Bars 106-141 Florida's Panhandle
Can't say I got a whole lot of care I'm in the redneck riviera. It's getting crazy, getting hammered, sitting right here at the Flora-Bama
- Kenny Chesney
We made a trip to the Panhandle to see Kenny Chesney's only concert of 2014. He announced a free concert on August 16, 2014 at the Flora-Bama. One of our favorite singers and beach bars, sign us up! We took this opportunity to see untouched Florida, and visit several amazing beach bars in the area.
Bar 106: Blue Parrot
Our first bar led us off the main road but it was worth it! The Blue Parrot is in a quiet area of Florida. It was nice to relax and have lunch.
Ryan had the first drink of the trip. A Sandblaster (Mix of Mango, Blackberry, lime and rum). Ryan was debating whether he should get it or not and then the waitress said "Just get it!"
Bar 107: Toucan's Tiki Bar
Our next stop took us even more out of the way to Mexico Beach. A charming tiki bar with lots of character right on the way. We recommend it!
Sarah had a glass of the house Pino Grigio. Very refreshing on a hot day!
Bar 108: Schooners
Schooners is the Last Local Beach Club and it shows! Right on the beach, with good drinks and a fabulous view!
Ryan ordered a Sunset Splash- raspberry vodka, coconut rum, mango, OJ, pineapple and lime. And a fun souvenir cup!
Bar 109: Spinnaker
We were expecting a lot from this bar and it sure delivered! Luke Bryan has played here a few times, shot a couple music videos and many other celebrities including Kenny Chesney have played here. This was a multi-story bar right on the beach. Complete with a waterfall and pool!
Sarah ordered the bar speciality a SoCo Watermelon. A nice change of taste from some of the other fruity beach drinks.
Bar 110: Pineapple Willy's
We spent time at the inside bar at Pineapple Willy's and we loved every air-conditioned moment of it!
Of course, we had to have a Pineapple Willy! They generously made it for us in a smaller size (We have to pace ourselves!!)
Their big claim to fame is that they will give you drinks to go. They give you the frozen drink, and then a small bottle of the sealed alcohol. Pretty neat idea! They also make their own moonshine.
Their bar was by far one of the coolest we have seen! It's a lifeguard chair.
Bar 111: Hooter's Panama City Beach
Yeah, wasn't a huge fan of this one. The view is nice but it doesn't offer anything different than the other bars, unless of course you weren't thinking of the view of the beach.
Sarah ordered a Miller Light, a tribute to her home town of Milwaukee. For the record, she doesn't really like Miller Lite but it was on happy hour special and $2.00. Done.
Bar 112: Sharky's Beach Club
This was a very large, cool tiki bar on the beach! We took a break from the fruity drinks and settled in to listen to some live music with a vodka cranberry and Landshark appetizer.
And yes, we usually have water at each of these bars too!
Bar 113: Hook'd
This may seem like a small-time bar that you can skip but we found it to be extremely refreshing from the commercialization of Pier Park that is just across the street. Just steps away from the hustle and bustle you can sit on the back and look out over the beach and Pier. We caught it just around sunset and it was spectacular!
Ryan ordered a DeStress, and it most certainly did! vodka, coconut rum, peach schnapps, OJ, pineapple and cranberry.
Keeping track of our bars, this was #8 for the day!
Bar 114: Pompano Joe's Panama City Beach
We sat upstairs and had the bar to ourselves! Our bartender, Colton, was fantastic! We ordered a Caribbean Cooler. They usually layer it in a hurricane glass, but we asked for a souvenir glass.
The sunset views were a perfect pairing to the company and cocktail!
Bar 115: Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville
Our night was starting to wind down a bit so we stumbled over to Margaritaville. Okay, not really, we walked just fine over there! (Bonus points for anyone who gets the Buffett song reference).
Ryan took one for the team and ordered a margarita shot. Which turned out to be mainly tequila.
Great decor and a fun atmosphere like you would find at any Margaritaville.
Bar 116: Bud and Alley's
Our last stop of the evening was Bud and Alley's. They have an upstairs, outdoor bar that is supposed to have a fabulous view. It was dark though so we opted to go inside to the restaurant and get some dinner and a glass of wine.
