St. Joseph Peninsula State Park
Port St. Joe in North Florida

BEST FOR: Vacationing families who want to do “off the grid” in style

BASICS: After driving the bow-shaped St. Joseph Peninsula for an hour, past the fresh shrimp stands and stilted homes, the initial feeling of “ah” begins to go “uh.” But then you hit Cape San Blas Road and realize why birders, hikers and campers make the pilgrimage. While worries of the oil spill loom (a local church sign reads “Pray for our Bay”), the area, at press time, remains thankfully unaffected.

STAY: The park has 120 campsites with access to water and electricity, but the real prizes here are the eight bayfront cabins at the rear of the park. The two-story structures, painted the color of overcast sky, can sleep up to five people comfortably and offer a full kitchen and gas fireplace. Outside you’ll find an outdoor shower, a fish-cleaning station, a waist-high grill and an elevated boardwalk that leads to the bay.

PLAY: Fishing and snorkeling are St. Joseph Peninsula’s most popular pastimes. Thanks to the boat ramp at Eagle Harbor, St. Joseph Bay is filled with Skeeters and Boston Whalers. Back in the park, a family gathers around a grassy lagoon, nets in hand, hoping to gather a few scallops before dinner. Nearby, a pair of snorkelers slap their swim fins through the ankle-deep shoreline, perhaps looking for a bird’s-eye view of the sea horses, brittle stars, whelks and horseshoe crabs that populate the clear, emerald water.

DINE: Several nice restaurants reside in downtown Port St. Joe, but that’s quite a haul. Luckily, Coneheads (850.229.5252) is only a half-mile from the park’s entrance. Resembling an old tugboat, Coneheads is coastal casual: flip-flopped servers, thatched-roof patios and the Eagles on the loudspeakers. The menu is standard fish-shack fare (grouper sandwich, seafood chowder), but most come for the old-fashioned ice-cream floats and snow cones.

DON’T MISS: While water activities dominate, by air is just as good as by sea. There are an estimated 243 bird species in the area, including American kestrels, ospreys, merlins and the endangered peregrine falcon. Hit the Wilderness Preserve Trail early in the morning: The overlapping bird songs resemble an orchestra warming up.

Cabins $100 per night, $650 for the week; 800.326.3521
floridastateparks.org/stjoseph

By Shawn C. Bean