8 Best Sights in The Panhandle, Florida

The collection at this museum just outside the Eglin Air Force Base's main gate contains interactive displays and more than 5,000 armaments from World Wars I and II and the Korean, Vietnam, and Gulf wars. Included are uniforms, engines, weapons, aircraft, and flight simulators. You can't miss the museum: there's a squadron of aircraft—including a B-17 Flying Fortress, an SR-71 Blackbird, a B-52, and a B-25—on the grounds in front. A continuously playing 32-minute movie, Arming the Future, features current weapons and Eglin's history and its role in their development. You can take a self-guided tour, and you're allowed to take photos.

Open since 1989, this winery has won honors in national and international competitions, with most wines crafted from two varieties of sweet muscadine grapes: the white Carlos and red Noble. Take a free tour to see how ancient art blends with modern technology. Most of the action takes place during harvest season, from late August through September, when the owners invite visitors to pick and eat some grapes from their on-site preview vineyard (the 50-acre vineyard is about 12 miles north of Defuniak Springs). Wine tastings are held daily throughout the year, and the under-21 set is invited to sample muscadine grape juice.

This sandbar in Destin's East Pass, just north of the Destin (aka Marler) Bridge, is favored by locals, who drop anchor or wade in by the hundreds on fair-weather days, especially weekends. Area businesses offer boat and other rentals. People are friendly, so it's a great place to make new buddies, and the shallow waters are good for families. A food barge as well as slides and other water activities are available seasonally. Amenities: food and drink; water sports. Best for: partiers; snorkeling; swimming.

In front of the modern, 22-story tower that serves as Florida's new state capitol sits the "old" circa-1902 capitol. The domed, classical-styled building with whimsical candy-striped awnings now houses a museum, and its stained-glass interior dome, hallways, governor's suite, and chambers of the state legislature and supreme court have been restored. Other rooms have been filled with artifacts that trace Florida's political history from territorial days to the present as well as revolving exhibits. Docents will provide information for self-guided tours, and you can download a free audio tour from the museum's website.

This tranquil, seaside, county park rests among the rolling dunes on Okaloosa Island. Two dune walkovers lead to the beach, where there are a dozen covered picnic tables, pavilions, changing rooms, and freshwater showers—plus lifeguards in summer. The city's hottest nightlife is just down the road, but families can enjoy the scenic beauty. There is also an emphasis on wheelchair beach access. Amenities: lifeguards (seasonal); parking; showers; toilets. Best for: sunset; swimming; walking.

Although it's known as the "New Capitol," the 22-story skyscraper flanked by lower-slung House and Senate offices actually dates from the 1970s. In the 1960s, when there was talk of relocating the state's seat of government to a more central location like Orlando, Panhandle legislators quickly approved the construction of a sorely needed new complex that would keep the capital in Tallahassee. This New Capitol is prominently placed at the crest of a hill directly behind the classical-style historic capitol.

After going through security, pick up a self-guided-tour brochure at the plaza-level Florida Visitor Center. The governor's office is on the first floor, as is the Florida Artists Hall of Fame, where plaques honor native Floridians and other notable figures associated with the state such as Ray Charles, Burt Reynolds, Tennessee Williams, Ernest Hemingway, and Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. The Italian marble–lined rotunda is abuzz when the legislature is in session (January and February in even years, March through April in odd years) and the head-count goes from 1,500 to 5,000 people. You can watch lawmaking in action from galleries overlooking the fifth-floor House and Senate chambers. For a few contemplative moments away from the crowds, visit the Heritage Chapel, featuring coquina, cypress, and other construction materials typically used in Florida.

Palafox Street is the main stem of historic Downtown Pensacola and the center of the Palafox Historic District. The commercial and government hub of Old Pensacola is now an active cultural and entertainment district, where locally owned and operated bars and restaurants attract both locals and visitors. While in the area, stop by Veterans Memorial Park, just off Bayfront Parkway near 9th Avenue. The ¾-scale replica of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C., honors the more than 58,000 Americans who lost their lives in the conflict.

For years, Railroad Square consisted of ramshackle warehouses near the train tracks, but visionary owners transformed the area into a funky artists' enclave that now has 70 quirky galleries, shops, and restaurants. If possible visit during the monthly First Friday Festival, a very popular evening open house featuring art, food, music, and a drum circle.