The meal and wine were both phenomenal and I would love to go back some time!
Bar 117: Red Door Saloon
We started our day at the Red Door Saloon with our new friend Eric and bartenders Kyle and Brandy. We were almost the first people here but Eric beat us to it.
We each had a pineapple upside down cake shot.
Bar 118: Boathouse Oyster Bar
Just down the hill from Red Door Saloon, is the Boathouse Oyster Bar. Keith Urban has played here, and was recommended by all the locals!
Here is Sarah with her first Bloody Mary Oyster shooter of the day. We are in oyster country so it seemed fitting!
Bar 119: AJ's Seafood and Oyster Bar
This is another iconic bar in Destin! Overlooking the water and a great typical beach bar. They had a great duo of live-music playing.
Sarah ordered a bloody mary oyster shooter.
The one downside of this bar was that they advertised that the shooter was made with Absolute and they used an off-brand but still charged the full price. That was a bit of a downer and something you should watch for!
Bar 120: Shark Shack
As Florida Beach bar notes this is one of the smallest bars ever! We walked around to try and find it. Just a hint, it is on the Harbor Walk but head towards AJ's near the marina.
Sarah ordered a Landshark, and it was a well deserved reward for finding this place! Ryan was exhausted from searching!
Bar 121: Margaritaville Destin Harbor Walk
This is a brand new Margaritaville in Destin! It had only been open about 6 months when we stopped by. One of the most amazing Margaritaville's we have ever been to, over looks the water, has live music and is multi-leveled.
Ryan had a strawberry lemon drop shot and our bartender "Poodle" had us try a taste of his favorite tequila Corazon. Both were really good!
Sarah on the upper Landshark Landing
Bar 122: Juana's Pagoda
By far one of the best bars on the trip. Great live music, and they have an actual beach bar where you can sit with your feet in the sand. It reminded us very much of a bar we visited in Mexico with some friends.
They were promoting Blue Chair Bay Rum and happened to have the banana in stock. Ryan has always wanted to try it so he sipped a chilled shot of it.
Bar 123: Pier Bar and Grill
Just a block away is the Pier Bar and Grill. Honestly, this had amazing views! We were hard pressed this trip to find a beach bar without an amazing view! We were definitely spoiled!
Sarah ordered a Red Stripe as a nod to our honeymoon in Jamaica!
This is a Top Florida Beach Bar! You really have to know that this place is here in order to find it but it is worth navigating towards. The views and live music are definitely what make this place!
Ryan ordered a sweet tea vodka and lemonade and we split mozzarella sticks and really yummy hushpuppies.
Bar 125: Crabs We Got Em'
This was the first bar in an area that is filled with great bars and restaurants. This was a really fun place with fun people.
We tried a Blue Crab Trap which was on special for happy hour. It was pretty good and one of the best glasses we had all weekend.
The Bushwacker was created in Pensacola, but more on that later. We tried the one here and it was fantastic. One of our favorites of all that we tried in the area!
Bar 126: The Dock
Next door was The Dock, a more typical beach bar. The staff here was the most accommodating, Lee was the best bartender and she is really enthusiastic about this bar!
Any place that supports Kona Brewing is a favorite of ours!
They are home to the $5 Jager Shot, Jager and energy drink. We decided Ryan needed to try one!
They also let us try their Bushwacker- it was really good!
Guys, be prepared... this is the urinal!
Bar 127: Flounder's Chowder House
We ate dinner and sat on the back patio at Flounders. Another great view and delicious food. Sarah did make the mistake of ordering the chowder, the chowder was fantastic but not so refreshing on a 100 degree day!
The Margarita was great and was still on happy hour special!
Bar 128: Capt Fun Beach Club
This is the largest waterfront venue in Pensacola Beach. What a fun place, pun intended!
We tried their Bushwacker and then also had a girl scout cookie shot.
Bars 129 and 130: Bamboo Willie's and Hooters Pensacola
These two bars are connected and share a location and pier.
Sarah had a Red Stag Jungle Juice- Red Stag and Cherry. And they also let us try their Bushwacker. Very nice bartender and staff here. We could see spending some more time here!
