Perdido Key is the last stretch of Florida before Alabama, a skinny barrier island at the far western end of the Emerald Coast. It’s quieter than Pensacola Beach, with more protected land than high-rises: Gulf Islands National Seashore and a state park cover big pieces of it, and the Gulf side stays wide, white and uncrowded. Then, right on the state line, sits the Flora-Bama, the most famous beach bar on the Gulf Coast.
Here’s how to spend a day or a week on the Key.
Quick answer
- Emptiest beach: Johnson Beach in Gulf Islands National Seashore. Walk east past the end of the road and you may have the sand to yourself.
- Calm water and a lookout tower: Big Lagoon State Park, on the mainland side of the lagoon.
- Best paddle: a guided eco tour with Littleheads Kayak Rentals.
- Oysters: Salty Pearl Raw Bar at the Theo Baars Bridge.
- Something for everyone: The Jellyfish, with sushi, oysters and steaks under one roof.
- Nightlife: the Flora-Bama, with live music on the state line since 1964.
The beaches
Johnson Beach, part of Gulf Islands National Seashore, is the Key’s wild side. There are pavilions, restrooms and a lifeguard in summer near the parking areas, and past the end of Johnson Beach Road the island keeps going with no road at all. Perdido Key State Park has boardwalks over rolling dunes, home to the endangered Perdido Key beach mouse. The seashore charges an entrance fee and the state park uses an honor box. Our Pensacola, Perdido Key and Navarre beaches guide has the current fees, parking and repair notes for both.
On the mainland side of the lagoon, Big Lagoon State Park protects 704 acres of salt marsh, pine flatwoods and sand. The water is calm and shallow, the three-story observation tower has one of the best views on this end of the coast, and spring and fall bring migrating birds. It’s also a launch point for Florida’s 1,515-mile Circumnavigational Saltwater Paddling Trail. The park is open from 8 a.m. to sunset every day of the year.
Before any beach day, review the beach warning flags. The Gulf side can pull hard even on sunny days.
Where to eat on Perdido Key
Perdido Key’s restaurants cluster along Perdido Key Drive and around the Theo Baars Bridge, the bridge that brings you onto the island from the mainland.
Salty Pearl Raw Bar sits at the base of the bridge and does oysters three ways: raw, chargrilled with cheese, and steamed. It also has a Hook & Cook service, so if you catch it, they’ll cook it fried, grilled or blackened.
The Jellyfish Restaurant & Bar opened after Hurricane Ivan as a small sushi and martini bar and grew into the Key’s do-everything restaurant: a full sushi bar, an oyster bar, steaks and Gulf seafood. It’s the easy answer when your group can’t agree.
Fisherman’s Corner hides beneath the Theo Baars Bridge and feels like a neighborhood secret: a handful of tables, a full bar and Creole cooking made from scratch. Get the seafood gumbo.
The Crab Trap is the family pick, a Gulf-front fish house with a boardwalk to the beach, a kids’ menu and a playground.
Flora-Bama Ole River Grill, across the road from the Flora-Bama on Old River, serves burgers, po’boys and seafood on an open-air deck over calm back-bay water.
For something sweet, Island Sweets does ice cream, coffee and smoothies, and City Coffee and Ice Cream adds locally roasted coffee and boba.
The Flora-Bama
You can’t talk about Perdido Key without the Flora-Bama Lounge, Package & Oyster Bar. It opened in 1964, the building sits entirely in Florida with the Alabama line just past its western wall, and it has hosted live music just about every day for decades. It’s also home to the Interstate Mullet Toss in April and the Frank Brown International Songwriters’ Festival every November. We tell the whole story in Flora-Bama: the story behind the world’s most famous beach bar.
On the water
Littleheads Kayak Rentals has run kayak and paddleboard rentals on a calm inshore bay since 2013, dotted with small, uninhabited islands and sandbars. Rentals include glass-bottom kayaks, and the guided eco tours include an island-hopping trip with a walk on one of those islands.
To fish, Reel Adventure Charters (formerly Gulf Bay Charters) runs a four-boat fleet out of Southwind Marina, from 25-foot bay boats for calm inshore trips to a 42-foot Yellowfin for offshore snapper and grouper. All Jack’d Up Charters is a family-focused inshore and offshore charter led by Captain Michael Choron, who has run trips here since 2001.
Where to stay
Perdido Key is condo country, with towers along the Gulf and a few places that break the pattern.
- Perdido Sun Beachfront Resort: a Gulf-front condo resort on the eastern end of the Key.
- Purple Parrot Resort: 114 free-standing, two-story condos across 10 palm-lined acres, closer in feel to the Florida Keys than to a tower.
- Lost Key Golf & Beach Club: 413 acres wrapped around an 18-hole course, with a private beach club for guests.
Browse every Perdido Key place to stay, eat and play on our Perdido Key area page.
Make it a trip
Perdido Key is roughly a 30- to 40-minute drive from Pensacola Beach, so it pairs well with a few days there. Start with our guide to things to do in Pensacola Beach, and see our list of the best restaurants on Pensacola Beach for more seafood to the east.
Perdido Key FAQ
Is Perdido Key in Florida or Alabama? Perdido Key is in Florida, at the far western end of the Emerald Coast. The Alabama line is just west of the Flora-Bama.
What is the least crowded beach on Perdido Key? Johnson Beach in Gulf Islands National Seashore. Walk east past the end of Johnson Beach Road and the island continues with no road at all.
Where can you get oysters on Perdido Key? Salty Pearl Raw Bar at the base of the Theo Baars Bridge serves them raw, chargrilled and steamed.
How far is Perdido Key from Pensacola Beach? About a 30- to 40-minute drive.