Pensacola Beach

Pensacola Beach lies to the south of Pensacola proper on Santa Rosa Island. At some 44 miles long, Santa Rosa Island is the longest barrier island along the coast of the Florida Panhandle. It’s separated from Perdido Key to the west by Pensacola Pass and from the Destin peninsula—which itself was once an island—to the east by East Pass. Most of the northern shore of Santa Rosa Island edges Santa Rosa Sound, which separates the island from the mainland and runs between Pensacola and Choctawhatchee bays as part of the Intracoastal Waterway. 

Pensacola Beach lies within the stretch of coast protected in Gulf Islands National Seashore, one of the area’s top attractions for its beaches, its recreational and ecotourism opportunities, and some amazing history.

Besides the expansive beachfront (which we’ll get to), this coastal perch gives Pensacola Beach plenty of fabulous sunshine: an average of 220 days of it per year.