Adjacent to the Historic Pensacola Village, the city's Vietnam Memorial, on Bayfront Parkway at 9th Avenue, is known as the "Wall South," as it is a three-quarter-size replica of the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial in Washington, D.C. Look for the "Huey" helicopter atop the wall.

Pensacola's Other Fort

Standing on Taylor Road near the National Museum of Naval Aviation, Fort Barrancas (tel. 850/455-5167) is worth a visit while you're at the naval station. This imposing brick structure sits on a bluff overlooking the pass into Pensacola Bay. The Spanish built the water battery in 1797. Linked to it by a tunnel, the intricate brickwork of the fort's upper section was constructed by American troops between 1839 and 1844. Entry is by means of a drawbridge across a dry moat, and an interior scarp gallery goes all the way around the inside. Meticulously restored and operated by the National Park Service as part of Gulf Islands National Seashore, the fort is open March through October daily from 9:30am to 4:45pm, November through February daily from 8:30am to 3:45pm. Ranger-led, 1-hour guided tours are well worth taking. The schedule changes seasonally, so call for the latest information. Admission and tours are free.

The Pensacola Lighthouse (www.pensacolalighthouse.org), opposite the museum entrance on Radford Boulevard, has guided ships to the harbor entrance since 1825. Tours of the lighthouse are given on Saturdays from noon to 4pm May through October. Admission is $5 adults and $3 seniors and children 3 to 12.

Historic Districts

In addition to Historic Pensacola Village in the Seville Historic District, the city has two other interesting preservation areas. The Pensacola visitor center provides free walking-tour maps, if you're interested.

Palafox Historic District -- Running up Palafox Street from the water to Wright Street, the Palafox Historic District is also the downtown business district. Beautiful Spanish Renaissance and Mediterranean-style buildings, including the ornate Saenger Theatre, still stand from the early days. In 1821, Gen. Andrew Jackson accepted Florida into the United States during a ceremony in Plaza Ferdinand VII, now a National Historic Landmark. His statue commemorates the event.

For architecture buffs, this district offers the 1902 Theisen Building and its vivid displays of Beaux Arts details, as well as the 1925 Saenger Theatre, with its terra-cotta ornamentation and grillwork on the front facade, showcasing it as an elegant gem of the Spanish baroque style.

The Palafox District is home to the Pensacola Historical Museum; the Pensacola Museum of Art, in the old city jail; and the T. T. Wentworth, Jr., Florida State Museum.

For booze hounds, the Palace Cafe at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. (tel. 850/434-6211; www.sevillequarter.com), a Disney World for drinkers, has a bar from the old Palace Hotel circa 1810, where Florida's first liquor license was issued.

North Hill Preservation District -- Another entry in the National Register of Historic Places, the North Hill Preservation District covers the 50 square blocks north of the Palafox Historic District bounded by Wright, Blount, Palafox, and Reus streets. Descendants of Spanish nobility, timber barons, British merchants, French Creoles, buccaneers, and Civil War soldiers still live in some of the more than 500 homes. They are not open to the public, but fascinating for their architecture. In 1863, Union troops erected a fort in Lee Square, at Palafox and Gadsden streets. It later was dedicated to the Confederacy, complete with a 50-foot-high obelisk and sculpture based on John Elder's painting After Appomattox. For more information on homes and sites, visit www.historicnorthhill.com.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.