Pensacola, Florida, has history, beauty, excitement, and fun
This coastal city sits on Florida's Emerald Coast
Pensacola, on Florida’s Emerald Coast, offers a wonderful mix of activities. Steeped in history and embraced by the U.S. military – most amazing are the Blue Angels which are based here – the Pensacola area has access to beautiful beaches and hosts an array of fantastic restaurants as well as historical and cultural gems that fill a visit with a wide range of possibilities for entertainment and enlightenment.
Prior to European exploration, the Pensacola area was largely unsettled by indigenous peoples. Creek Indians from the area of what is now Alabama and Georgia would visit the Pensacola area for fishing and hunting but established their homes further north.
The Spaniards were the first Europeans to sail into Pensacola Bay, having reached the Florida Panhandle in the 16th Century. However, a year later a massive hurricane hit the area, sinking 10 ships within the two- and half-mile width and 13-mile length of the bay. The Spaniards abandoned their settlement and sought a more inhabitable shoreline. In the 17th Century, control of Pensacola shifted from the French (who had claimed the area in 1682 as part of the Louisiana territory) to the Spanish (who claimed the area in 1686 and established a settlement at Pensacola in 1698 as a buffer against French encroachment).
The Spanish settlement failed because of an epidemic of yellow fever and attacks by hostile Native Americans. In 1719, Spain recaptured Pensacola, only to have it fall into French hands later that year. The French controlled the city until 1722. Then, Spain regained control and governed it from 1722 to 1763. Following the French and Indian War, the British took control of the Panhandle in 1763 and held it until 1781. However, the area shifted once again to Spain in 1781 after Spanish forces arrived from New Orleans during its war with Britain.
During the early 18th Century, three geographers – two British and one colonial American – obtained separate commissions to chart and map the upper Gulf Coast. The result was detailed, accurate nautical maps of Pensacola Bay and other areas along the shoreline. In 1763, with Britain in control, Pensacola became the capital of West Florida. A vigorous trade based on the natural riches of the land pushed Pensacola’s economic success beyond that of the Spanish-held New Orleans.
During Revolutionary War
During the American Revolution, Spanish warships, in support of the colonial Americans, moved into Pensacola Bay and occupied the wealthy West Florida capital. That resulted in Florida and its important city, Pensacola, being handed back to the Spanish once the Americans defeated the British and formed the United States. Britain never again gained a foothold on the Gulf Coast.
When the War of 1812 broke out between the United States and Britain, the United States annexed portions of West Florida. In 1818, U.S. Gen. Andrew Jackson’s troops captured Pensacola and a year later Spain ceded Florida to the United States. Jackson became the first American governor of Florida. The city of Pensacola was incorporated in 1824. Florida was admitted to the Union as the 27th state in 1845. Its landmark lighthouse was constructed in 1859. The city was home to three significant forts: Fort Pickens, Fort Barrancas, and Fort McCree. Barrancas National Cemetery is located there.
The Civil War
Now part of the American South, when the Civil War ignited Florida succeeded from the Union. However, Union warships moved into the Gulf of Mexico soon after the war started, and forts at Pensacola quickly fell to Union forces. After 1862, the Panhandle was not active in the Civil War.
After the Civil War, Pensacola rebuilt its economy around shipping, fishing, and the lumber industry. By the 1920s, sport fishing and the ocean brought forth a small but vigorous tourist industry, restricted by the segregation of races. During the 1950s and 1960s, African Americans in Pensacola campaigned for equal rights. A violent race riot occurred in 1972 at the newly desegregated Escambia High School when black students fought white students over the school’s theme song, “Dixie.” Two years later, an even larger riot occurred in opposition by blacks to the school ‘s mascot, a Confederate rebel.
Tourism
Tourism, largely from the working class in Alabama and Georgia, dubbed Pensacola as part of the “Redneck Riviera.” Pensacola’s upper classes opposed such tourism, though, citing traffic problems, and Destin and Fort Walton overtook it as a vacation mecca. In more recent years, Panama City Beach has embraced tourism along the white-sand coast that is now largely within the larger Gulf Islands National Seashore.
Today, tourism is boosted in Pensacola because it is home to the famous Blue Angels synchronized flying team.
Another city fixture is Joe Patti’s Seafood & Amangiati Gourmet Wine Shop, 524 South B Street, Pensacola. Joe Patti’s has a wide variety of fresh and frozen fish for purchase. The shop has been in Pensacola since 1931. The gourmet wine shop has a large selection of wines and gourmet foods.
U.S. Navy Blue Angels
The famous Blue Angels flying team is stationed at National Aviation Station in Pensacola. The F-18s, with their distinctive blue and gold colors, present choreographed precision flying shows that the Navy flight demonstration team has spent 70 years perfecting. Some 15 million spectators travel to Pensacola Beach in July to see the amazing air show. Maneuvers from 50 feet to 15,000 feet always thrill the viewers with stunning acrobatics. Though an F/A-18 can fly just under Mach 2 at 1,400 mph (twice the speed of sound), during airshows the speeds only reach up to 700 mph. At times, the planes fly as close as 18 inches.
Their biggest show is in mid-July, during the week after July 4 each year. It’s the Pensacola Beach Air Show on Pensacola Beach. The week begins with Breakfast with the Blues on Wednesday morning at Casino Beach. The Blues first appear at the beach overhead. A full practice show is the following day, starting at 2 p.m. Friday is full dress rehearsal for the Blues as they prepare for Saturday’s big show. On Saturday, the Blues start their fantastic show at 2 p.m. The show lasts about 45 minutes.
And many days throughout the year, you can catch the Blues practicing overhead. They fly from Pensacola Beach to Fort Morgan, Alabama.
An exhibit about the Blue Angels can be seen at the Naval Air Museum. And Pensacola’s T.T. Wentworth Jr. Museum has an exhibit in the reconstructed Trader Jon’s about the pilots of the Blue Angels who often hung out at the well-known bar before it closed.
Temperature: The hottest month is July with an average temperature of 96.8 F. The lowest average for a month is during January with a low of 24.5 degrees F.
Precipitation: Average yearly rainfall is 65 inches. The greatest rainfall average is during July with 7.1 inches.
Population: 53,779 in 2016.
How to Get There: When driving, Pensacola can be reached from Interstate 10, which goes through the city. Pensacola Regional Airport serves air passengers, largely through Delta Airlines. Silver, United, Southwest, Frontier, and American Airlines also serve the airport.
The Blue Angels
in Trader Jon's
in Trader Jon's
Museums
Historic Pensacola Village, 330 South Jefferson Street, Pensacola. (850) 595-5990. This is a collection of 28 properties on eight and a half acres within the area where the original Spanish and British forts were located in downtown Pensacola. You can purchase a ticket that will last seven days and allows you to tour three museums and three historic cottages: T.T. Wentworth Jr. Florida State Museum, Museum of Commerce, Museum of Industry, Julee Cottage, Manuel Barrios Cottage, and the John Appleyard Storytelling Cottage. Other historic houses and buildings in Historic Pensacola Village can only be accessed through guided tours at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. A tour includes all the following houses/buildings and last 60 to 75 minutes: Lavalle House, 205 East Church Street; Dorr House, 311 South Adams Street; Lear/Rocheblave House, 214 East Zaragoza Street; and Old Christ Church, 405 South Adams Street. See below for more information.
T.T. Wentworth Jr. Florida State Museum, 330 South Jefferson Street, Pensacola. (850) 595-5990. This is Pensacola’s flagship history museum. There are two permanent exhibits: The City of Five Flags and Trader Jon’s (which recreates the famous bar owned by Martin “Trader Jon” Weissman). The museum also has changing exhibits. The museum is located in the former Pensacola City Hall, a three-story stone building displaying Mediterranean Revival architecture.
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 4 p.m.; closed on Monday.
Admission: Adults, $5 (good for the Wentworth museum as well as Pensacola Children’s Museum, Tivoli High House, and Voices of Pensacola); Children, $3.
Pensacola Children’s Museum, 115 East Zaragoza Street, Pensacola. (850) 595-1559. Two stories of history fun for children. The first floor recreates Pensacola’s colonial life. It is interactive for children 10 and younger. The second floor has exhibits that explore the city’s military, maritime, industrial, multicultural, Native American, and Civil War history. The Strictly Bricks section is for all ages of children. This is a STEM creative play gallery. The first-floor gallery is closed often for private birthday parties and school tours. See the website for scheduled closing of the first floor.
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 4 p.m.; closed Monday.
Admission: Adults, $5; Children, $3.
Museum of Commerce, 201 East Zaragoza Street, Pensacola. This is a reconstructed 1890s-era streetscape with historic shops, including a print shop exhibit with one of the most complete collections of antique presses and type in the Southeast. Horse-drawn buggies and an antique trolley car are part of the collection.
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; closed Monday and Sunday.
Admission: Adults, $5; Children, $3.
Museum of Industry, 200 East Zaragoza Street, Pensacola. The industries that have built Pensacola are highlighted in various exhibits: lumbering, brick making, railroads, and commercial fishing.
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; closed Monday and Sunday.
Admission: Adults, $5; Children, $3.
Voices of Pensacola, 117 East Government Street, Pensacola. This space provides panels explaining the multicultural history of Pensacola. Its Hilton-Green Research Room makes available historical documents, maps, and photographs.
Hours: Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Monday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Admission: Adults, $5; Children, $3.
Colonial Archaeological Trail. Various locations. This outside museum is unique along the upper Gulf Coast. Plaques placed at significant sites interprets the city’s colonial history and archeology. Click here for a brochure that lists the locations: Brochure.
The Quina House Museum, 204 South Alcaniz Street, Pensacola. This is Pensacola’s oldest structure still existing where it was built. It is a home from the Spanish era, built in 1821, and may date to 1810. It was purchased by Desiderio Quina in 1821. He was an apothecary in Pensacola.
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. Closed Monday and Sunday.
Admission: Free.
Julee Patton Cottage, 210 East Zaragoza Street, Pensacola. A house built around 1805, named for one of its earliest owners, Julee Panton, a free African American woman. The house is typical Creole construction and allows visitors to reflect on the life of working class African-American family in the era of Reconstruction.
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Closed Monday and Sunday.
Admission: Included in Historic Pensacola admission.
Manuel Barrios Cottage, 207 East Zaragoza Street. A Gulf Coast cottage built around 1888, typical of the two-room houses that could be found in Pensacola. They had a pyramidal roof with a front porch, and each room would be rented separately. The decorations reflect what home life was like in the Roaring ‘20s.
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Closed Monday and Sunday.
Admission: Included in Historic Pensacola admission.
Appleyard Storytelling Cottage, 213 East Zaragoza Street, Pensacola. Features an exhibition celebrating Pensacola’s premier storyteller, John Appleyard. Exhibits feature his stories. And Appleyard recorded several stories that can be played back by visitors. Appleyard has published more than 100 books, including histories, novels, and non-fiction works detailing the Pensacola area. He also wrote more than 100 mysteries featuring two 1900s-era policemen in Pensacola.
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Closed Monday and Sunday.
Admission: Included in Historic Pensacola admission.
Lavalle House, 205 East Church Street, was built in 1805 by Charles Lavalle and is the oldest surviving example of French Creole architecture in Pensacola. Furnished with authentic 18th and 19th century artifacts. Provides a glimpse of early 19th century frontier life in Pensacola. Accessible only by guided tour, which begins at the Tivoli High House at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Closed Monday and Sunday.
Admission: Included in Historic Pensacola admission.
Dorr House, 311 South Adams Street, was built in 1871 by Clara Barkley Dorr for her five children and shows what life was like for a well-to-do Victorian family. Its architecture is Gothic Revival and Victorian. Accessible only by guided tour, which begins at the Tivoli High House at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Closed Monday and Sunday.
Admission: Included in Historic Pensacola admission.
