Our plan for the winter of 2026 was to join our good friends, Greg and Sharon, in Florida for a few weeks of sun and fun. We had secured a 2 bedroom oceanfront condo (no RV living on this trip!) in beautiful Santa Rosa, FL for mid-February through the first week of March. We love the panhandle and the Gulf Coast beaches are always beautiful so we were looking forward to a low key get away with no itinerary other than good food, sunshine, and time with good friends.
This time of year the average temperatures can vary by as much as 20 degrees in this area of FL so we packed accordingly, prepared for everything from 50s to 80s, sunshine or rain. Our departure date would be 2/14/2026, returning on 3/8/2026. This would give us 3 full weeks of laid back beach time!
Loaded up and ready to roll early on Valentine's Day! The drive would be 8 or 9 hours (we like to stop often) and we wanted to get there early enough to enjoy some afternoon beach time.
It was a beautiful day for a drive. Watching the sun come up is one of our favorite things (that we need to do more often!)
We saw this once we entered Georgia, a pickup truck pulling 2 cars. Is this even legal? Did not look safe to me...
It was about noon and a little overcast when we got to the Sunshine State (or is it the Free State?), I'll just call it Florida.
Just before getting to the condo we made a stop at Publix to load up on supplies. Our plan was to share cooking duties with Greg and Sharon, as well as a good mix of eating out to enjoy the local vibe and cuisine. The condo was beautiful and the beach was everything we hoped it would be. This was a good start to what turned out to be an epic vacation!
Greg and Sharon helped us unload and then greeted us on the beach with beverages. Love these guys!
People often assume that Lynn and Sharon are sisters, and for good reason...
We quickly settled into beach walking, cooking, card games, and good times, which would be the main focus for the entire trip along with some bike rides and exploring the surrounding towns.
Greg and Sharon were up early most mornings to try their hand at surf fishing, which did not ever really pay off but I'm pretty sure actually catching anything was not the point. Lynn even gave it a try!
There is a greenway bike/walk trail that runs the entire length of 30A along the coast. We soon decided that this was the best method of travel to anywhere we needed to go unless we ventured out beyond the 30A area. Greg and Sharon rented some eBikes right away so they could join us on outings.
Sharon enjoyed the bikes so much she bought one as soon as she got home from this trip! We upgraded ours at the same time to the big tire/long distance variety.
Our days quickly evolved into beach walking or riding in the morning, exploring in the afternoon, followed by laid back sunsets and a good evening meal. The sunsets on the Gulf are some of the best anywhere...
We highly recommend Stinky's Fish Camp, which is a restaurant with an adjacent bait shop in Santa Rosa Beach. An easy bike ride from the condo and excellent place to spend time and have a good meal. As usual, while there Lynn made new friends that we have kept in touch with.
One of our outings (meaning by car - outside of the 30A) was into Destin. Greg needed some supplies at a tackle shop there and we rode along to check out the Destin area. The Destin Harbor Boardwalk has a few good restaurant choices along with shopping and great scenery. There is a replica pirate ship and a tiki bar boat you can board for trips around the harbor.
Later that same day after getting back to the condo Lynn and I set out on bikes and road through Grayton Beach down to WaterColor, where we did some shopping and stopped into Gather Kitchen and Bar for a drink. We were loving the ocean front shops and restaurants here on the 30A!
The days quickly started to run together so I'll focus on some highlights. Of course, sunsets were always one of the main events...
Biking down to the town of Seaside provided a fantastic opportunity for dining, shopping, and ocean views. Bud and Alley's became a regular stop for us.
Pickle's Burger and Shake Bar also got some love from Lynn and Sharon!
We met a friend of ours from Ohio (Dan) at the Beach Camp Brew Pub for lunch one day. He was in town while they do some renovations on their vacation house here in Florida. You may remember him in pictures from our 90 day summer RV trip. He, his wife, and 2 other friends invited us to dinner at their Airbnb in Washington near the Redwood Forest. He and his buddies were on a motorcycle trip in the Northwest and his wife rented a house and flew up for a few days the same time we were there. It was good to catch up! I saw that this pub is now closed permanently, unfortunately. It was a great place to stop in for a bite and a brew.
We had a day that was forecast for heavy rain all day so we decided to do a road trip to the infamous Flora-Bama Lounge, Package, and Oyster Bar. We had been to the sister bar, the Flora-Bama Ole River Grill on the river side of Perdido Key via boat with our friends Dean and Angie but we did not venture across the road to the ocean side bar. This turned out to be an awesome experience. It did rain heavily for most of the drive there but as soon as we arrived the sky cleared and the sun came out!
We stopped by our favorite campground in Navarre Beach to show it to Greg and Sharon. See our previous trips to Navarre for more on that. We love staying there in the camper.
Once we got to Flora-Bama we were immediately impressed. This place is huge and the views are plentiful.
I'm not sure what these drinks were. Some kind of key lime margarita type thing, but Lynn and Sharon certainly took a liking to them!
We also walked over to the Ole River Grill the check the scene there.
On the way back we waved to our friends, Lee and Erika, who were staying at their Pensacola condo during the same time. They were doing some renovations on the condo and had just bought a second one in the same building so they were also getting that one all set for rental. Lee is master class at owning rentals. My brief endeavor with that was disastrous. Anyhow, we planned to spend a weekend with them and Rob and Angela at the condo after leaving Santa Rosa.
The weather had improved greatly so we stopped in at the Navarre Pier to take in the scenery there.
Another highlight for us on this trip is the Skunk Gulley Oyster Bar. Beach views, a nice bike ride from the condo, and - oh! Happy Hour with $3 PBRs!
We also really enjoyed Grayton Beach, also biking distance. What an eclectic and diverse little town! The two main gathering spots are Chiringo, and The Red Bar. Both of these places offer excellent food and service.
Rosemary Beach also provides great shopping and dining and is within biking distance. This area has so much to offer!
This trip was absolutely fantastic. All of the places we visited and great food we had will make good memories. The real memories, however, are the companionship, good times, and good scenery that we were lucky enough to experience. Walks on the beach, sunsets, laughter, those are the things that really count.
The 5th of March came up quick, and it was suddenly time to check out, say our good byes to Greg and Sharon, and head to Pensacola for a couple of days with more friends before going home.
We met the group (Lee, Erika, Rob, and Angela) at The Harbor Tavern in De before heading over to the condo in Pensacola. The food and the company were both great!
The next day we had some real good beach time in the morning. Later on some weather started moving in so we moved to the pool. Always good to get together with this crowd!
As I said, some weather moved in. So odd how the difference between the beach side and the pool side is drastic...
That night we hired a golf cart taxi to take us to Drift for dinner.
It may have rained a bit on the way...
Drift is Lee and Erika's favorite restaurant when in Pensacola, and with good reason. The views and the food are both excellent.
Rob ordered a small pork chop...
After dinner we went over to one of Erika's favorite venues for drinks, The Seville Quarter. This place is part bar, part entertainment complex, pool hall, and restaurants all located in and old historic complex in the old district of Pensacola. Good Times!
The next day was Sunday, March 8th, and time to head back home. What a wonderful few weeks this trip was! Spending time with so many good friends and gaining new experiences is really what this time we have on Earth is all about.
As we have said before - just get out there and go! At the end of it all, that's what really matters.
"TRAVELING - it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller."
lbn Batutta
Please feel free to comment or reach out directly. We can be reached at Rocky@Rocklyns.com or Lynn@Rocklyns.com.
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