Florida: Northwestern Beaches Provide Free or Almost Free Family Fun. 
For a family vacation with a high value low cost ratio, the 227-mile stretch of Northwest Florida’s beach communities offer the potential for free fun beginning with white sand beaches and adding a variety of attractions meant to be shared with children.
With seven counties to explore, including the historic towns of Pensacola and Apalachicola; action-packed Destin and Panama City Beach plus the famous beach communities along Scenic Highway 30-A, there’s lots to see and do. The following is a list of the top 10 attractions to be enjoyed for free or for just a few dollars.
Top 10 Free or Almost Free Attractions. 1) St. George Island State Park (St. George Island, FL). Pack a picnic and head to this pristine park for a day of searching for the perfect seashell, kayaking and wildlife viewing along its many trails. (Admission is $5 per vehicle.
www.floridastateparks.org/stgeorgeisland)
2) Emerald Coast Science Center (Fort Walton Beach, FL). More than 250 hands-on exhibits educate kids about everything from electricity and animals to the human body. Admission is $5 for adults, $3.50 for kids (ages 3 to 12). www.ecscience.org 3) St. Joseph Peninsula State Park (Port St. Joe, FL) Home to Cape San Blas, one of the top rated beaches in the continental U.S., the park is an ideal destination for kayaking, bird watching and spotting bottlenose dolphins. (Admission is $4 per vehicle.
www.floridastateparks.org/stjoseph)
4) Frank Brown Park (Panama City Beach, FL).This brand new park offers more than 200 acres of recreational facilities including a freshwater fishing pond, saltwater fishing pier, greenways, trails, ball fields, playgrounds and picnic pavilions. (Admission to the park is free.
www.playballinparadise.com)
5) Panhandle Butterfly House (Navarre, FL). See butterflies up close and personal at this educational and interactive exhibit. Indoor and outdoor gardens serve as a home for thousands of brilliantly hued butterflies, including migrating monarchs. (Admission is free.
www.panhandlebutterflyhouse.org)
6) National Naval Aviation Museum (Pensacola, FL). Featuring 150 vintage aircraft, aviation artifacts, flight simulators and an IMAX theater; watch Blue Angels practice their choreographed flying twice weekly. (Admission to the museum is free.
www.navalaviationmuseum.org)
7) Gulf Islands National Seashore in the Pensacola Bay Area is home to the longest stretch of protected seashore in the country. National park rangers lead free programs from beach walks and bird watching to stargazing and snorkeling. (Admission is $3.00 per person.
www.nps.gov/guis)
8) Outdoor Concerts and Performances (Beaches of South Walton). From “Moonlight and Movies” in Rosemary Beach and “Friday Nite Flicks” and “Wednesday Night Concert Series” in Sandestin to a theatrical performance by the Seaside Repertory Theatre under the stars in Seaside, it’s easy to find free and inexpensive entertainment on a warm night in the Beaches of South Walton. (
www.beachesofsouthwalton.com)
9) Ogden Museum of Southern Art at WaterColor (Santa Rosa Beach, FL). On exhibit at this first branch of New Orleans famed Ogden Museum are masterful paintings, photographs, sculptures and more created by famed Southern artists. The Center for Southern Craft and Design is also located in the museum, offering the work of highly collectable craft artists for sale. (Admission is free.
www.ogdenmuseum.org)
10) Man in the Sea Museum (Panama City Beach, FL). Exhibits at this modest but entertaining museum dedicated to man’s exploration of the sea range from centuries-old treasures recovered from sunken ships to a submarine that guests can walk through and SEALAB-1, the world's first working undersea habitat. (Admission is $5 per person; children under 7 are free.
www.maninthesea.org)
For more suggestions of free and inexpensive activities and general destination information, visit
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Content and images provided by Coastal Vision 3000. Copyright 2009.