Gulf National Seashore Beach(Gulf National Seashore)

Located in the city of Gulf Breeze, Gulf National Seashore Beach is a two-mile-long and wide beach situated between Santa Rosa Island and Pensacola Bay.  Gulf National Seashore Beach is northeast of Fort Pickens Fort, a historical United States pentagonal military fort that is managed by Gulf Islands National Seashore. The fort features a very large paid campground with over 100 sites and a 1,000-mile-long trail Florida National Scenic Trail making it an awesome destination for camping and hiking respectively. In addition to this, tourists visit Fort Pickens Beach to fish, hike, and watch exhibits on display on the environment, wildlife, and history of the Fort Pickens area in the Fort Pickens Discovery Center. 

Although Gulf National Seashore Beach does not have lifeguards, the beach is well-equipped with many amenities including restrooms, picnic tables, barbecues, and trails. 

There are many fun activities at Gulf National Seashore Beach including swimming, snorkeling, hiking, fishing, camping, biking, and beach walking. 

Getting to Gulf National Seashore Beach is very easy – the beach’s paid parking lot is situated at 1801 Gulf Breeze Parkway and is within walking distance to the beach.

If you are looking for nearby attractions, there are many options within a 30-minute drive of Gulf National Seashore Beach. Wild Willy’s Adventure Zone is a fun family-friendly tourist attraction site with a miniature golf course, roller coaster rides, laser tags, go-karts, bumper boats, and an arcade. The marine park Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park features swimming with dolphins, touch tanks, – and sharks, rays, and dolphin shows. If you like fishing, Okaloosa Fishing Pier is a 1,262-feet long fishing pier that is known for birdwatching, diving, watching dolphins, sea turtles, herons, pelicans, sea urchins, crabs, and salmons. Another great attraction near Gulf National Seashore Beach is the Pensacola Museum of Art which is home to works of many 20^th and 21^st century artists including Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder, Salvador Dali, and Kathe Kollwitz. 

If you get hungry, you can drive 10 minutes to many restaurants near Gulf National Seashore Beach. Al's Beach Club and Burger Bar is an open-aired family beachfront restaurant featuring classic American burgers, homemade custard milkshakes, DJs, and weekly firework shows – it is a seasonal restaurant that remains open between March 1^st and October 31^st. Floyd's Shrimp House is a local waterfront restaurant that serves the award-winning coconut shrimp, raw and baked oysters. Another good restaurant near Gulf National Seashore Beach is Rockin Tacos which offers authentic Mexican dishes including fried avocados, Baja fish tacos, and Mexican burgers with house-infused margaritas and tequila cocktails.

If you are looking for a hotel near Gulf National Seashore Beach, there are many hotels within a 20-minute drive. Four Points by Sheraton Destin - Fort Walton Beach is a 3-Star hotel – it offers numerous amenities including a pool, bar, restaurant, fitness center with gym, and business center. Hilton Garden Inn Fort Walton Beach is an affordable hotel with hot tubs, an indoor pool, a poolside bar, an outdoor fireplace, a lazy river, and fire pits. If you are looking for an affordable hotel near Gulf National Seashore Beach, Holiday Inn Resort Fort Walton Beach has several amenities including indoor and outdoor pools with waterfalls, a fitness center, a bar, ATMs, a game arcade, and a business center.