Off the Beaten Path Insider

A study in black and white (and blue) on CR 399. Credit: Gary McKechnie

My blog posts usually focus on breaking news and upcoming events, but I think that if you’re reading them, you’re probably a fan of Florida’s back roads. So every so often, I think, we all need to take a breath, take a break and take time to “Get off the laptop – and get on the blacktop.” These won’t be marathon journeys, often just a short stretch of road, but each one will be packed with pure Florida goodness.

Now let me tell you about CR 399 up in northwest Florida.

After you cross the three-mile bridge that leads south from Pensacola to Pensacola Beach, CR 399 is a flat black asphalt strip laced across the white sands for 15 shore-hugging miles. This is part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, and as you glide along this protected barrier island, you’re only a few yards from Escambia Bay and a few feet from the Gulf of Mexico. Count on seeing blue skies and turquoise waters and random parking areas where you can pull over and do something different: absolutely nothing. With so much space, wherever you stop between here and Navarre, it seems, you’ll have your own private beach. If your life is wound too tight, hit the road and experience CR 399.

It’s one reason I live in Florida.