My wife and I are heading to Florida on our annual flying adventure tomorrow. We are hoping to fly along the Gulf coast from New Orleans to St. Petersburg, and we are looking for cool stops along the way. I would appreciate any tips and interesting sites and cool places to eat and stay.
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Flying the gulf coast.
- Thread starter Gt-401
- Start date
N804RV
Well Known Member
Not on your route per se. But, Fantasy of Flight, just east of Tampa off I-4 is a must see!
https://www.fantasyofflight.com/collection/
https://www.fantasyofflight.com/collection/
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Cedar key (KCDK) for sure. Can search VAF for plenty more info on it.
Chris
Chris
Jesse
Well Known Member
Foley, AL (5R4) is a great stop. Lambert's Cafe will pick you up at the airport for lunch or dinner (no breakfast). That's a great experience. You'll tell people about it for years.
Cedar Key is also really nice. It's a healthy walk to town, or you can have the taxi lady who monitors the Unicom take you. It's a nice half-day visit.
Cedar Key is also really nice. It's a healthy walk to town, or you can have the taxi lady who monitors the Unicom take you. It's a nice half-day visit.
rv7charlie
Well Known Member
FOF museum was open in April 2016; we toured it. The original building, that basically had a bunch of flight sims, etc was not. We stopped in there about 15 yrs ago & didn't even go in, because we weren't interested in the sims & there wasn't much of a museum then. You cannot fly in.
LuLu's (Jimmy Buffet's sister) Restaurant in Gulf Shores AL is walking distance from the airport, or you can borrow a crew car from the FBO.
I've heard good things about Lambert's but haven't eaten there. Some friends flew down several years ago, and they picked them up at the airport, took them in the back entrance past a very long line of waiting customers & give them immediate seating (no waiting).
There's a runway (no services, last time I visited) on Dauphin Island, just south of Mobile AL. Some of the restaurants on the island will pick you up, but the nearest one is about a 15 minute walk.
Big +1 for Pensacola NAS Museum; only problem is you need to allocate at least 3-4 hours for a quick run-through. I've been there several times, and my wife and I are planning to go again next month, on the way home from a family trip to Ditzy World. Word is that they've opened another building or two full of a/c.
Charlie
LuLu's (Jimmy Buffet's sister) Restaurant in Gulf Shores AL is walking distance from the airport, or you can borrow a crew car from the FBO.
I've heard good things about Lambert's but haven't eaten there. Some friends flew down several years ago, and they picked them up at the airport, took them in the back entrance past a very long line of waiting customers & give them immediate seating (no waiting).
There's a runway (no services, last time I visited) on Dauphin Island, just south of Mobile AL. Some of the restaurants on the island will pick you up, but the nearest one is about a 15 minute walk.
Big +1 for Pensacola NAS Museum; only problem is you need to allocate at least 3-4 hours for a quick run-through. I've been there several times, and my wife and I are planning to go again next month, on the way home from a family trip to Ditzy World. Word is that they've opened another building or two full of a/c.
Charlie
RBD
Well Known Member
He did, but it is now open on a limited basis. Looks like current hours are Friday-Sunday, 11am to 3pm. I took the wife and kids over there to see it before it "closed". Amazing collection of planes, for sure, and generous of him to share them with the public.
https://www.fantasyofflight.com/collection/contact-info/2015-calendar/
N804RV
Well Known Member
rv7boy
Forum Peruser
Kermit has a fantastic Facebook page and you can keep up with the museum plans and goings-on via that. For example he recently hit 25,000 FB followers so he's going to have a raffle (sorry the raffle has already closed) to pick one lucky person to come to FoF and choose which airplane to fly in and get a personal tour with Kermit.
Check his web page and the Facebook page. But the previous mention about the museum being scaled down and very restricted hours is true.
However, he is planning a New Phase of Fantasy of Flight so in the future it should be interesting.
Jesse
Well Known Member
Get flight following and they will keep you out of he airspace that they want you out of. You can go north of the restricted areas via Crestview and Defuniak Springs, or you can go just off the beach and stay south of it. If it's a nice day, flying the beach is great.
GHRoss3
Member
Flying the NW FL Gulf Coast Airspace
I fly out of Eglin AFB in an USAF Aeroclub 172. Our airspace can be extremely busy any day of the week, but accommodating. Flight along the Gulf in the East West corridor is not a problem if you know the rules, talk to Eglin Approach (125.1 or 132.1) and keep your mark one eyeball on a swivel. You might see Hurlburt Field's CV-22, C-130, and U-28s, visiting Army Helos, banner towing aircraft, a sight seeing Robinson R-44 helo that operates out of a pad near the Destin Commons, or an occasional RV in the corridor, plus jets departing DTS, and the Eglin fighter fleet heading out to the south warning areas over the Gulf. Don't assume the restricted areas/MOAs are cold on the weekends and please take the FAA Safety special flight rules course for the airspace around Elgin/Destin.
https://www.faasafety.gov/gslac/ALC...ID=47&sID=278&searchresults=true&preview=true
Because of the significant increase in VFR and IFR traffic going into Destin (DTS) the FAA will start operation of the the new Control Tower this spring.
My normal VFR route of flight to central FL is VFR to Handle (HLL) VORTAC, then through the Tyndall MOA direct to ADDAX, then direct Cross City (CTY) VORTAC and X60 Williston Muni for cheap gas and food at the Pyper Cafe. Jesse Saint is close at X35 Dunnellon Marion County. Enjoy the views of the sugar white sand beaches of NW FL.
Cheers,
George
I fly out of Eglin AFB in an USAF Aeroclub 172. Our airspace can be extremely busy any day of the week, but accommodating. Flight along the Gulf in the East West corridor is not a problem if you know the rules, talk to Eglin Approach (125.1 or 132.1) and keep your mark one eyeball on a swivel. You might see Hurlburt Field's CV-22, C-130, and U-28s, visiting Army Helos, banner towing aircraft, a sight seeing Robinson R-44 helo that operates out of a pad near the Destin Commons, or an occasional RV in the corridor, plus jets departing DTS, and the Eglin fighter fleet heading out to the south warning areas over the Gulf. Don't assume the restricted areas/MOAs are cold on the weekends and please take the FAA Safety special flight rules course for the airspace around Elgin/Destin.
https://www.faasafety.gov/gslac/ALC...ID=47&sID=278&searchresults=true&preview=true
Because of the significant increase in VFR and IFR traffic going into Destin (DTS) the FAA will start operation of the the new Control Tower this spring.
My normal VFR route of flight to central FL is VFR to Handle (HLL) VORTAC, then through the Tyndall MOA direct to ADDAX, then direct Cross City (CTY) VORTAC and X60 Williston Muni for cheap gas and food at the Pyper Cafe. Jesse Saint is close at X35 Dunnellon Marion County. Enjoy the views of the sugar white sand beaches of NW FL.
Cheers,
George
Lakefront Apt in New Orleans
If you want to stop in New Orleans I recommend Lakefront Airport (KNEW). Lakefront was one of the premier airports in the south at one time. It was built on "made land" in Lake Pontchartrain in the 1930's because Huey Long wanted to keep it out of the hands of New Orleans elites. The art deco terminal was restored after Hurricane Katrina. The airport is not far (15 min) from the French Quarter. John
If you want to stop in New Orleans I recommend Lakefront Airport (KNEW). Lakefront was one of the premier airports in the south at one time. It was built on "made land" in Lake Pontchartrain in the 1930's because Huey Long wanted to keep it out of the hands of New Orleans elites. The art deco terminal was restored after Hurricane Katrina. The airport is not far (15 min) from the French Quarter. John
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I took the course tonight. It was very helpful.. Thanks for the link, I wouldn't have found it otherwise.. We will make it to the coast tomorrow. Hoping to camp at dauphin Island tomorrow night.
We stopped at Natchez Mississippi today and toured some of the really old houses there. Great stop. Lots of history there.
We stopped at Natchez Mississippi today and toured some of the really old houses there. Great stop. Lots of history there.
Paul 5r4
Well Known Member
Dauphin Island Alabama
If you're around South Alabama's Mobile Bay there is a nifty little airport called Dauphin Island. Usually no more than one or two planes on the ramp. There is nothing there not even an FBO. It's used by companies to ferry people to the rigs in the Gulf. For a great $100 burger be sure to check out Sunset Grill at most a 10 minute walk. There is another restaurant a few miles away that in the past would pick you up and bring you back. Don't know the name of that one and don't know if they still do. I was over there just this past weekend. A very relaxing and peaceful place.
Same place different day
If you're around South Alabama's Mobile Bay there is a nifty little airport called Dauphin Island. Usually no more than one or two planes on the ramp. There is nothing there not even an FBO. It's used by companies to ferry people to the rigs in the Gulf. For a great $100 burger be sure to check out Sunset Grill at most a 10 minute walk. There is another restaurant a few miles away that in the past would pick you up and bring you back. Don't know the name of that one and don't know if they still do. I was over there just this past weekend. A very relaxing and peaceful place.
Same place different day
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