No one has mentioned the Redneck Rivera. The beaches of the Florida panhandle and L.A. (lower Alabama) are off the hook. It's baby powder sand. As nice as anywhere. Panama City is a big touristy town with miniature golf, go carts and bungee rides aplenty. But there are plenty of great places like Destin and Ft Walton beach are a bit less crowded and all the beach community you could want.
Been living in the area since end of '06 and have about 20 years total living in the area.
The Redneck Riviera from Panama City Beach westward to Gulf Shores Alabama has a bunch of different vibes depending on what you want.
I'd put Panama City Beach at the bottom because it is the most touristy trapped beach along the northern gulf coast. They have also tried as a city to lose the spring break crown with young kids getting loaded. It's also still recovering from Hurricane Michael in 2018.
Destin/Miramar Beach/Seaside/30A has definitely gotten a bit more upscale and the traffic around there has gotten worse. It's far from a sleepy enclave.
Fort Walton Beach/Okaloosa Island has some nice beaches and stuff but is a step or three behind Destin nowadays.
Navarre Beach has been a hidden jewel for a bit. No hotels so you are renting condos which tends to lessen the crowd and raise the overall profile of visitors since the condos usually cost more and need to be rented for a week compared to hotel visitors.
Pensacola Beach has been the traditional western tip of Florida beaches. Not quite Destin nice but plenty to do on the island. Having Ft Pickens as part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore is a great 8 mile stretch of beach and biking roads with no development of any type. At the western tip of the park are some historical forts and other buildings from pre- Civil War. It's also closest to the city of Pensacola which has more to do than any other area near the beach towns. As of now there is a 45-60 minute detour between Pensacola Beach and mainland due to a bridge which was damaged during Hurricane Sally by construction barges that broke loose. Bridge should be functional by March 2021.
Perdido Key is where Florida and Alabama meet up. Similar to Navarre, no hotels, so it's condos or beach houses. Very much a locals vibe where beach is king. Perdido also has a large part of Gulf Islands Seashore with Johnson Beach which is 8-10 miles of untouched beach and dunes. No amenities, just wood walkways to get over dunes.
Orange Beach, Alabama starts the Alabama side. It's somewhere between Destin and Pensacola Beach in terms of clientele and amenities. Don't think mainland Alabama. You have plenty of nice places to stay and things to do.
Gulf Shores, Alabama is like Panama City Beach to me. They go all in on the touristy area and all the trappings that go with it. Not pretentious at all. They know you don't live here and will make dumb purchases for t-shirts and hermit crabs. So, they sell them to you.
That gets you about 150 miles of beaches Panama City to Gulf Shores. You have airports in Panama City, Destin and Pensacola to get in/out.
As others have mentioned for other locations, the shoulder season, especially in the Fall is the time to be here. Mid September through Mid November are great times.
On a cautionary note, this isn't South Beach and Miami. During the winter you will have days in the 30's-40's so it's not exactly bikini season from late November through Mid March.
All the beaches have plenty of beach house rentals and condo rentals. Navarre Beach and Perdido Key are hotel free. Plenty of great seafood shacks to enjoy snapper, royal red shrimp, grouper and other local seafood. One more cautionary note- Apalachicola oysters have been decimated and they've been closed down for harvesting for the next few years. BBQ and cajun cuisine are easy to find as well.
