Canoeing in and near Pensacola, Florida

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 paddleboating.

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, where you can observe plant life and wildlife along nature trails. The park has facilities for fishing, picnicking, and camping. Admission is $4 per day per vehicle with driver, $2 per pedestrian or bicyclist. Campsites cost $20, plus $6.70 reservation fee, and $7 nightly fee for RVs. For camping reservations, go to reserve.floridastateparks.org/Web/#!park/8.

Adventures Unlimited, 8974 Tomahawk Landing Rd., Milton (tel. 800/239-6864 or 850/623-6197), is a year-round resort with canoeing, kayaking, and tubing trips. Canoe trips start at $25 per person with a two-person minimum charge per canoe. Kayaking adventures are from $30. Tubes start at $18. There are 12 furnished cabins, including five riverfront cabins, three creekfront cabins, and several bungalows in the woods. Cabin prices range from $99 to $249 a night. Some cabins have fireplaces and tubs. Two-night minimum stays are required, 3 nights on holidays and from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Rustic cabins range in price from $49 to $59 per night and do not have indoor kitchens or bathrooms. There's also the School House Inn (eight rooms, all with private bathroom), whose rooms range $89 to $129 per night. Campsites are priced from $20 per night and one- and two-room camping cabins are $39 to $59. Call for reservations.

Blackwater Canoe Rental, 10274 Pond Rd. in Milton (tel. 800/967-6789 or 850/623-0235), also rents canoes, kayaks, floats, tubes, and camping equipment. It has three kinds of trips by canoe or kayak: an 11-mile day trip, a 4-mile trip, and a 4-mile tube trip. Prices range from $22 to $38 per person. They also offer overnight camping trips from $45 to $65 per person, and rent tents, sleeping bags, and coolers.

Fishing in and near Pensacola, Florida

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 Pensacola Beach Gulf Fishing Pier, on Fort Pickens Road in Pensacola Beach (tel. 850/934-7200). 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 $7.50 per day for adults, $6.50 for seniors, and $4.50 for children 6 to 12. Bait and equipment cost extra. Observers can watch for $2.25 per person. Rods are available for rent for $14.50. There’s also a gift shop, bar and grill.

Fishing-charter services are offered by Pensacola Beach Charters (tel. 850/932-0304), and Reel Eazy Charters (tel. 850/932-8824). Expect to pay between $700 and $3,000 for 1 to 10 passengers, depending on the length of your trip.

Golf in and around Pensacola, Florida

The Pensacola area has its share of Northwest Florida’s championship golf courses. Reasonably priced golf packages can be arranged through many local hotels and motels.

Among this region’s best courses is Marcus Pointe, 2500 Oak Pointe Dr. (tel. 850/484-9770), which has hosted the Nike Tour, the American Amateur Classic, Riddler Cup, Big Break Golf 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 $22 to $54, depending on the season.

Other courses worth considering are the Lost Key Golf Club, on Perdido Key (tel. 850/549-2160), one of the area’s more difficult courses; Scenic Hills, on U.S. 90 northwest of town (tel. 850/476-0380), with rolling fairways unique in this mostly flat area; the 36-hole Tiger Point, 1255 Country Club Rd., east of Gulf Breeze by Santa Rosa Sound (tel. 850/930-4653), overlooking the water (the 5th-hole green of the East Course sits on an island); Hidden Creek, 3070 PGA Blvd., in Navarre, between Gulf Breeze and Fort Walton Beach (tel. 850/939-4604); and Osceola Municipal Golf Course, 300 Tonawanda, off Mobile Highway (tel. 850/453-7599).

The Perdido Bay Golf Club, 1 Doug Ford Dr. (tel. 850/492-1223), 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 range from $37 to $79.

Watersports in and around Pensacola

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. Among the other military-oriented reefs: the Russian freighter San Pablo, a Navy barge, an A-7 Corsair that fell off the deck of the carrier USS Lexington, Vietnam-era tanks, and the USS Oriskany, a retired aircraft carrier. There are also good snorkeling sites just off the beach; get a map from the Gulf Islands National Seashore.

Niuhi Dive Charters, 10121 Sinton Dr., Pensacola (tel. 850/529-2475), offers dive trips to wrecks, natural reefs, artificial reefs, and the USS Oriskany, all within a short boat ride of Pensacola Pass. They even do spearfishing tours.

While  they don’t rent scuba gear, Dive Pros Dive Center, 7203 W. Hwy. 98, Pensacola (tel. 850/456-8845), does. Charter rates range from $175 to $250 per person, and rental rates range from $20 to $70 for scuba and dive packages.

Key Sailing Center, 500 Quietwater Beach Rd., on the Quietwater Beach Boardwalk (tel. 877/932-7272 or 850/932-5520), 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. Radical Rides also rents kayaks and paddleboards.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.