Florida Gulf Coast in Mid-February

[PaunchyPirate]

I’m looking into vacation alternatives for February 18-28. My friend and I are currently flying to LA for that week, are contemplating cancelling that and changing to a driving vacation instead. We are in PA, and would be looking to escape the winter cold. We actually don’t mind driving 2 days each way to get to Florida and we’ve never explored the Gulf Coast, so I thought I’d look into it.

I would probably look to book an AirBnb or VRBO or similar. We aren’t likely to lay on the beach for days, but an hour or two by the pool or hot tub if warm enough wouldn’t be out of the question. We like to go out for drives. Walk around scenic and/or sites of interest.

Can anyone share your advice on pros and cons between the various towns along the region?

 

[PatSea32]

We have been snow birding in SWFL for 13 years. Obviously love the area. We are in Punta Gorda/Port Charlotte. It may be a challenge to find accommodations at this late date.

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[PaunchyPirate]

Thanks PatSea32. I should add to my original post that I am primarily considering the Gulf coast from the Alabama border to Panama City. There are a lot of AirBnb/VRBO places available still in that area.

 

[FLSUnFIRE]

Can anyone share your advice on pros and cons between the various towns along the region?

The Gulf Coast is pretty chill compared to the East Coast. Every community has it's own feel so it's hard to recommend one without knowing what you enjoy. St Pete/Clearwater is more urban with lots of museums, arts, huge craft beer/foodie scene, etc. The beaches in Pinellas Co range from built up (Clearwater) to more residential and rustic... though development continues. North of Tampa Bay it gets a bit more "rural" and sprawled out with some cool small places (I've enjoyed a few weekend trips to Cedar Key), south is a bit more sprawled out as well but a more developed.



If you can, enter FL earlier in the morning. I-75S after Gainsville is awful in the afternoons these days. -Clears up a bit after the Turnpike peals off in Wildwood but bumper to bumper makes for a draining experience.



If you are really concerned about warm the further south you go the warmer it will be if you have bad luck and we get a big cold front that pushes through. Usually, the cooler days are also very sunny so they don't feel nearly as cool unless there is a lot of wind associated with the front. Everywhere will feel warmer than up north though.

 

[FLSUnFIRE]

Thanks PatSea32. I should add to my original post that I am primarily considering the Gulf coast from the Alabama border to Panama City. There are a lot of AirBnb/VRBO places available still in that area.

Average high 66º, average low 44º....if seeking warmth I'd go further south! Of course, my blood is pretty thin after 20+ years as a Floridian.

 

[PaunchyPirate]

Average high 66º, average low 44º....if seeking warmth I'd go further south! Of course, my blood is pretty thin after 20+ years as a Floridian.

Yep. Those temps are in line with our expectations. We're in far NW PA, so we will be coming from temps likely in the single digits to low 20s for the daytime. We're good with mid-60s.

 

[Venturer]

If you like a laid back vibe I would recommend a little farther south Port St Joe, Mexico beach, St George Island, Ect. It we have stayed on both coasts in Feb. and as has been said already it can vary in temp. but still a lot warmer than Pa.Good luck to you.

 

[CardsFan]

Thanks PatSea32. I should add to my original post that I am primarily considering the Gulf coast from the Alabama border to Panama City. There are a lot of AirBnb/VRBO places available still in that area.

We have stayed along this stretch in Gulf Shores, Pensacola, and Panama City Beach (PCB), but never in winter. From Our experience the best time go there is September through mid November. Still warm enough to go in the water, but less crowded.

That said, since February is really off season for that area, I would expect you can find a place pretty readily, and 66F is a lot warmer than 6F.

A few things to consider:

Since it IS off-season you will find many restaurants closed for the season.

If you stay near Pensacola you MUST go the Naval Air Museum. You can also catch the Blue Angels training, if you are lucky. Not sure of their winter schedule.

If you stay near PCB you should go to St. Andrew's State Park.

Good Luck.

 

[PaunchyPirate]

We have stayed along this stretch in Gulf Shores, Pensacola, and Panama City Beach (PCB), but never in winter. From Our experience the best time go there is September through mid November. Still warm enough to go in the water, but less crowded.

That said, since February is really off season for that area, I would expect you can find a place pretty readily, and 66F is a lot warmer than 6F.

A few things to consider:

Since it IS off-season you will find many restaurants closed for the season.

If you stay near Pensacola you MUST go the Naval Air Museum. You can also catch the Blue Angels training, if you are lucky. Not sure of their winter schedule.

If you stay near PCB you should go to St. Andrew's State Park.

