0
If ever I were tempted to do the snowbird thing, my flight path might well lead to the westernmost point of the Florida Panhandle.
My perch would be on Perdido Key, a 32-kilometre-long barrier island on the Gulf of Mexico, off Pensacola.
The attractions are many: sunny, relatively mild winters; beaches of sand so white that visitors sometimes liken it to snow; a huge assortment of seafood, fresh from the Gulf; the fact that 65% of the key parkland.
Then there’s the cost of long-term accommodation. Local realtors say rents are least 20% lower than even the Panama City area in the southern Panhandle.
You can save even more if you act in the next few days. The Perdido Key Chamber of Commerce is giving a $100 American Express gift card every week, to a maximum of $300, on stays between Jan. 1 and March 31. But you must register by Nov. 30. Visit www.visitperdido.com/you-playfor details.
Winter is Perdido Key’s low season, and there are lots of condos to fill. Hence incentives aimed at snowbirds.
Pete King, a realtor and the Chamber’s vice-chairperson, says many snowbirds stopped coming after Hurricane Ivan, in September, 2004, caused infrastructure damage.
Happily, this “shadow population,” as he terms it, is returning.
Speaking of disasters, I questioned Laura Lee, of Visit Pensacola, about the massive BP oil spill off Louisiana in April, 2010.
Lee said oil came ashore off Pensacola that June, but the beaches are fine now — “you wouldn’t know there had been a spill” — and that tourism numbers are up 20% from 2009.
I watched BP crews search the beach in front of my condo for tar balls, and was told they do that regularly.
Lee said local seafood has been tested repeatedly since the spill and given a clean bill of health.
Here’s a closer look at Perdido:
* CLIMATE: Average daily highs range from a low of 11 C in January to 16 C in November and March, with an average of 340 days of sunshine a year. St. Petersburg/Clearwater, by comparison, has an average daily high of 20.5 C in January, 24 C in March.
* CONDO RENTALS: Winter rates for one-bedroom condos range from less than $800 a month to $1,500 or so. ResortQuest is one of the major vacation rental firms ( www.resortquest.com).For RV parks, check Perdido Cove, where winter rates start at $525 a month ( www.perdidocove.com).
* GROCERIES: A Publix and a Winn- Dixie are near the mainland side of the bridge to the key. A family member who winters in Florida tells me dairy products and meat are generally cheaper there, flour products and paper goods generally more expensive, assuming our currencies are about equal. Locals recommend Perdido Bay Seafood, by the bridge. Sample prices: grouper and snapper, $12 a pound; yellow fin tuna, $10; shrimp, $7 to $12, depending on size.
* DINING TIPS: Fisherman’s Corner, near Perdido Bay Seafood, specializes in New Orleans-style Creole cooking. Lots of entrees under $20. Reservations essential. Two recommendations on the Key: Simply Southern Deli, “comfort food . . . a real gem;” and Lillian’s, for award-winning pizza.
* Activities: Nine golf courses are within 20-minute drive of the Key. Sample green fees, all including cart: Lost Key Golf Club, $50 before noon, $40 after noon; Marcus Pointe Country Club, $38 Monday to Thursday, $48 Friday to Sunday; Osceola Municipal Golf Course, daily rate $27, $22 on Super Tuesdays; Perdido Bay Golf Club, $49 before 1 p.m., $39 after 1 p.m.
Part of Gulf Islands National Seashore is on Perdido. Tip: Instead of paying $8 a vehicle to get in, buy an annual family pass for $25. There’s one state park on the Key and two just off it. The biggest attraction around Pensacola is the National Naval Air Museum, which will be featured next week.
Doug English can be reached at denglishtravel@gmail.com or by mail c/o London Free Press, P.O.E. Box 2280, London, Ont. N6A 4G1.
Eligible trips include: