Places to See & Things to Do - Pensacola

The westernmost locale in Florida is Pensacola. Fascinating historical sites provide perspective on Pensacola’s colorful past. Buildings laced with wrought iron and painted in muted, sun-drenched colors give this city its Old World charm. Historic Pensacola Village in the downtown Seville District, and the Civil War-era Fort Pickens, where Apache Indian chief Geronimo was once a prisoner, bring the storied history of the city alive.

Pensacola earned the title " America’s First Place City" in 1559 – it was the first area settled by Europeans in the United States. Pensacola’s protected, natural deep-water harbor has ade it a highly contested military and shipping location for centuries. Having been under the control of the Spanish, French, English, Americans, and Confederates throughout its history, it is also known as the "City of Five Flags."

Historic Pensacola Village offers guided tours of exhibits including furnished period houses, museums, and archaeological sites spanning from the earliest Spanish explorers to the 1920’s, including the oldest church in Florida still on its original foundation, Old Christ Church. Other cities may have living history museums, but no doubt 19th century Historic Pensacola Village, at 205 East Zaragoza St., is one of the few to display truly unique household artifacts, explained by costumed interpreters who bring the collection of coastal vernacular buildings-turned-museums to life. Located next to Pensacola Bay on Zaragoza and Tarragona Streets in the downtown Seville District, one of the oldest historic districts in the Southeast, the Village conveniently sits atop the Colonial Archaeological Walking Trail. A series of outdoor markers and ongoing excavations point to the faint outlines of Spanish, British and American fortifications that once stood on these grounds. Phone: (850) 595-5985. The Colonial Archaeological Trail, adjacent to the Pensacola Historial Museum, offers self-guided tours of the site of Fort George, built in 1772 as the principle defense of the city. The Pensacola Historical Museum, (850) 434-5455, offers exhibits on the early Indians, military and maritime history and Pensacola’s multicultural heritage.

T.T. Wentworth Jr., Florida State Museum features exhibits depicting West Florida's history, architecture, and archaeology. It also features a hands-on Discovery Gallery for children of all ages.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Plaza is located across the street of the Federal Courthouse.

Veterans’ Memorial Park, on Bayfront Parkway overlooking Pensacola Bay, honors veterans from all of America's wars.

• World War I monument, a graceful marble pillar, commemorates local soldiers who served during World War I.
• World War II monument consists of a bronze V for victory, a marble numeral II, and larger than life bronze figures, representing the American fighting forces.
• The Wall South is a half-sized exact replica of the famous Vietnam War Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C.

Across Bayfront Parkway is the Hawkshaw Lagoon Missing Children’s Memorial directly on Pensacola Bay. (850) 438-1178 The Pensacola Museum of Art, (850) 432-6247, housed in the beautifully restored old city jail, features nationally-known traveling exhibits and offers an exciting and enlightening program specially designed to challenge the minds of children. Just across the street, the Pensacola Cultural Center is home to the Pensacola Little Theater, (850) 432-2042, which stages a full season of entertaining theatrical performances. Local and national musical groups and theater troupes perform at the beautifully restored Saenger Theatre), (850) 595-3880, and the Pensacola Civic Center, (850) 432-0800. Bayfront Gallery features contemporary, three-dimensional fine crafts such as blown glass, ceramics,

The protective geography of the Gulf, along with its mild weather, first lured the Navy to Pensacola. Tourists followed, and the Naval Air Station opened its National Museum of Naval Aviation, 1750 Radford Blvd. This stellar museum features a fleet of airplanes and flying contraptions spanning the history of aviation, along with a variety of interactive exhibits. Fly an F/A-18 mission in the motion-based flight simulator, stand on the flight deck of the U.S.S. Cabot, and drool over the four A-4 Skyhawks hanging in a diving diamond formation in the seven-story glass atrium. If you're lucky enough to visit on the right day, you may catch a performance by the Navy's elite Blue Angels air squad over the glassy waters of the Gulf. Call (850) 452-3604 for practice and performance schedule.

On the Calendar:

February:    Mardi Gras
March:     Pensacola Bay International Film and Television Festival
June:     Florida Springfest (cancelled for 2006)
September:   Pensacola Seafood Festival & Fiesta Fall Antique Show
November:   Greater Gulfcoast Arts Festival

Pensacola Scenic Bluffs Highway

The Pensacola Scenic Bluffs Highway is a unique driving experience offering panoramic views of Escambia Bay from giant bluffs that are the highest points along Florida’s entire coastline. Approximately 11 miles in length along U.S. 90, this scenic highway travels from the Bayou Texar Bridge to the north end of the U.S. 90 Bridge across the Escambia River. Access the highway from I-10 by taking I-110 south to U.S. 90/98 ( Cervantes St.) and following U.S. 90 east. As you explore the Pensacola Scenic Bluffs Highway, stop at the 32-acre Bay Bluffs Park, (850) 436-5670, near the I-10 overpass. This unique, enchanting park offers numerous wooden boardwalks leading visitors through dense forest, under beautiful canopies of oaks and pines, to the warm waters of Escambia Bay. Large bluffs of red clay, once used to make bricks, line the beaches and tint the sand a soft pink hue. Take a walk along the beaches of the Bay Bluffs Park and watch the sun sink into the horizon over the soft waves of Escambia Bay.