Old Christ Church, 405 South Adams Street, was completed in 1832 for the “Protestant Association in the City of Pensacola” and became an Episcopal church. Accessible only by guided tour, which begins at the Tivoli High House at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Closed Monday and Sunday.
Admission: Included in Historic Pensacola admission.
Lear/Rocheblave House, 214 East Zaragoza Street, was built about 1889 by John and Kate Lear, though they never lived in it. It reflects the Folk Victorian architectural style. Captain Benito Rocheblave owned and lived in the house during the turn of the 20th Century. The exhibit represents a boarding house from the 1920s in Pensacola. Accessible only by guided tour, which begins at the Tivoli High House at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Closed Monday and Sunday.
Admission: Included in Historic Pensacola admission.
Tivoli High House, 205 East Zaragoza Street, was reconstructed from photographic and archeological evidence. The 1805 two-story house had been a boarding house, gaming house, and tavern. To the east was a large theater and ballroom that served as a meeting place for early Pensacola residents. Today, the house also provides offices for the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra.
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Closed Monday and Sunday.
Admission: Included in Historic Pensacola admission.
Art Galleries/Museums and Artistic Entertainment
Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 South Jefferson Street. 850-432-6247. Operated by the University of West Florida, Pensacola’s premier art museum offers modern contemporary art of the 19th, 20th, and 21st Centuries. The Pensacola Art Association created the museum space in what was once the city jail, which had been built in 1906 in the Spanish Revival Style in the city’s historic downtown area. Included in the museum’s permanent collection are works by Toulouse-Lautrec, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Lynda Benglis, and many other modern artists of painting, sculpture, and other art forms. Recent acquisitions include works by Henri Mattisse, Marc Chagall, Gertrude Fisher-Fishman, and Aubrey Beardsley. However, the permanent collection is only displayed during special times. Call the museum for these scheduled times.
Hours: Tuesday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday noon to 4 p.m.
Admission: Adults, $7, Children 3 to 14, $4. Children under 3, Free. Military, AAA members, and seniors, $6.
Quayside Art Gallery, 17 East Zaragoza Street. This is the largest co-op art gallery for local artists in the Southeast. Located in Pensacola’s historic district. The gallery offers original art photography, drawings, furniture, one-of-a-kind clothing pieces, jewelry, mixed media, sculpture, paintings and other artwork. The exhibits are changed out every six weeks. More than 100 Pensacola artists exhibit at the gallery.
Hours: Weekdays and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sundays 1 to 5 p.m.
Blue Morning Gallery, 21 South Palafox Place. This is an artists’ cooperative with exhibits of photography, painting, sculpture, and other art works. A portion of each sale is deposited in an art scholarship fund established at the University of West Florida. Watch for special events, such as Gallery Night and featured artists’ work. Hours: Monday and Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Artel Gallery, 223 Palafox Place. This is a not-for-profit gallery offering northwest Florida artists working in experimental and contemporary art. New exhibitions are presented every five to six weeks.
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed Sunday.
Southern Visionary Art, 2805 Bayou Boulevard. This remarkable gallery features some of America’s best known folk artists, such as the paintings by Bernice Sims, a single mother of six who lived in Hickory Hill. She had been active the Civil Rights Movement, and her work depicts a series of six paintings of civil rights protest subjects. And work by the Rev. Howard Finster, a celebrated Georgian folk artist who died in 2001. His work is displayed at the Smithsonian Institution, Museum of American Folk Art, the Library of Congress, and the American Visionary Art Museum. Known for his creation of Paradise Gardens.
Art Praha European Galerie, 124 Palafox Place. Represents new and emerging contemporary artists.
Gallery 1060, 1060 North Guillemard Street. This gallery specializes in local original artists. You’ll find paintings, glass work, sculpture, photography, and fabrics.
Hours: Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Closed Sunday.
Pensacola Saenger Theatre, 118 South Palafox Place, Pensacola. Offers a variety of live entertainment shows. At Christmas and the beginning of summer, the theater is host to the Pensacola Children’s Chorus. Check website for a schedule of shows.
