St. Joseph Peninsula, Florida
On our way across Florida we got a Facebook message from David and Gia Barnes (our followers) telling us we had to visit Port St. Joe. As luck would have it we had just booked a campground outside the city. It was more of a marina than a campground but it turned out to be a great spot! Plus, Singa loved hunting bugs in the tall grasses!
David is the chief of police and really had a sincere love for his town. He gave us the grand tour of the city and told us its tragic yet determined past. Apparently this is the city that just won’t go away! The town has been wiped out by hurricanes, hit by plagues and yet still keeps coming back. Port St. Joe is part of the emerald coast and has a small population of around 3,600.
So, of course the 2 best restaurants in town just happen to be next door to each other. David and Gia treated us to both. Provisions has amazing Italian and some of the best oven roasted oysters we have ever had. The very popular Peppers Mexican Cantina makes Mexican just the way I like it, everything is smothered in cheese!
After hanging out with Gia and John for a couple of days and hearing them talk about St. Joseph Peninsula and how beautiful it is, we had to go check it out. We thought Port St. Joe was beautiful but apparently this state park is the locals retreat. It’s easy to see why this park is one of the top rated beaches in the United States. Some of the highest dunes in the nation are here as well as some of the last remaining coastal sand pine scrub (just looked like grasses to us but I am sure it’s very important grass). We didn’t stay at the park but they do offer camping and had some really nice sites. If you’re looking for a relaxing and beautiful getaway, this beach is on our top 10 list!
Ted Jernigan
Wynns, I am enjoying your posts. I have lived in the Caribbean (Puerto Rico), US west coast and East coast and Tiawan. I am a native Dallasite born there in 1946. I worked for Texas Instruments for 36 years retired in 1998 and and went to work in the real estate business, and am still active today. I spent 4 years in the U.S. Coast Guard and 18 months of that time on a 210 ft cutter and because it was a new ship going through initial deployment and training we spent a lot of time underway. One of my favorite memories was sailing from Miami to Nassau. I was called to the bridge late one night because the radar was not working correctly. When I finished the repairs I went out and sat down on the wing of the bridge and looked at the stars and the phosphorescence in the water. It was like there were stars in the sky and in the water. My sailing experience is all self taught. I owned a Laser in Dallas and sailed on White Rock Lake. I sailed on a Sunfish when I lived in Fajardo, Puerto Rico and I had a 22 ft swing keel sailboat in Austin on Lake Travis. You and everyone else on the sailing channels are real inspirations. My wife and my two sons were never very interested in sailing. The sailing channels have rekindled my interest, but I think it is a bit late for me at 72 years. Do you ever get back to Dallas? Why is it listed as your home port? You have a standing invitation from me for dinner if you come to Dallas. Ted
Steve marsh
Thanks so much for sharing your adventures and making them so accessible. My wife and 3yr old son are planning our first road trip from NY to Florida, to the grand canyon and everywhere in between. We left yesterday. We have some plans but are exploring as we go in our pop up camper. You mentioned you didn’t stay at the state park, where did you stay and why not the park? Any other tips you have for us newbie adventurers would be great! Thanks again for your fantastic blog.
Jason Wynn
We stayed close to town at a random marina. Can’t remember why, I think it was simply because we were passing through and the state park was off route.
Our site is full of tips, but I’ll start with the most important: Take it slow and remember to enjoy 🙂
Jason and Karen
Just found this blog about St. Joe! We have been talking about heading to that State Park for about a year now and next spring just might be the time now that you have given us a better picture of the area! Thanks for the info!
Jane
Hi Nikki and Jason,
My name is Jane and I’m with Dwellable.
I was looking for blog posts about the Port St. Joe to share on our site and I came across your post…If you’re open to it, shoot me an email at jane(at)dwellable(dot)com.
Hope to hear from you 🙂
Jane
Jason Wynn
small town, great food, and pristine beaches…this is a road trekker’s dream destination. Great memories.
kittykat
I want to go to here. It looks beautiful!
Karen
Love the sand & that it isn’t crowded. Will have to look into it when I am back that way. Enjoy your visit there and enjoy your continued adventures. 😀
David & Gia
Thanks alot for posting such a wonderful review of our town and area. We look forward to seeing you again in the future.
Brian at EverhwhereOnce
What a great part of the U.S., and one that is mostly “undiscovered” by rest of the country. We found the beaches from Apalachicola to Pensacola to be some of the most beautiful we’ve seen anywhere in the world. Also nearby, St. Marks Wildlife Refuge and Edward Ball State Park, had all the wildlife of the Everglades but with even better scenery.
We really loved our trip through that part of FL. Thanks for reminding us.
Brian