Navarre Beach is the quiet one. It sits on Santa Rosa Island between Pensacola Beach and Okaloosa Island, with the Gulf on one side, Santa Rosa Sound on the other and protected national seashore stretching west. There’s no boardwalk scene and no wall of hotels. Instead there’s a small-town beach, calm sound-side water and the longest fishing pier in Florida.
Quick answer
- Don’t miss: a walk out the Navarre Beach Fishing Pier, 1,545 feet into the Gulf.
- Calm water for kids: the sound side, along the Navarre Beach causeway and Navarre Park.
- On the water: paddleboards at the pier, or a waverunner dolphin tour on the sound.
- Dinner with a view: Windjammers on the Pier or Juana’s Pagodas & Sailors’ Grill.
- Scenic drive: the eight miles of national seashore between Navarre Beach and Pensacola Beach.
The Navarre Beach Fishing Pier
At 1,545 feet, the Navarre Beach Fishing Pier is the longest pier in Florida and on the entire Gulf of Mexico. The end of the pier sits about 30 feet above the water, and on a clear day you can look down on rays, schools of fish and the occasional dolphin or sea turtle in the green water below.
The pier has a story of its own. Hurricane Ivan destroyed the original wooden pier in 2004, and the concrete replacement opened in 2010, built to ride out future storms. More than 800 wood panels along the railings are designed to break away in heavy surf, relieving pressure so the main structure survives. It has held up through several major storms since.
You don’t have to fish to go out. A walking pass is inexpensive and young children get in free, and anglers buy a separate fishing pass. Gate hours change with the season, so check before you go early for fishing or late for sunset.
The beach
The Gulf side of Navarre Beach is wide and uncrowded, with public access at the Navarre Beach Marine Park around the pier. For little kids, the sound side is the move: shallow, calm water with none of the Gulf’s waves. Dogs aren’t allowed on Navarre Beach. Before you swim, learn the beach warning flags, and see our Pensacola, Perdido Key and Navarre beaches guide for parking and access details.
Heading west? The road to Pensacola Beach runs through about eight miles of protected Gulf Islands National Seashore, with dunes on both sides and pull-offs to the sand. The Opal Beach area along the way has pavilions and restrooms.
On the water
Navarre-SUP rents paddleboards and kayaks right at the pier. Run by Sage Paddle Company, it’s the only rental shop on the island, so you can walk from your condo to the water without loading a car.
On the mainland side of the sound, Navarre Family Watersports has rented waverunners, pontoons (including double-deckers with slides), paddleboards and kayaks since 2013. It also runs guided waverunner dolphin tours on the sound, plus a 48-obstacle ropes course, a zip line and an inflatable water park.
Where to eat in Navarre
- Windjammers on the Pier: at the base of the pier, with an open-air deck over the surf. Blackened grouper tacos and a mahi sandwich are easy lunches after a morning on the pier.
- Juana’s Pagodas & Sailors’ Grill: on the sound side of the Navarre Beach causeway since 1989, and the longest continuously running family-owned restaurant in Navarre. It has rebuilt after Erin, Opal, Ivan and Dennis.
- Andy D’s Beachside Restaurant & Deck Bar: breakfast, lunch and dinner steps from the sand, with live music on the deck.
- Dewey Destin’s Navarre: seafood on Navarre Sound next to the Navarre Beach Bridge, from the family that gave Destin its name.
- Scooter’s Fish House: fresh Gulf seafood without pretense on Highway 87. New owners took over in 2023 and kept the original recipes.
- Where Y’at Seafood Market & Restaurant: half seafood market, half restaurant, with Louisiana cooking and a case full of Gulf shrimp, royal reds and oysters.
For your morning coffee, Perfect Blend Coffee Company on Navarre Parkway was founded to provide job training and steady work for people with disabilities, and Dawn’s Cookies & Cafe bakes cookies and pastries from scratch.
Where to stay
SpringHill Suites by Marriott Navarre Oceanfront is the beach’s hotel, on the Gulf within walking distance of the pier. Most visitors rent condos, and our Navarre Beach area page lists them. For something different, Navarre Beach Camping Resort has RV sites along Santa Rosa Sound, and The Hideaway Retreat is a small waterfront campground with 742 feet of sound-front beach.
Make it a trip
Navarre sits roughly halfway between Pensacola Beach and Fort Walton Beach, so it pairs well with either. For the west end, start with things to do in Pensacola Beach and our list of the best restaurants on Pensacola Beach. Browse everything in Navarre.
Navarre Beach FAQ
How long is the Navarre Beach Fishing Pier? 1,545 feet, the longest pier in Florida and on the Gulf of Mexico.
Can you walk on the Navarre pier without fishing? Yes. A walking pass is inexpensive and young children get in free. Anglers buy a separate fishing pass.
Are dogs allowed on Navarre Beach? No. Dogs aren’t allowed on Navarre Beach.
Where is the calmest water in Navarre for kids? The sound side, along the Navarre Beach causeway and Navarre Park, with shallow water and no Gulf waves.