Florida Panhandle with Little Kids

Pristine beaches, great seafood, and a rich history spanning centuries- the Florida Panhandle is a great place to visit with little kids, including toddlers and preschoolers.

Full disclosure- I am biased here.  This is one of my family’s favorite vacation places.

So yes, I am biased. HOWEVER, this truly is a FANTASTIC place for a family vacation.  It checks all of our boxes- a chance for fun with our girls, beautiful nature, great learning opportunities, and engaging local history.

So here’s our favorite (budget friendly!) things to do in the Florida Panhandle with our kids while they’re little.

For Open-Ended Play: The Beach

This one is obvious, as people come from all over for these beaches. And yes, it’s a lot of work with the sunscreen and the towels and the hats and the sunglasses, but it is so worth it.  (And if you want to see tips on how to make the beach easier- check out my post here: “Must Have Items for the Beach with a Baby or Toddler.”

But the beaches of the Florida Panhandle aren’t just any beaches- they’re breathtakingly perfect.  Picture the most pristine turquoise water and soft white sand.  They’re inviting, they’re relaxing, and they’re picturesque.  The sand is great for building sand castles and the water is almost always clear.

Open-Ended Play

The pristine beaches just invite children of all ages to explore. Babies love the sensory experience of the sand between their fingers or the tide lapping at their ankles. Toddles love scooping, pouring, digging, and raking sand. Preschoolers love building sand castles and imagining that they’re digging for buried pirate treasure.

Sibling Bonding

The beach is also a FANTASTIC place to encourage siblings playing together. It can be challenging for a preschooler to really know how to play with a baby. However- the magic of the beach can unlock some cooperative play. Building together, digging together, and splashing together can really encourage a deeper sibling bond. (When our oldest was three she realized that she LOVED building castles just for her little sister to knock over.)

There are also numerous beaches to choose from.  Destin and Panama City are definitely more crowded, while areas like Navarre and Fort Walton are slightly less popular with tourists (however, in the summer it’s all crowded, so if you’re not as interested in getting into the Gulf of Mexico and would instead like a less crowded beach and cheaper accommodation, consider visiting in the fall and the winter.  The weather is so comfortable and it’s wonderful to feel like you have the beach almost to yourself.)

For Sea Animals and Learning About Conservation: The Gulfarium

In Fort Walton  there is a great place called the Gulfarium.  (Think SeaWorld, but cheaper and less commercialized.)  It’s right on the water so it offers great views of the gulf and houses dolphins, sea lions, sea otters, manatees, turtles, etc.

They offer dolphin shows and sea lion shows throughout the day along with talks about the different animals they have.  The shows are free with admission.  Additionally, they work as a rehabilitation center for animals waiting to be released back into the wild and it’s a great way to introduce your children to the concept of environmental conservation and caring for animals.  

While most of it is open air, there are covered pavilions and some indoor areas, so this made for a great rainy day activity for us.  I don’t think I would want to be there during a thunderstorm, but for a day where it was too drizzly to get in the pool or the gulf, this was a great option to still be out in the fresh sea air and learn more about ocean animals.

It’s also small enough that you can see all of it in half a day or so.  Florida’s weather is notorious for being unpredictably rainy, so we spent a rainy morning here and by the time we had seen everything the weather was clearing up and we could spend the second half of our day back at the pool.

Our two year old particularly loved the sea lion show and even acted out sea lion shows with her stuffed animals when we came home.  Since we visited they opened up a new dolphin oasis and a sea manatee exhibit, so I’m looking forward to going back to see these new additions.

For Marine Life Viewing: The Okaloosa Island Pier

Right behind the Gulfarium is the Okaloosa Island Pier.  Stretching far out into the gulf, it offers a chance to see all sorts of different marine life.  Not knowing exactly what you might see really added to the excitement for my two year old. 

We walked along it one night and saw dolphins. The next year we saw sea turtles and several people told us they had seen some sharks earlier in the day.

An active fishing pier, you need to take precautions to avoid people casting their lines, but it was still so much fun.  In order to see the most marine life, I recommend going early in the morning or later in the evening when marine life are feeding. It also offers great sunset views. In the summers they also launch fireworks off the pier so after taking an evening stroll on it, return to the beach to enjoy the firework show.

It does cost to walk on the pier, but it’s very affordable (just a few dollars) and well worth it.  My toddler told me this was her favorite part of our trip- even more than the beach or the pool. That’s high praise from a toddler! When we went back the next year, she absolutely couldn’t wait to walk on the pier.

For FANTASTIC History: Pensacola’s Naval Air Museum and Fort Barrancas

One concept that always seems to be difficult for my students is chronology.  For some reason, they tend to struggle with the idea that places go through several phases of critical history.  However, one thing that always seems to help them really see the different time periods is when there is significant history occurring from multiple periods of time in the same geographic location.  For that- Pensacola is perfect.

