If you like to wade through emerald green waters and stroll along sugar sand beaches, Navarre Beach is the place for you. Navarre is located on Santa Rosa Island, just off Florida, a little east of Pensacola.

Thirty years ago, Navarre was known as the location where most of the Jaws 2 movie was filmed. As a child, I remember many family vacations on this beautiful island: chasing beachgoers along sandy beaches and surfing foam waves. Back then, the main structures on the island were a Holiday Inn hotel and a few scattered beach houses. Today, there are few high-rise condos and hundreds of beach houses throughout the island. Navarra is still off the beaten track of Northwest Florida’s busiest coastal cities, but this makes it even more charming and family-friendly.

Some of the things you can find on the island are gift shops, pet shops, island clothing, day spas, surfboard gear, bike rentals, custom gift baskets, furniture, antiques, and more. There is also a growing variety of local retail stores, with virtually any product and service.

Also nearby are oceanfront and seafood restaurants, as well as your favorite fast food outlets and nationally known restaurants. Santa Rosa Mall is nearby in Fort Walton. Some of the things you can find on the island are gift shops, pet shops, island clothing, day spas, surfboard gear, bike rentals, custom gift baskets, furniture, antiques, and more. There is also a growing variety of local retail stores, with virtually any product and service. The beauty and splendor of Navarre Beach is exactly how I remember it from my summer vacation 30 years ago and I hope to build the same memories with my children as well.