On the east side of the bay from the city lie Pensacola's real attractions: the glistening beaches and windswept sand dunes of
Santa Rosa Island
(the barrier island that runs sixty miles from Fort Walton).
Pensacola Beach
in particular has everything you'd want from a Gulf Coast beach: mile after mile of fine white sands, water sports rental outlets, a busy fishing pier and a sprinkling of motels, beachside bars and snack stands. A short way west, at the
Gulf Islands National Seashore
, on Fort Pickens Road (9am-dusk; cars $4, pedestrians and cyclists $2), vibrant white sands are walled by a nine-mile-long stretch of high, rugged dunes, and the only reminder of civilization is a foliage-encircled campground.
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