Stay In A Story

Beyond the beach chairs and sunset cocktails, another kind of Emerald Coast experience awaits—one rooted in wraparound porches, handwritten welcome notes, and breakfasts served with a side of local lore. Historic bed-and-breakfast inns offer something refreshingly personal: conversation over coffee, architecture with a story to tell, and innkeepers who treat guests more like friends than reservations.

If you’re looking to slow your pace and savor a different side of the coast, these historic B&Bs invite you to linger longer and experience the region through its homes, heritage, and heartfelt hospitality.

Photo by Matt Burke

Pensacola Victorian Is a Lesson in Local History

At an age when many slow down, Barbee and Chuck Major have spent decades welcoming guests into their five-bedroom, turn-of-the-century home—and they still look forward to each arrival.

“They come from all over the world. There aren’t too many countries represented who haven’t stayed with us,” Barbee Major says.

Guests arrive for charm and history and leave with stories of their own. The Queen Anne Victorian, built in 1892 by sea captain William Hazard Northup—later Pensacola’s mayor—has lived many lives, including a brief chapter as
a mortuary.

For Barbee, the home was something of a calling. While vacationing in Navarre nearly three decades ago, a friend described a house she believed would one day belong to her. Soon after, the Majors discovered a bed-and-breakfast on West Gregory Street that matched the vision. Within months, they made an offer and began a new chapter.

“My friend’s dream came true, and so did mine!” she says.

Hospitality came naturally. Barbee grew up in the restaurant business and later ran a company producing special events and promoting artists in St. Louis. Running a B&B, she says, “wasn’t much of a leap.”

That ease translates into an experience that feels both polished and personal. The inn’s four guest suites—Victoria, Elizabeth, Suzanna, and the Captain—welcome a steady stream of repeat visitors.

Breakfast is part of the tradition, but the adjacent Cottage Café, opened in 2004 in the former carriage house, has become a destination of its own.

“Everything is good, but the chicken curry salad seems to be a favorite. People come in asking for it,” Majors says.

For the Majors, success is simple.

“They tell us it’s comfy, Southern, and happy—and that’s what we wanted.”

Photo by Matt Burke

Hibiscus House Is the Place to “Be”

Along a shaded stretch of DeFuniak Street in Grayton Beach, Hibiscus Coffee & Guesthouse reveals itself slowly—through greenery, a winding path, and a collection of cottages and rooms that feel discovered rather than designed.

Now led by a new generation of the Tape family, the longtime property continues to evolve while holding tight to its laid-back spirit. Warren Tape, son of founder Kurt Tape, works alongside his sons—Samwise, the general manager, and Atticus, who tends the gardens that give the property its lush, tucked-away feel.

The inn has grown organically, now offering 12 charming—if delightfully quirky—guest rooms across the main house, cottages, Bert’s Barn, and flats. Each space carries its own personality, from Old Florida nostalgia to the playful Funky Bird and the soulful Big Easy. Three rooms welcome pets.

Bert’s Barn, the oldest structure on-site, dates to 1904 and carries one of the property’s most enduring stories.

“Someone put an ad in the paper that said, ‘Come and get it,’” Warren Tape says. “My dad did.”

That spirit—resourceful, whimsical, and deeply local—still defines the experience.

Inside the main house, a former Art Deco guest room now serves as a retail space featuring coastal jewelry by local artist Wendy Mignot. Nearby, the café—operated by Jenifer Kuntz of Raw & Juicy—offers breakfast and lunch built around organic, locally sourced ingredients.

Out back, the Backyard of Love serves as a gathering space for farmers markets, yoga sessions, and casual events that blur the line between guest and local.

At the center of it all is a simple ritual. Each morning, a phrase appears on a chalkboard—“Be happy,” “Be still,” “Be grateful.”

“Sometimes people call from out of town just to ask what the word is,” Tape says.

The experience is intentionally unfussy. The beach is close enough to feel like an extension of the property itself.

“The location is great. It’s just a stroll to the beach,” Tape assures.

“Kicking back is a requirement,” this innkeeper adds—a phrase his father coined that still captures the essence of the place.

Hibiscus House doesn’t ask for much. It simply invites you to be present, unhurried, and entirely at ease.

Photo by Matt Burke

Aunt Martha’s Is a Living Legacy

Though built just 25 years ago, Aunt Martha’s Bed and Breakfast feels rooted in an earlier era shaped by family history and Old Florida traditions.

For Martha Jo Garvie, that history runs deep. Her grandparents owned Fort Walton Beach’s first hotel, the Gulf View, and later opened the town’s first restaurant, Staff’s, which marked its 100th anniversary before closing in 2013.

Garvie grew up immersed in that world—helping in the hotel, working in the garden, and learning the rhythms of a small coastal town.

“I was born in 1941. When I grew up here, there were only about 90 people in town, so you had to be resourceful. We all helped. Everyone had a part,” she says.

When her husband, Bill Garvie, retired from the FBI, the couple saw an opportunity to build something of their own. With waterfront property zoned for commercial use—and a large extended family—they designed a home that could double as a bed-and-breakfast.

“If things didn’t work out, we figured we had plenty of family to fill it,” Garvie says.

Things did work out. More than two decades later, Aunt Martha’s remains a peaceful retreat overlooking Santa Rosa Sound.

“It’s a little bit of heaven. It’s real peaceful and quiet,” she says.

The home reflects that sense of comfort. Guests gather in a library warmed by a fireplace, while adjoining living spaces and a sunroom open to a sweeping veranda. Upstairs, five guest rooms—each with Southern-inspired names like Ivy, Rose, and Blue Bonnet—offer a blend of elegance and familiarity.

Bill once suggested naming the rooms after Civil War battles, but Martha had other ideas.

“I didn’t think that was a very good idea,” she says.

Breakfast is a centerpiece of the stay, often including Southern egg dishes, ham and cheese grits, stuffed French toast, and fresh fruit cobbler.

Despite never advertising, the inn has built a loyal following. Many families return each year, especially during the Billy Bowlegs festivities.

“They have parties and cookouts. Their kids have grown up here,” Garvie says.

Over time, she has watched Fort Walton Beach evolve from a town where mail was delivered by boat into a growing coastal community.

“I think it’s great. My family has always been for progress. If it’s done correctly, it can’t do anything but help,” she says.

Still, history holds its place—living on in the stories she shares and the names recorded in her guest book.

Welcome Inn

Plan your stay at these historic Emerald Coast retreats

Pensacola Victorian
Bed & Breakfast
203 West Gregory Street
Pensacola
(850) 434-2818
PensacolaVictorian.com

Hibiscus Guesthouse
117 DeFuniak Street
Grayton Beach
(850) 231-2733
HibiscusFlorida.com

Aunt Martha’s Bed and Breakfast
315 Shell Avenue SE
Fort Walton Beach
(850) 243-6702
AuntMarthasBedandBreakfast.com