Advice for a 3 month stay (Pensacola, Panama City: rentals, construction jobs, construction)

[2ForTheSea]

Hey All! My husband and I are going to be spending the months of December, January and February in the Destin area. We live in South Florida now and have already prepared ourselves for the difference in climate. We're actually both really looking forward to "winter" weather
We've spent time in the area before, but always just as short term tourists doing touristy things. So, my questions are these:

--Where do locals go for really good food that isn't tourist priced?
--Are there markets that shouldn't be overlooked? I cook a lot and we have some weird dietary habits (no wheat and few other grains-prefer wild caught seafood, grass fed beef, etc)
--We enjoy a good happy hour and actually enjoy interacting with locals and tourists alike. We're really used to living in a tourist area so we've found it's fun to strike up conversations with out of towners.
--I know it's low season, but are there snowbirds? If so, where, in general, are they from? For the most part the snowbirds here are from the Northeast U.S. as well as Ontario and Quebec.
--How about gambling or horse racing?
--Any winter fairs or festivals?
--What should we do, see, experience that is often overlooked?
--And finally, what else should I know about being a reverse snowbird?

Thanks for all your answers. I've been searching on the internet, but most of the stuff I come up with is for vacationers or those relocating permanently.

[southernnaturelover]

I can tell you most panhandle tourists seem to come from the upper South and Midwest, and some from Canada too. Very few from the northeast.

[beachmouse]

--Where do locals go for really good food that isn't tourist priced?

Depends on what kind of food you like. The local restaurant scene is actually pretty large for an area this size. If you avoid the tourist traps, you can find good seafood (Urbanspoon has some useful suggestions), Thai food is pretty common, tasty, and cheap, and there's often a nice cajun/creole influence on the menu. But I've yet to find Chinese down here that's better than passable. Not many Latinos around here (the area actually has a bigger Asian population than Hispanic population until Hurricane Ivan brought a lot of construction jobs to the area.) but there are a few Mexican places that might work, and we've finally got a few Puerto Rican food trucks that seem to draw good reviews.

--Are there markets that shouldn't be overlooked? I cook a lot and we have some weird dietary habits (no wheat and few other grains-prefer wild caught seafood, grass fed beef, etc)

The Publixes around here are generally decent. Fresh Market is a Whole Foods wannabee, but useful for some things. Among independent grocers, I like For the Health of It in Blue Mountain Beach, and there are also a number of fun Asian markets in Ft. Walton Beach.


--I know it's low season, but are there snowbirds? If so, where, in general, are they from? For the most part the snowbirds here are from the Northeast U.S. as well as Ontario and Quebec.

There are a good number of snowbirds because off season rentals are cheap, and the winter weather here is still better than it would be in Chicago. It's the usual northeast-midwest-eastern Canada mix you get in the peninsula.

--How about gambling or horse racing?

Dog tracks and I think card rooms just outside Pensacola and Panama City Beach, a small Indian-run casino just off I-10 in, I think, Atmore, AL, and the big casinos on the Mississippi Gulf Coast are about 2.5 hours away.

--Any winter fairs or festivals?

Probably the usual sorts of things, but I'm not a festival person so don't pay attention to them.

--And finally, what else should I know about being a reverse snowbird?

You're still a snowbird. Just one from a slightly different direction.

[2ForTheSea]

Thank you for the info. We're very much looking forward to our time up there.