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!