Navarre Beach named in America's favorite secret beaches list by Family Destinations Guide
Day-by-day, Navarre Beach is slowly losing its reputation as Florida’s “best kept secret” as the Panhandle destination continues to pop up on lists highlighting it as the less-popular-but-just-as-cool sibling of Pensacola Beach.
The website Family Destinations Guide recently revealed its 2023 version of the best secret beaches in the U.S. and Navarre Beach was the only one on the list representing the Florida Panhandle.
Coming in at No. 13, Navarre Beach was among nine Florida beaches that made the list, including Dry Tortugas National Park near Key West (No. 9) and Boneyard Beach in Jacksonville (No. 10).
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What is Navarre Beach known for?
Navarre Beach is a “compact” beach community just over 20 miles east of Pensacola. Its pristine white shoreline stretches for 12 miles, and it's nestled perfectly between Gulf Islands National Seashore and the Navarre Beach Marine Park.
Navarre Beach’s best selling point is its pure beach experience. Unlike neighboring Pensacola Beach, Navarre has a few restaurants on its side of the peninsula and remains unapologetically barren for the rest of its footprint, minus the quiet residential areas surrounding the public access points peppered along the way.
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What is the best month to go to Navarre Beach?
Like most Florida beaches, Navarre Beach is busiest from early April to late September. But Navarre “busy” isn’t the same as Pensacola Beach “busy” and you can expect a laid back atmosphere.
Early April to late May and late September to early November are some of the best times to visit due to milder temperatures and less average rainfall, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
What movie was filmed at Navarre Beach?
In the late 1970s, the filming of the "Jaws" sequel, "Jaws 2," took the Florida Panhandle by storm when filming found its way to the Destin and Navarre Beach areas.
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Top 5 secret beaches in America
Florida’s best secret beaches in America
Shell Key Preserve (No. 2)
Lovers Key State Park (No. 6)
Dry Tortugas National Park (No. 9)
Boneyard Beach (No. 10)
Navarre Beach (No. 13)
Crescent Beach (No. 17)
Caladesi Island (No. 23)
Cayo Costa State Park (No. 56)
Camp Helen State Park (No. 64)
How the secret beach rankings came together
According to the Family Destinations Guide website, the rankings are the result of an online panel survey of 3,000 adults based on age, gender and geography. Internal data sources are used to obtain population data sets. Family Destinations Guide used a two-step process to ensure representativeness through stratified sampling and post-stratification weighting.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Navarre Beach named one of America's favorite secret beaches 2023