Ryan at the Hooter's bar!
Bar 131: Hemingways Island Grill
WE LOVED THIS PLACE! This is actually the only bar that we went back to for a second time the entire trip. And it is probably because it isn't a typical bar. They do have a Bimini Bar on the first level out back, but we found our retreat at the Tower Bar upstairs. As a bonus, the second night we were there, we could hear the band from Bamboo Willies.
This is one of the best kept secrets of Pensacola. The view is spectacular, and our first trip they had live music.
We ordered a Papa Doble Daiquiri, it's a daiquiri made with grapefruit juice. Again, a nice change from the very sweet beach bar drinks.
Our bartender also introduced us to Zing Zang Bloody Mary mix and told us that the key to a good Bloody Mary is to layer it. We will be trying out that technique and the mix soon.
Bar 132: Shaggy's Waterfront
This wasn't on our original list but we are so glad we went! We caught it just around that magical twilight hour and had a great time at the bar.
The bartender making our lemon drop shot. Delicious!
Bar 133: Sandshaker Lounge and Package
This is home to the original Bushwacker so we of course had to get one! We went with the recommended version and added some Sailor Jerry to it.
We learned about the history of the bar and the area from our new friends Laura and Scot. It was really great getting to know them and to hear about this bar! This is another Top Florida Beach bar and we agree! Multiple levels and stages and great drinks make this the place to be in Pensacola.
Bar 134: Landshark Landing
Forgive the blurry photo of this. It was fairly dark so the photo didn't turn out very well but it is of no reflection of this bar! It is connected to Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville hotel. There is a huge sand pit out back with hammocks, and a fire pit in the shape of the Landshark fin. We need to go back in the daylight!
Sarah ordered a Landshark- of course!
This duo provided the soundtrack for our time there and we loved every moment of it.
Bar 135: Casino Beach Bar and Grille
This was a new bar to the area, in fact, the tile work in the bathrooms wasn't even done yet.The same owners also started the famous World of Beer chain. It was still too early to tell, but the location right on the beach is good and the drink was good too. We hope it lasts in the area!
Bar 136: Peg Legged Pete's
What a fabulous way to end our bar hopping extravaganza! We found a semi-quiet spot at the downstairs bar, listened to some live music and Sarah had a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and a half dozen Parmesan oysters. They came recommended by our bartender at Casino and didn't disappoint.
Bar 137: Flora Bama
On Saturday we finally reached the Flora Bama and the reason for our journey! The Kenny Chesney concert was the best we have seen so far, and by camping out in the sun almost all day we were able to get about 30 feet from the stage.
We did take a break during the day and made our way in to the Flora Bama bar. The place was crazy with lots of people and bands jammin' on each of the stages.
Taking some cover from the sun's hot rays!
Flora Bama!
View of the stage from the bar
Ryan ordered a blue chair bay rum and passion fruit drink.
Kenny!
What a perfect end to a great day! Many thanks to the Flora Bama team and the city of Pensacola for organizing a concert that went off without a hitch. We really enjoyed ourselves!
Bar 138: Kenny D's
This is the first beach bar that we have found that is a diner! How cool! It is across the street from the beach, but Sarah ordered a Corona and we sat outside and relaxed.
This has a much better location than the other Pompano Joe's. Right on the beach, this would be a dream to eat lunch at after a long morning on the beach.
We had been hearing a lot about Fireball whiskey over the course of the weekend so decided to try some chilled for this drink.
Bar 140: The Whale's Tail
We chose to sit upstairs and eat lunch, but the downstairs bar looked good and would have had another great view of the Ocean.
Sarah ordered another Corona- must have been all the advertising at the concert the day before. It definitely worked on us!
Bar 141: Red Bar
By far the most eclectic bar on our list thus far and it made us upset that we weren't staying in the area that night otherwise we would have grabbed brunch and a couple more drinks. The vibe in this place was chill and people were gathered to watch a band that was playing. It was really packed on a Sunday afternoon.
Ryan enjoyed an Absolute Stress.
What a great trip! Thank you Florida Beach Bar and Kenny Chesney!!
