Active Pursuits

Florida's Canoe Capital

The little town of Milton, the official "Canoe Capital of Florida" (by an act of the state legislature, no less), is about 20 miles northeast of Pensacola via U.S. 90. Its title is well earned, as the nearby Blackwater River, Coldwater River, Sweetwater Creek, and Juniper Creek are perfect for canoeing, kayaking, tubing, rafting, and paddle boating.

The Blackwater is considered one of the world's purest sand-bottom rivers. It has remained a primordial backwoods beauty, thanks chiefly to Florida's largest state forest (183,000 acres of oak, pine, and juniper) and Blackwater River State Park, 7720 Deaton Bridge Rd., Holt, FL 32564 (tel. 850/983-5363; www.floridastateparks.org/blackwaterriver), where you can closely observe plant life and wildlife along nature trails. The park has facilities for fishing, picnicking, and camping. Admission is $3 per day per vehicle with driver, $1 per extra vehicle passenger, $1 per pedestrian or bicyclist. Campsites cost $12, plus $2 per pet with tags and vaccination papers. For camping reservations, call tel. 800/326-3521 or go to www.reserveamerica.com.

Adventures Unlimited, Route 6, Box 283, Milton, FL 32570 (tel. 800/239-6864 or 850/623-6197; fax 850/626-3124; www.adventuresunlimited.com), is a year-round resort with day and overnight canoeing, kayaking, and rafting expeditions. Special arrangements are made for novices. Canoe trips start at $25 per person (4 miles), kayaking adventures from $30. Inner tubes start at $15. Campsites cost $20 a night and all have electricity. The resort also has 14 cottages on the Coldwater River ($79-$159 per night), as well as bed-and-breakfast accommodations at Wolfe Creek Old School House Inn (eight rooms, all with private bathroom; $79-$109 double). There are also 12 cabins, including two newly renovated, furnished cabins, ranging from $79 to $179 a night. Some have fireplaces and tubs. Two-night minimum stays are required (3 nights on holidays). Call for schedules and reservations for trips, accommodations, and camping.

Blackwater Canoe Rental, 10274 Pond Rd., Milton, FL 32570 (tel. 800/967-6789 or 850/623-0235; www.blackwatercanoe.com), also rents canoes, kayaks, floats, tubes, and camping equipment. It has two kinds of camping trips by canoe or kayak: a day trip, ranging from $21 to $26 per person, and an overnight excursion, ranging from $30 to $40 per person. Tents, sleeping bags, and coolers are all available for rent.

Fishing

Red snapper, grouper, mackerel, tuna, and billfish are abundant off the Panhandle. The easiest way to drop a line into the Gulf is off the new Pensacola Beach Gulf Fishing Pier, on Fort Pickens Road in Pensacola Beach (tel. 850/934-7200; www.fishpensacolabeachpier.com). At 1,471 feet, it's the longest fishing pier on the Gulf Coast. The pier is open 24 hours a day, year-round. Fees for fishing are $6.50 per day for adults, $5.50 for seniors, and $3.50 for children 6 to 12. Bait and equipment cost extra. Observers can watch for $1 per person.

Fishing-charter services are offered at Pensacola by the Beach Marina Fishing Fleet (tel. 877/650-3474 or 850/932-0304), and at Pensacola Beach by Reel Eazy Charters (tel. 877/733-5329 or 850/932-8824; www.reeleazy.com). Expect to pay between $400 and $1,600 for 1 to 10 passengers, depending on the length of your trip. You may be able to save by driving to Destin, where party boats charge less per person. Sightseeing and evening cruises here go for $50 to $200 per person.

Golf

The Pensacola area has its share of Northwest Florida's numerous championship golf courses. Look for free copies of South Coast Golf Guide, an annual directory describing all of them, at the visitor center and in many hotel lobbies. Reasonably priced golf packages can be arranged through many local hotels and motels.

For course information, go to www.golf.com or www.floridagolfing.com, or call the Florida Sports Foundation (tel. 850/488-8347) or Florida Golfing (tel. 866/833-2663).

Among this region's best courses is Marcus Pointe, on Marcus Pointe Boulevard off North W. Street (tel. 800/362-7287 or 850/484-9770), which has hosted the Nike Tour, the American Amateur Classic, and the Pensacola Open. Golf Digest described this 18-hole course as a "great value," and that's not far off: Greens fees with cart are about $25 to $50, depending on the season.

The Moors, on Avalon Boulevard north of I-10 (tel. 800/727-1010 or 850/995-4653), has also greeted the Nike Tour and is home to the Emerald Coast Classic, a PGA Seniors event. Pot bunkers here make you think you're playing in Scotland. Greens fees are similarly priced. The Moors also has a lodge with eight luxury rooms.

Other courses worth considering are the Lost Key Golf Club, on Perdido Key (tel. 888/256-7853 or 850/492-1300), one of the area's more difficult courses; Scenic Hills, on U.S. 90 northwest of town (tel. 850/476-9611), with rolling fairways that are unique for this mostly flat area; the 36-hole Tiger Point, 1255 Country Club Rd., east of Gulf Breeze by Santa Rosa Sound (tel. 850/932-1330), overlooking the water (the 5th-hole green of the East Course actually sits on an island); Hidden Creek, 3070 PGA Blvd., in Navarre between Gulf Breeze and Fort Walton Beach (tel. 850/939-4604); Creekside Golf Course, 2355 W. Michigan Ave. (tel. 850/944-7969); and Osceola Municipal Golf Course, 300 Tonawanda, off Mobile Highway (tel. 850/456-2761).

In addition, the renovated Perdido Bay Golf Club, 1 Doug Ford Dr. (tel. 866/319-2471 or 850/492-1223; www.perdidobaygolf.com), on the mainland north of Perdido Key, has accommodations available for visiting golfers. It was the home of the PGA Pensacola Open from 1978 to 1987. Greens fees here range from $39 to $79.

Watersports

Visibility in the waters around Pensacola can range from 30 to 50 feet deep inshore, to 100 feet deep 25 miles offshore. Although the bottom is sandy and the area is too far north for coral, the battleship USS Massachusetts, submerged in 30 feet of water 3 miles offshore, is one of some 35 artificial reefs where you can spot loggerhead turtles and other creatures. There are also good snorkeling sites just off the beach; get a map from the Gulf Islands National Seashore.

Scuba Shack, 711 S. Palafox St. (tel. 850/433-4319), offers sales, rentals, classes, and diving and fishing charters on the Wet Dream, moored behind the office. Divers Den, 512 N. 9th Ave. (tel. 850/438-0650), also provides trips, equipment rental, and PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) training instruction. MBT Divers (tel. 850/455-7702; www.mbtdivers.com) has rentals, instruction, and trips to several sites, including the habitats of sea turtles, manta rays, and nurse sharks.

Key Sailing Center, 500 Quietwater Beach Rd., on the Quietwater Beach Boardwalk (tel. 877/932-7272 or 850/932-5520; www.keysailing.com); and Radical Rides, 444 Pensacola Beach Blvd., near the Bob Sikes Bridge (tel. 850/934-9743), rent Hobie Cats, pontoon boats, WaveRunners, jet skis, and windsurfing boards.