Good Luck.

Thanks for this! We don't need Ocean swimming at all. Not much of an attraction for us. We'd rather have a hot tub.

We went to Ocean City, MD for a week at Thanksgiving and actually enjoyed the VERY offseason feel to it. Most of the boardwalk and beach stores and many, many of the restaurants were closed. We found enough to eat at. For Florida, we're thinking we might just eat all our meals in the condo.

Thanks for the tip about the Naval Air Museum. We would enjoy that. I'll add it to my list, for sure.

 

[FlaGator]

I’m looking into vacation alternatives for February 18-28. My friend and I are currently flying to LA for that week, are contemplating cancelling that and changing to a driving vacation instead. We are in PA, and would be looking to escape the winter cold. We actually don’t mind driving 2 days each way to get to Florida and we’ve never explored the Gulf Coast, so I thought I’d look into it.

I would probably look to book an AirBnb or VRBO or similar. We aren’t likely to lay on the beach for days, but an hour or two by the pool or hot tub if warm enough wouldn’t be out of the question. We like to go out for drives. Walk around scenic and/or sites of interest.

Can anyone share your advice on pros and cons between the various towns along the region?

Thanks PatSea32. I should add to my original post that I am primarily considering the Gulf coast from the Alabama border to Panama City. There are a lot of AirBnb/VRBO places available still in that area.

I would pick the location based on the activities you're planning. If military history is of interest, the Naval Aviation Museum is in Pensacola and the USS Alabama is in Mobile, so Pensacola would be my choice. If you're more interested in seeing the Gulf and the bays, then stay in Panama City Beach for easier access to Port St. Joe, Cape San Blas, Apalachiacola Bay and Wakulla Springs.

The places in the middle-Navarre/Ft. Walton Beach/Destin/Miramar Beach/Santa Rosa Beach(30A) are all nice, but IMO they are better as destinations than a base to explore from.

I live in the area, feel free to PM me with questions.

 

[CincyDave]

If you're set on the panhandle, you might want to check out Navarre Beach. It's a little less built up than places like Pensacola and Destin. Huge fishing pier if you're into that.

There are also a bunch of cute little beach towns between Destin and Panama City. We always take the scenic highway 30a drive when we stay on the panhandle.

https://floridascenichighways.com/our-byways/panhandle-region/scenic-highway-30a/

 

[GTFan]

My Dad lives in Crestview (N of Destin), been there in Feb. multiple times. It all depends on the weather, honestly, you can have mid-70s and it's great but many times it's too cool to swim or do beach stuff.

If you just want to look around it's a great time to visit, and I agree the Naval Air Museum and Pensacola Lighthouse are a must-see. Ft. Pickens is close by and entrance is free if you're a vet (Gulf Shores National Park). If you're really into military history like me there's a great, free Air Armaments Museum just N of Fort Walton too, part of Eglin AFB. SR-71 Blackbird right out front.

 

[CardsFan]

I forgot about Ft. Pickens. Good recommendation. It is also free if you have a National Parks pass, otherwise I think it $10 for a car. Well worth it.

 

[Freedom56]

We are flying to Florida (Fort Lauderdale) this Sunday to check on our condo. We have been receiving many unsolicited offers to buy our condo. Apparently Goldman Sachs is moving into an office tower very close to our Condo and there is very little inventory for upscale condos. People are avoiding condos that were built in the 70's and 80's after the collapse of the tower in Miami Beach which helps us also. Prices are now starting finally move above the 2007 peak and interest rates remain low. If prices move to the $650-$700K range for our unit, we will seriously consider selling. Our condo originally sold for $469 in late 2007 and we bought it through a short sale for $90K cash in 2011 during the Florida real estate market collapse. So far the highest offer we have received is $560K. We were considering that until we discovered that the listing price for the only other two units (larger than ours) in our building for sale range from $950K to $1.4M. It's becoming more complex to manage multiple properties but we do like visiting Florida.

 

[FlaGator]

……..

There are also a bunch of cute little beach towns between Destin and Panama City. We always take the scenic highway 30a drive when we stay on the panhandle.



https://floridascenichighways.com/our-byways/panhandle-region/scenic-highway-30a/

Thanks for the compliment on my “little town”[emoji2]. Moved here from SoFla on the recommendation of a friend. It’s worked out better than expected for my kids.

Agree the Navarre pier is great-longest one into the Gulf in Florida at about a 1/4 mile. Have seen multiple sea turtles there on calm sunny days.