Pensacola Symphony Orchestra, 201 East Zaragoza Street, Pensacola. Offers a variety of live orchestral performances. See website for scheduled performances. Performances are at the Pensacola Saenger Theatre from October through April.
Pensacola Little Theatre, 400 South Jefferson Street, Pensacola. Box office open noon to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and one hour prior to showtime. This is a non-profit community theater with performances at the Pensacola Cultural Center. A full schedule of shows can be found at its website.
Ballet Pensacola, 400 South Jefferson Street, Pensacola. Founded in 1978, this ballet company provides a variety of classical and contemporary works. See professional dances from around the world and students from the ballet’s school. Performances are held at the Pensacola Saenger Theatre or the Pensacola Cultural Center. See the ballet’s website for scheduled performances. Shows are scheduled from October through April.
Center for Fine and Performing Arts, University of West Florida. 11000 University Parkway, Building 82, Pensacola. The center showcases student work and brings in artists from around the world. CFAP has a main stage theater, a music hall, a studio, and an art gallery. See its website for scheduled performances.
Pensacola Opera, 75 South Tarragona Street, Pensacola. This is a non-profit professional company. Provides a variety of performances and educational classes for children. See website for scheduled performances.
on grounds at Naval Air Museum
Naval Air Museum, Pensacola
Pensacola, Florida
on grounds at Naval Air Museum
Iconic Pensacola Lighthouse and Museum
Graffiti Bridge Pensacola, North 17th Avenue between Highway 90 and I-10
Places to Have Fun
National Naval Aviation Museum, 1878 South Blue Angel Parkway; (850) 452-3604. This is the Naval Air Station West Entrance and the ONLY entrance that allows civilian visitors to enter. ID such as a drivers license is required for entry to NAS. This is an amazing museum with dozens of military aircraft and outer space vehicles from the Apollo program. Among the military aircraft are a display of a Japanese Zero plane from World War II and a German Messerschmitt aircraft from the same war. American planes include all types from World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The museum includes a display about aircraft carriers from World War II, and a display about the Blue Angels. Outside, the famous Blue Angels often fly overhead during practice sessions.
Hours: Daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission: Free; Parking, Free.
Rotary Centennial Playground, Pensacola Maritime Park, 301 West Main Street, Pensacola. This community park is a multi-use development on Pensacola’s waterfront. The Rotary playground is a huge play area for children while you visit the maritime park.
Fort Pickens, Gulf Islands National Seashore. (850) 934-2600. This is a national park that contains the restored historic Fort Pickens, located on a barrier island connected to the coast by a bridge. Offers indoor exhibits on the natural environment on the island. It has a campground and a fishing pier. Langdon Beach has a picnic pavilion.
Hours: The fort is open 8 am to sunset. The Discovery Center is open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Admission: $10 per person (pedestrian or cyclist), $15 for motorcycle, $20 for private vehicle with fewer than 15 aboard and up to $25 for greater than 15 aboard. The admission fee gets you in to the National Seashore at Fort Pickens, Santa Rosa Island, Okaloosa, Fort Barrancas, and Perdido Key.
Pensacola Lighthouse and Maritime Museum, 1878 South Blue Angel Parkway, Pensacola. (850) 393-1561. This is an operational lighthouse, built in 1859 overlooking the beach with views into the Gulf of Mexico. Visitors can climb to the top, getting there via a spiral staircase with 177 steps. You get wonderful views of the Gulf and Pensacola. The museum offers exhibits relating to the maritime industry and the naval presence that has been in Pensacola since the mid-19th century. Be forewarned, to climb the lighthouse, you must be wearing shoes with backs on them and stand at least 44 inches tall or be at least 7 years old. A great place for a selfie! A fun event at the lighthouse is a ghost hunt in the 1869 Keeper’s Quarters. The Travel Channel and SciFi’s Ghost Hunters insist there are ghosts here. You get to use real ghost hunting equipment. You must wear shoes with backs and be at least 12 years old to attend. It’s also a great place to view the Blue Angel’s practice flights when they are in the air. Reservations are required. Call 850-393-1561 to schedule your ghost hunt. Cost is $25.
