Standing at the seashore in Northwest Florida, surrounded by dazzling white sand and miles of emerald Gulf of Mexico waters, time may seem to stand still.
But time is very much on the move here as Florida’s “Panhandle” continues to extend its tourism infrastructure with new hotels and transportation options. Meanwhile, the march of time has also given Northwest Florida some of its most fascinating attractions, from brilliant beaches composed almost entirely of quartz crystal that flowed from Appalachian mountains thousands of years ago, to vestiges of history that span the centuries, including the earliest native tribes, Spanish conquistadors and the country’s modern military history.
“It’s a great opportunity to get people thinking, ‘Hey, Florida is more than Disney and the attractions,’” says Laura Lee, director of communications for Visit Pensacola. “Yes, you can enjoy all that, but you can also explore some pretty impressive sites, including massive forts and incredible nature preserves.”
If you haven’t brought a group to Northwest Florida yet, it could be about time to give it a try.
Pensacola
Florida’s westernmost city was founded by the Spanish in 1559, but because that initial colony was wiped out by a hurricane, the distinction of “America’s oldest city” goes to St. Augustine on the Atlantic. Yet that hasn’t stopped Pensacola from promoting its centuries-old Spanish heritage, and the city is planning some special events for 2013, the 500th anniversary of explorer Ponce de Leon’s arrival in the land he christened “la Florida.”
There are a few places where visitors might see remnants of Spanish Colonial days—below the waves, for one, where the wreck of a 16th century galleon lies in Pensacola Bay—but U.S. military history dominates the landscape here, as visitors discover when they visit the forts of Gulf Islands National Seashore, including Fort Barrancas and Fort Pickens, which saw action during the Civil War.
Meanwhile, “naval-gazing” is almost a must, as Pensacola is home to both the Blue Angels Navy jet squadron and the National Naval Aviation Museum, whose restored aircraft, hands-on exhibits and more than 4,000 artifacts represent Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard aviation.
With its soaring atrium and IMAX theater, the facility is a hit with military groups, but other groups are catching on as well, reports Laura Lee.
“More and more groups seem to be finding out about the museum,” she says. “They come in and watch the Blue Angels practice in the morning, then have their meeting.”
In addition, Lee reports, a new flight academy adjoining the museum also offers high-tech meeting space.
On the quieter side of history, downtown Pensacola’s Seville Square is the setting for Historic Pensacola Village, a complex of 27 National Register buildings—several available for group events—which bustles with activity as guides dressed in period costumes ply the trades of the day, including candle-dipping, cooking, medicine making and more.
But downtown Pensacola is hardly stuck in the past; in fact, it’s seen recent growth to the tune of 25 percent, Lee notes.
“Downtown’s been very active, with new restaurants and shops, a new brewery and a new music hall that’s within walking distance of the Crowne Plaza Pensacola Grand,” she says.
Emerald Coast
Activity also has been spiking across the Emerald Coast, Pensacola’s neighbor to the east, which is named for the vivid Gulf waters washing the shoreline but boasts other monikers as well, including “world’s luckiest fishing village,” a reference to the region’s speedy deep-water access and huge charter boat fleet.
Nature steals the spotlight here in the towns of Destin, Fort Walton Beach and Okaloosa Island, but it’s a theft very much appreciated by local tourism officials.
“We had the best summer ever,” reports Sherry Rushing, travel industry sales director for the Emerald Coast CVB. “People are fishing, golfing, YOLO boarding, diving and kayaking on Choctawhatchee Bay,” she adds, referring to the pristine body of water just off the Gulf of Mexico, which is fed by freshwater rivers and fringed by forested wetlands filled with bird colonies and other wildlife.
Meanwhile, the Emerald Coast has its own fascinating historical footprint, starting with prehistoric artifacts and a 12-foot temple mound at Fort Walton Beach’s Heritage Park and Cultural Center, and continuing with techno wonders at the U.S. Air Force Armament Museum located on Eglin Air Force Base, just northeast of Fort Walton Beach.
Not surprisingly, the area is a magnet for military reunions and other events, which have been increasing lately, according to Rushing.
“We’re also seeing meeting groups coming back,” she says. “People are ready for a break.”