In Pensacola you can witness the legacies of Spanish-Native American interactions, European colonialism, the expansion of the British Empire in North America, and the ultimate growth of the United States. A critical site during colonialism, the early American republic, as well as the post-World War Two era, Pensacola offers centuries of rich history to explore.

Personally, the naval air museum and Fort Barrancas were where I really started to fall in love with history as a kid. (And admission is free to the museum and fort!)

Naval Air Museum

Favorite exhibits

The museum is so well done to pique anyone’s interest. There are planes on display from different eras of aviation, with a particular focus on World War Two. My personal favorite plane to view is one that survived the Battle of Midway- a critical turning point in the Pacific Theater of World War Two.

There are also more interactive exhibits. One features planes that crashed in Lake Michigan. The museum has the planes resting on sand as they were found at the bottom of the lake. As you walk into the exhibit, the lighting effects make it feel as though you are underwater.

Another exhibit features what the interior of an aircraft carrier looked like in the World War Two era. You can walk through it and see the different segments of the carrier. Walking through this with my grandfather, who served on an aircraft carrier, was always a powerful experience.

There is also an exhibit highlighting what Pensacola looked like during WW2. There is a recreated main street that you can walk through. You can enter a recreated grocery store, barber shop, and home. There is also a recreated camp from a Pacific island where visitors can learn more about the island hopping strategy. Both as a kid and as an adult- this is one of my favorite parts of the museum.

In an auxiliary hanger there are now exhibits for more recent history, including the Vietnam era.

blue angels

Lastly, this is the home of the Blue Angels. You can view them practicing here (check their schedule and make sure you arrive early on these days) as well as view exhibits about them. The Blue Angels will capture anyone’s attention and imagination- just make sure to pack noise reducing headphones for the little ones!

Play areas

There is also a designated play area for little kids. In addition to there being space for them to run around and burn off extra energy, there are also places where they can sit in the cockpit of planes and pretend they’re piloting them. After viewing all of the historic planes and potentially seeing the Blue Angels practice, it can be so exciting for a little one to then feel like they’re at the controls.

logistics

In the museum there is a wonderful gift shop as well as a restaurant. On hot days we’ve taken advantage of the restaurant to rest and cool off, but typically we pack a picnic lunch to eat at nearby Fort Barrancas.

The museum does allow for strollers. As the museum is quite large, I recommend bringing a small, collapsible stroller for younger toddlers. Some of the areas of the museum can be quite tight though- so I would not recommend a stroller wagon.

Diaper bags are also allowed, but larger bags and backpacks are not. Additionally, outside food and drink are not allowed, including water bottles. However, where admission is free, you could go back to your car for a snack and then reenter.

Fort Barrancas

A ten minute drive away from the museum is Fort Barrancas. Originally built by the Spanish, five different flags have flown over the fort throughout its history. Upon arrival at the fort there is a small visitor center that gives an overview of the history, followed by a brief walk up to the fort. At the end of the walkway are benches with a breathtaking view of the water.

Once you enter the fort you are initially in the section built in the 1800s. It’s dark, and full of spooky and cool tunnels that can just grab a kid’s imagination. After you walk through the brick section of the fort, you come out in the Spanish redoubt. The dazzling white façade is almost blinding in the sunlight. Rising high above the turquoise waters of the Gulf- it is easy to picture Spanish explorers being here centuries earlier.

This is really such a great introduction to a lot of rich history.

Both the museum and the fort are on an active military base, so make sure you check their websites before visiting to ensure you have any necessary ID and that you’re aware of any security measures currently in place.

Pensacola- Conclusion

Writing a dedicated post just for Pensacola is definitely something I plan to do. There’s so much it has to offer for young families.

For Vintage Family Fun- Goofy Golf

Yes, there are more flashy mini golf courses all over the Florida Panhandle. But if you’re looking for a vintage feel- check out Goofy Golf in Fort Walton, Built in the 1950s, Goofy Golf has kept that mid-century feel.

Features such as a dinosaur, giraffe, and an elephant all catch a young kid’s attention. It also still has that retro vibe- making this a great place for some classic family memories.

Additionally, it’s still affordable. The owners state that one of their goals is to keep family fun accessible.

Conclusion and Helpful Links

The Florida Panhandle is definitely an area we go back to as often as we can. As we experience more and our children get older, I will definitely be updating this post. Be sure to sign up for emails so that you don’t miss anything!

Also, check out our favorite ocean-themed learning activities to extend the learning at home by checking out that post here: “Ocean Themed Learning Activities for Younger Preschoolers.”

Lastly, If you are interested in the historic sites in Pensacola or in the Gulfarium, those links are here:

Naval Aviation Museum: https://navalaviationmuseum.org/

Fort Barrancas: https://www.nps.gov/guis/planyourvisit/fort-barrancas-area.htm

Gulfarium: https://gulfarium.com/

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