Hours: Daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with the last admission at 4:30 p.m.
Admission: Adults, $7; Children under 12, senior citizens, and active military personnel, $4.
Sam’s Fun City & Surf City, 6709 Pensacola Boulevard, Pensacola. (850) 505-0800. This is an amusement and water park and more. Featuring go-carts, laser tag, Ferris wheel, and a variety of rides for children of all ages. Its Crossroads Arcade offers 75 games. And it has a three-story indoor play structure for rainy days or days out of the sun. A rather unusual attraction is its Dive-In Movies. Check its website for specials.
Goofy Golf Amusement Center of Pensacola, 3924 West Navy Boulevard, Pensacola. (850) 456-7010. Eighteen-hole miniature golf course with fun obstacles. Play 18 or 36 holes.
Hours: Friday 3 to 9 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Admission to play golf: Adults, $5; Youth 17 and under, $3; Seniors, military, and college students, $4, for 18 holes.
Gulf Breeze Zoo, 5701 Gulf Breeze Parkway, Gulf Breeze. (850) 932-2229. Gulf Breeze is a suburb of Pensacola. The zoo houses more than 800 animals from around the world, including gorillas, giraffes, and more. Several interactive events give you a close-up with some of the animals. See a list of events and prices for animal food on its website. There’s a train ride and animal feeding opportunities.
Hours: Daily 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (5 p.m. Jan. 1 through Feb. 28).
Admission: Adults, from 18.95 to $20.95; Seniors save $1; Children, age 2 to 12, $14.95 to 16.95. Under 2 are free. Special rates for active and retired military.
Premier Adventure Park, 460 Pensacola Beach Boulevard, Pensacola Beach. (850) 932-0633. Offers go-carts and water vehicles. The park offers parasailing, three stories of rope for climbing, and a dolphin boat ride.
Pensacola Photo Trail. The city has identified 15 iconic locations for great selfies and invites you to post on #ExperiencePCola and tag it @VisitPenscola. A map of the sites identified by the city is on its website.
Fast Eddy’s Fun Center, 505 West Michigan Avenue, Pensacola. (850) 433-7735. Attractions include challenging go cart tracks, miniature golf, a batting cage, and an arcade. Pricing by specific attraction.
Hours: Monday through Thursday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Escape Zone 60, 4400 Bayou Boulevard, Pensacola. (850) 435-4588. Two rooms available offering themes of Crime Scene: The Bank and The Asylum. Call 850-435-4588 for information or see more information on the website.
Hours: Entry on Monday through Wednesday, 1 to 9 p.m.; Thursday, 4 to 9 p.m.; on Friday, 2 to 9 p.m.; on Saturday and Sunday, 1 to 9 p.m.
Admission: $24 per person. Children under 9 cannot participate.
Tiki Island Golf and Games, 2 Via Deluna Drive, Pensacola Beach. (850) 932-1550. This is an 18-hole miniature golf course.
Hours: Daily 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Admission: $10.
Pensacola Beach Gulf Pier, 41 Fort Pickens Road, Gulf Breeze. (850) 934-7200. Fish or look out over the water. You can rent on site fishing rods and buy bait. Restaurant and gift shop. At 2 miles long, it is considered the world’s longest fishing pier.
Hours: 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Admission: $1.25 for one-time walk; $2.25 for all-day pass.
Places to Eat
There are many restaurants and cafes in Pensacola. Go here for a list of downtown restaurants compiled by the city’s tourism website.
Here are my recommendations for downtown and waterfront dining:
Restaurant Iron, 22 North Palafox Street, Pensacola. You’ll get an amazing dining experience here located on a delightful downtown street within the Historic Seville Square. A must try is the P&J appetizer. Serves contemporary Southern cuisine. The craft martinis are wonderful, too. Call 850-476-7776 for a reservation. It’s pricey, but worth every penny. Truly creative dishes and great service.
