Florida - Northwest around Tallahassee & Pensacola Attractions

Once the domain of Native Americans who fished its plentiful waters and hunted in its vast forests and marshes, northwestern Florida, also known as the "panhandle" was first settled by Europeans in 1559. Spaniard Tristan de Luna tried to establish a colony in Pensacola in that year but the town fell to a hurricane and a more permanent settlement was founded in St Augustine six years later. The area changed hands between the Spanish, French and English for more than 250 years until it was finally sold to the U.S. in 1821.

Today it is characterized by undeveloped white-sand beaches, emerald gulf waters, virgin oak, pine and cypress forests, and several large lakes, bays and rivers. With its decidedly "Southern" atmosphere, some say the Panhandle has more in common with its neighbors Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi than with the rest of the more established tourist zones to the south. The main activities in this region include fishing, beach-combing, diving, golfing and boating.