Visiting Gulf County Florida & Vacation Sweepstakes

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Gulf County, Florida for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Here in Florida, we have no shortage of beaches to choose from. While some people opt for the fast-paced beach scene, for me the beach is a place to relax. I want to sit on the beach, watch the kids build sand castles and listen to the waves roll. In the evening, I want to feed the birds, watch the sunset and chill. I want to breathe in the fresh air and unwind.

Surrounded by beaches on both coasts, I am a west coast gal. The water is warmer, the waves calmer and the sunsets — amazing! And this weekend my family is off to check out a new west coast beach (well, new to us). We are headed northwest to visit Gulf County Florida for some beach time and much needed R&R. 

Gulf County Florida offers visitors a real, old-fashion Florida experience. Instead of highways, it offers horseback beach rides. Instead of high-rises, you will find cottages, inns and beach house rentals. And all alongside 43 miles of natural shoreline just waiting to be explored. Come visit GCFL.

For nature lovers Gulf County has seaside bike trails, kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, fishing and snorkeling. Plus the mysterious Dead Lakes – a breath-taking water-based graveyard of bottom heavy cypress skeletons, stumps and knees. 

Pet owners can also enjoy Gulf County alongside their four-legged friends. GCFL consistently ranks in the top ten U.S. beaches to bring your pets on vacation.

Fun fact – Gulf County has two time zones! How’s that for a reason to relax and go with the flow!

Like GCFL on Facebook and salute real beauty!

#GCFLnofilter Contest

Wouldn’t you like to visit Gulf County for your own weekend of relaxing?

Embrace the selfie and share your best one in the #GCFLnofilter contest to win a trip to GCFL. 

GCFL believes you never look more beautiful than getting outside and doing what you love. As a salute to everyone who stands up for “true” beauty, GCFL is celebrating the realness of GCFL with a real, raw selife. Because nothing is more beautiful than getting outside and living life to the fullest. 

From now through April 17, you are encouraged to share your selfie using the #GCFLnofilter hashtag. Each week someone will win a trip to GCFL that includes three-night accommodations, $200 toward travel and $150 spending money. 

One Instagram picture could be your ticket to enjoying a Florida beach vacation. Here’s how to enter:

1. Get outside and snap a picture while doing what you love. Be real. Be messy. The sweatier the more beautiful.
2. Post your picture to Instagram.
3. Tag it #GCFLnofilter and tell @gulfcountyfl what you’re doing in your shot.
4. That’s it. You will be automatically entered to win a getaway to Gulf County.

Need some inspiration? Here’s what I want to be doing in Gulf County – swimming in the gulf with my girl

Plus for every entry, GCFL will donate $1 to Outdoor Nation – up to a final donation of $5,000. Outdoor Nation believes in reconnecting the Millennial Generation to the outdoors. 

So your selfie can do some good too. 

Visiting Gulf County

The drive to Gulf County will be my family’s first real road trip – the untouched Gulf Coast is about a 5.5 hour drive from Orlando. (We are braving the drive with a two year old — wish us good luck.) 

We are gonna unwind and unplug in a gorgeous four-story beach house right on the beach where our plans include a horse back ride on the beach (the girls are going to flip), a fishing trip, lots of sand castles, plenty of photos and most of all out chance to chill while watching the sunset.

We are looking forward to a nice family weekend, and I hope you will follow me on Instagram to see  our adventures in Gulf County. 

For more reasons to visit Gulf County, Florida, check out the county’s 

And don’t forget to enter the #GCFLnofilter contest! If you won the #GCFLnofilter contest, how would you spend your vacation?