 

[Popsicletoes]

I love Pensacola Beach! If you go there, be sure to do the 7 miles drive from Pensacola Beach to Navarre Beach through the Gulf National Seashore. It’s a tiny protected strip of land for the shore birds. By far, the most beautiful drive in that area with nothing but sugar white sand and the blue green water of the gulf, and maybe some shore birds along the way.

Don’t be disheartened by the temp. We’ve been there in winter several times. All you need to watch out for is the wind. When the sun is out fully and the wind is just a gentle breeze, you can get out and about with shorts in Feb. Restaurants are open, don’t worry. Locals have to eat out too!

A bit closer to Alabama border is Perdido Key, much quieter than Pensacola but equally beautiful.

 

[PaunchyPirate]

OP here. After much research, this morning I rented a resort condo in Panama City Beach on VRBO for a week in February. My travel group is reduced from 3 down to 2 because the third couldn’t juggle her work schedule to join in. We settled on a 5th floor condo in a 22 floor high rise resort complex for this trip. We are big day trippers, so we will likely explore much of the coastal area between Alabama and St. George Island during our week there. And, of course, we will enjoy walking the beach and just sitting on our balcony absorbing the view.

Thanks to everyone who replied here. I will add your suggestions to my to-do list for the trip.

 

[38Chevy454]

Panama City Beach is a good choice. You will likely have some nice weather, and maybe some colder days. PCB will get real busy into March for all the spring break visitors. While some restaurants close in Jan, many will be open by the time you visit there.


Couple years ago we did the snowbird RVing all along the gulf coast from PCB to Lafayette LA and then back east. Hitting many of the spots all along I-10 and the gulf coast. I think Pensacola Beach and PCB were some of my favorite stops.

 

[Bamaman]

My wife was trying to get me to Orange Beach (AL) for the great grandbaby's 6th birthday next month.

I told her that the panhandle's a little breezy and cold in February, and I had no intentions to go down there. Many friends have condos on the Alabama Gulf Coast, and they go Sept./Oct. and April/May. They keep'em rented June thru Labor Day.

I used to spend 5 weeks per year in Florida working, and south of Orlando is warranted in winter. I've seen it snow in St. Augustine the first of March even.

 

[PaunchyPirate]

My wife was trying to get me to Orange Beach (AL) for the great grandbaby's 6th birthday next month.

I told her that the panhandle's a little breezy and cold in February, and I had no intentions to go down there. Many friends have condos on the Alabama Gulf Coast, and they go Sept./Oct. and April/May. They keep'em rented June thru Labor Day.

I used to spend 5 weeks per year in Florida working, and south of Orlando is warranted in winter. I've seen it snow in St. Augustine the first of March even.

We will likely be leaving behind far Northwestern Pennsylvania temperatures in single digits to low 20s and several inches of snow. We will have no problem with breezy and cold Northern Florida.

 

[GTFan]

OP here. After much research, this morning I rented a resort condo in Panama City Beach on VRBO for a week in February. My travel group is reduced from 3 down to 2 because the third couldn’t juggle her work schedule to join in. We settled on a 5th floor condo in a 22 floor high rise resort complex for this trip. We are big day trippers, so we will likely explore much of the coastal area between Alabama and St. George Island during our week there. And, of course, we will enjoy walking the beach and just sitting on our balcony absorbing the view.

Thanks to everyone who replied here. I will add your suggestions to my to-do list for the trip.

In that case definitely make the 30A drive to check out all the stuff on the way to Destin, you're in a great spot. Seaside and Sandestin are kind of tourist oriented but there's lots of antique stuff too.

https://www.discover30a.com/

 

[PaunchyPirate]

OP here. Today we completed the drive back to Pennsylvania. We had a great stay at our condo in Panama City Beach. We left PA last Thursday night (a day early) because of an approaching winter storm in Pennsylvania. We safely arrived in PCB on Saturday evening. We spent a couple days exploring the coastal waters, beaches and sights from PCB to Pensacola and from PCB to Cape San Blas. Then we spent our last few days mostly relaxing at our resort and nearby beach. We had daytime temperatures in the low 70s, which was a lot better than back here in PA. We loved our VRBO condo at The Shores of Panama building.

We will gladly return if able to.

 

[Montecfo]

Sounds fantastic PP. Thanks for the little trip report!

 

[VanWinkle]

I/We are in Panama City Beach for 3 months this year and can confirm that it is cool here compared to lower Florida. The pricing of long term condos reflects that difference in temperature with lower rates here than in southern Florida. If you're not a beach/swim person, this area is fine for golf, shopping and shows.

VW