McGuire’s Irish Pub, 600 East Gregory Street, Pensacola. A restaurant with a sense of humor! And good and remarkable food to boot! What fun! This restaurant serves large portions of great sandwiches and dishes such as Shepherd’s Pie and Irish Lamb Stew. It has Senate Bean Soup for 18 cents (as long as you order other fare. That’s what the price for this homemade soup was in 1977 when it was introduced in the U.S. Senate cafeteria and while that cafeteria raised its price to $6, McGuire’s is keeping it at 18 cents. Great and intriguing décor with each room having its own theme. Watch out if you go to the restroom, though, because the signs on the door can cause folks who don’t pay close attention to go in the wrong restroom. Another McGuire’s is in Destin, Florida.
Fish House, 600 South Barracks Street, Pensacola. This is good Southern seafood. The restaurant overlooks Pensacola Bay and Seville Harbor. Dockside dining is available. Live music is nightly. The only restaurant that serves Grits a Ya Ya, which is spiced Gulf shrimp over Gouda cheese grits.
Jackson’s Steakhouse, 400 South Palafox Street, Pensacola. Serves brunch on the weekends and lunch and dinner on weekdays. Fine dining with great food and excellent wine. Probably the best steak in Pensacola.
Five Sisters Blues Café, 421 West Belmont Street, Pensacola. Definitely a Southern restaurant specializing in such dishes as greens, black-eyed peas, and fried chicken. Sunday brunch. Daily lunch and dinner. Soul food at its best.
Broussard’s Bayou Grill, 590 East Heinberg Street, Pensacola. This restaurant serves up genuine Cajun cooking. Opens daily at 11 a.m. Closes at 3 p.m. on Sunday and Monday. Tuesday through Thursday, closes at 8 p.m. Open an hour later on Friday and Saturday. Classic Louisiana dishes including po-boys, boiled crawfish, gumbo, crawfish etouffee, fish tacos and a variety of sandwiches.
Hemingway’s Island Grill, 400 Quietwater Beach Road, Pensacola Beach. Named after the famous writer. Specializes on island flavors. Great food and a great view over the Gulf. Entrees and sandwiches available. Causal dining in an elegant atmosphere.
The Grand Marlin Restaurant and Oyster Bar, 400 Pensacola Beach Boulevard, Pensacola Beach. Fine dining and fine spirits or wine. Opens at 11 a.m. for lunch, 9 a.m. on Sunday for brunch. Wonderful fish and seafood dishes.
Places to Stay
For a comprehensive listing of hotels, vacation rentals, and bed and breakfasts, go to the local tourism website HERE.
If you want a distinctive hotel, try these:
New World Inn – Historic Downtown, 600 South Palafox Street, Pensacola. (850) 432-4111. This is a luxury boutique hotel with 15 well-appointed rooms. Each room is furnished with fine antiques with particular themes centered on famous people, such as Room 1 – the Rachel and Andrew Jackson Suite. There’s even one themed around Geronimo. The restaurant is the distinctive Skopelos, which is a Greek restaurant that serves dishes made with locally fresh ingredients.
Lee House Boutique Hotel and Events Venue, 400 Bayfront Parkway, Pensacola. (850) 912-8770. Overlooks Pensacola Bay. The hotel is on property where the original Lee House was built in 1866 by William F. Lee, an engineering officer serving in the Confederate army. Hurricane Ivan destroyed the original structure, so a building whose design resembles the original house was constructed in 2007.
Pensacola Grand Hotel, 200 East Gregory Street, Pensacola. (850) 433-3336. The structure recreates the L&N railroad passenger depot built in 1912. An elegantly beautiful lobby introduces you to the luxury hotel.
For a bed and breakfast with character, try one of these:
Pensacola Victorian, 203 West Gregory Street, Pensacola. (850) 434-2818. A restored Queen Anne Victorian home built by William Hazard Northrup offers hardwood floors and beautiful chandeliers.
Noble Manor Bed and Breakfast, 110 West Strong Street, Pensacola. (850) 434-9544. This inn was built in the Tudor Revival style and was completed about 1905. It is located in Pensacola’s North Hill Historic District. It features heart pine floors and is decorated by period antiques and fine art prints. Available are three rooms and one suite.
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