To keep that momentum going, the region’s premier meeting facility, the Emerald Coast Convention Center, in conjunction with the CVB, was set to launch a revamped meetings website by the beginning of 2012, featuring a “huge giveaway to build traffic,” promises the center’s sales and marketing manager, Tisha Maraj. “It’s going to be the biggest thing we’ve ever done.”
Exact details were unavailable at press time, but stay tuned to www.emeraldcoastconventioncenter.com for more.
South Walton
East of the Emerald Coast, the only air formations you might see along the 26 miles of South Walton involve flocks of birds, which is to be expected in an area where 40 percent of the total acreage is state-owned and protected from future development. Open space is the rule, not the exception, as four state parks and one state forest offer vast expanses for hiking, biking, picnicking, canoeing and kayaking.
Even the architecture here seems carved out of the landscape, as 15 distinct beach communities reflect a mix of a low-rise, Old Florida style and Mediterranean flair, with clapboard cottages, tin roofs, white picket fences, pastel-colored homes that circle quiet town squares and picturesque courtyards and plazas welcoming foot traffic.
Tucked within these visually whimsical areas are a variety of unique meeting venues, ranging from Victorian-style homes, old-fashioned town halls and oceanfront gazebos to more traditional, resort-based facilities such as those found at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, where the Baytowne Conference Center features a selection of ballrooms, boardrooms and breakout rooms.
Beyond the newer communities, though, are such portals to the past as Eden Gardens State Park, where the Wesley Mansion (circa 1895) sits on 161 acres of ornamental gardens and lush oak trees, and the town of Defuniak Springs, founded in the early 1880s as a warm-weather venue for the New York Chautauqua Winter Assembly, featuring the magnificent 1909 Chautauqua Building that is still available for group functions today.
Panama City Beach
Over the decades, countless families have hopped in the station wagon, rolled down the windows and pointed the car toward the quintessential fun-in-the-sun town of Panama City Beach. But since last year’s opening of Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport—with service from Southwest and Delta to key cities like Atlanta and Nashville—there’s a new way into this Gulf-front haven, and many groups are taking advantage of it.
“Our resort has opened to new groups we couldn’t get before,” says Paul Wohlford, vice president of sales and marketing for Edgewater Beach & Golf Resort. “We just hosted an insurance group that always said no to us before the airport opened. As we move into 2012, the biggest growth market we’re seeing is the group market. We’re big fans of the new airport. It’s definitely had an impact.”
Like the rest of Northwest Florida, though, Panama City Beach’s eco-agenda remains decidedly low-impact, and in fact, the airport was developed in conjunction with the West Bay Preservation Area, a natural sanctuary that includes a huge expanse of undeveloped coastline.
It joins the new 3,000-acre Conservation Park—created to rehydrate a wetlands area hurt by extensive tree farming—as well as such eco attractions as natural and artificial underwater reefs, and preserves that include St. Andrews State Recreation Area, featuring trails, beaches, fishing, swimming and snorkeling.
Tallahassee
Once Florida became an official U.S. territory in 1822, St. Augustine and Pensacola vied for the title of state capital, but Tallahassee—the median point between both cities—was ultimately chosen in 1824. Since that time, this stately city set within a rolling landscape of moss-draped oaks and magnolia trees has developed into a cosmopolitan enclave with deep Southern roots.
Driving along one of nine official canopy roads, or circling a “plantation belt” of 71 antebellum homes stretching between Tallahassee and Thomasville, Ga., 28 miles away, you can feel the Southern accents. Yet Tallahassee is also home to a vibrant nightlife, art galleries, hip hotels and the cultural treasures that come with being one of the state’s most historic locations.
Many of these treasures double as group event locales, offering meetings laced with a history lesson, as groups gather among the remnants of a 16th century community at Mission San Luis, take in the fragrance of camellias while convening at the 19th century Brokaw-McDougall House, or admire the 19th century porcelains, textiles and fine furniture of Goodwood Museum, whose Carriage House seats up to 280.
“It’s a different kind of city,” says Janet Roach, meetings and conventions director for Visit Tallahassee. “We attract environmental and government groups, and especially those niche markets that want something a little bit different. We have a small-town feel and yet we also have the meeting venues.”
