New Orleans, then renting a car to drive the rest of the way. Anyone know how the drive is? I have never been to this part of the country. Thanks!

I suggest you fly into Tallahasse and drive over. Take I 10 over to 231 and drive down to Panana City, then drive 30/98 over to Navarre. This way you will get to see some of the most beautiful beaches in Florida and even get to stop along the way to put your feet in the white sand.

Make sure you get time to spend at Destin/Ft Walton Beach, you will love it!

If you fly into New Orleans you wont get to see much of what you will be seeing if you do in fact move to that area.

Priceline has good deals but so does Expedia. Check out the Tallahassee airport to see which rental car company will bring you the car you want or if there is one close to the airport. I think we used Budget last time in Tallahassee and they brought the car to us as they are down the road a bit.

This area is absolutely gorgeous! Take plenty of film.

[Sunny-Days90]

I am checking to see if I can come up with some promo codes for your flight or rental car, where will you be flying out of?

[2bohemians]

So glad you are finally getting to see the Panhandle of Florida. It's much different from the rest of the state. We highly recommend taking a drive along the Scenic Highway 30A and the Beaches of South Walton -- think you would find it worth the trip ... it's about 2 hours east of Pensacola ... in between Destin & Panama City Beach. A good website (we are not affiliated with this, it's tourist development website) for info is: Northwest Florida Beach Vacation Guide - Beaches of South Walton

Also wanted to let you know that there is an airport nearby in the Niceville area. It's called Northwest Florida Regional Airport and the website is:

Northwest Florida Regional Airport (VPS)

Hope you have a wonderful journey. If you end up over this way, we'd be happy to provide recommendations for restaurants and things to do.

Here is a teaser pic from our beaches:

[patticaryl]

Originally Posted by Sunny-Days90

I am checking to see if I can come up with some promo codes for your flight or rental car, where will you be flying out of?

We have some Southwest tickets to use for our flights.......so limited to where we fly to. We are leaving from Albuquerque, NM. and Southwest apparently doesn't fly into Tallahassee. That's why we thought we could just fly into New Orleans. Umm....I will have to rethink which way to go, I suppose. We aren't sure on the dates tho, so last minute flights won't matter with the SW tickets, but planning ahead for other flights make it hard to get a good deal.
Thanks for your help.

[patticaryl]

Originally Posted by 2bohemians

So glad you are finally getting to see the Panhandle of Florida. It's much different from the rest of the state. We highly recommend taking a drive along the Scenic Highway 30A and the Beaches of South Walton -- think you would find it worth the trip ... it's about 2 hours east of Pensacola ... in between Destin & Panama City Beach. A good website (we are not affiliated with this, it's tourist development website) for info is: Northwest Florida Beach Vacation Guide - Beaches of South Walton

Also wanted to let you know that there is an airport nearby in the Niceville area. It's called Northwest Florida Regional Airport and the website is:

Northwest Florida Regional Airport (VPS)

Hope you have a wonderful journey. If you end up over this way, we'd be happy to provide recommendations for restaurants and things to do.

Here is a teaser pic from our beaches:

Love those teasers........keep them coming! I have one of your pics that you've posted before as my screensaver now!

[On-da-Beach]

Congratulations! Good decision.
If you would like to explore further east, we have some very nice rentals available in Seacrest Beach. I'll make you a great rate if you're interested. Just DM when you get a chance.

[beachmouse]

New Orleans is about a 3-4 hour drive into the Panhandle depending on which part of it you're aiming for. Once you get clear of New Orleans, it's a pretty straightforward no fuss drive unless you hit rush hour traffic around Mobile, AL. Roads do get significantly better once you get out of Louisiana.

Weird thing about that stretch of road is thinking about how the storm surge from Katrina went over I-10 at points in Mississippi.

[linc]

Destin Beach

[Sunny-Days90]

Originally Posted by patticaryl

We have some Southwest tickets to use for our flights.......so limited to where we fly to. We are leaving from Albuquerque, NM. and Southwest apparently doesn't fly into Tallahassee. That's why we thought we could just fly into New Orleans. Umm....I will have to rethink which way to go, I suppose. We aren't sure on the dates tho, so last minute flights won't matter with the SW tickets, but planning ahead for other flights make it hard to get a good deal.
Thanks for your help.

I took a look to see if I could find you some discount rental cars etc. I own several travel websites and usually get discount codes from all those travel companies I can pass onto customers for savings. Nothing right now that would help you.

If you could fly into Tallahassee I guarantee the drive once you got to Panama City and drive 30A across you would be hooked for life, its that beautiful!

If you happen to drive from NO make sure you do drive east on 20A when you get time so you can see the beaches along it.

I agree as above, this area is a gem for someone looking to move to Florida.