Things To Do in Pensacola
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Pensacola Attractions
For a trolley tour around town, check out Beach Bum Trolley (tel. 850/941-2876), which operates one to eight tours of all the historic sights. Prices range from as low as $25 per person for a 50-minute narrated tour of Pensacola. To see the historic sights during the warmer months, take the Beach Trolley, which leaves every 30 minutes from Portofino Boardwalk and runs to Fort Pickens Gate on the west side of the island, and to Portofino Island Resort & Spa on the east side. The trolley—there are three—is free from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend, running daily from 4pm to midnight.
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 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 also a tree-lined arty, shopping, eating, and drinking mecca along the lines of Ybor City and Duval Street. At the southern end of Palafox Street, the Palafox Pier Marina and Plaza de Luna are named for Pensacola founder Tristan de Luna.
For booze hounds, the Palace Cafe at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. (tel. 850/434-6211), a theme park 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.
Pensacola's Other Fort and a Lighthouse
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, opposite the museum entrance on Radford Boulevard, has guided ships to the harbor entrance since 1825. You can climb 177 steps to the top of the tower—children must be 44” tall or 7 years to climb—and also tour the Richard C. Callaway Museum, housed in the restored 1869 keeper’s quarters, where you’ll learn about the science behind Fresnel lenses, what it was like to be a lighthouse keeper, the history of the Coast Guard, and more. Tours of the lighthouse are given on Saturdays from noon to 4pm May through October. Admission is $9.50 adults and $6.50 seniors and children 3 to 12.
- Historic Site
Historic Pensacola Village
History buffs, as well as those who appreciate delightful architecture, will love this retro-fabulous old-school village, comparable to Virginia's Colonial Williamsburg. Bounded by Church, Zaragoza, Jefferson, Tarragona, and Adams streets, this original part of Pensacola resembles a… - Museum
National Museum of Naval Aviation
With over 4,000 artifacts and over 150 meticulously restored aircraft representing Marine Corps, Navy, and Coast Guard aviation, this museums shows just how much blood, sweat, and tears go into defending the United States. The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps have trained at the U.S. Naval… - Museum
Pensacola Children’s Museum
Geared towards kids 10 and under, this two-story museum is part of the Historic Pensacola Village and is a smart distraction from electronics thanks to hands-on exhibits like a pint-sized version of historic Pensacola, a colonial classroom, an immersive Publix supermarket, mini… - Museum
Pensacola Museum of Art
Housed in what was the city jail from 1906 to 1954, this museum (also part of the Historic Pensacola complex) showcases a collection of contemporary art from the 19th century to the present, plus European and American antique art glass, African art, and minor works by Salvador Dalí,… - Museum
Pensacola Museum of History
To learn more about Pensacola’s five-flag history, spend 30 to 60 minutes at this museum (also part of the Historic Pensacola complex) housed in the three-story Mediterranean Revival architecture of the former Pensacola City Hall built in 1907. Exhibits change, but a permanent one…
Pensacola Nightlife
The Performing Arts in Pensacola
Pensacola has a sophisticated array of entertainment choices for such a small city. The highlight venue here is the Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox St., near Romana Street (; 📞 850/444-7686), a restored masterpiece of Spanish baroque architecture. Presentations feature the local opera company and symphony orchestra, Broadway musicals, and touring performers.The 10,000-seat Pensacola Bay Center, 201 E. Gregory St., at Alcaniz Street (tel. 850/432-0800), hosts a variety of concerts, exhibitions, sports events, and conventions.
The Club & Bar Scene in Pensacola
Pensacola has a downtown nighttime entertainment hub in Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St., at Jefferson Street (tel. 850/434-6211), in the Seville Historic District. This restored antique-brick complex, with New Orleans–style wrought-iron balconies, is a collection of pubs and restaurants whose names capture the ambience: Rosie O’Grady’s Good Time Emporium, Palace Cafe, Lili Marlene’s Aviator’s Pub, Apple Annie’s Courtyard, End o’ the Alley Bar, Phineas Phogg’s Balloon Works (a dance hall, not a balloon shop), and Fast Eddie’s Billiard Parlor (which has electronic games too). The pubs serve up booze, food, and live entertainment from Dixieland jazz to country and western. Get a calendar at the information booth next to Rosie O’Grady’s. The District Seville Steak & Seafood (tel. 850/332-5224) has a swanky upstairs lounge for those seeking a more sophisticated cocktail scene. Seville Quarter is open daily from 11am to 3am and Sunday from 2pm to 3am.The Seville Quarter is geared towards visitors. For a more local scene, head to McGuire’s Irish Pub the city’s popular brewery, and eatery. Irish bands appear nightly in summer, and on Saturday and Sunday the rest of the year. The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St., is in another top place in town for live music. It’s in its third incarnation, a brick walled, steel beamed spot for everything from hip hop and punk to post modern disco beats.
A more modern cocktail culture exists around town, as seen at places like Garden & Grain, 50 E. Garden St., a fabulous outdoor cocktail garden located behind the Perfect Plain Brewing Co., which is also, er, hopping in its own right. For a funky beer scene and a hideaway vibe, check out their sister property, The Well Floridian Lounge.
Party and parched people on Palafox love the cozy Old Hickory Whiskey Bar, 123 S. Palafox St. (tel. 850/332-5916), owned by historic preservationist and Pensacola native Katie Garrett and featuring over 750 types of its namesake. Up the block is Garrett’s other spot, a retro fab mid-century modern homage to the early 60s cocktail culture called The Kennedy, 1 Palafox Place (tel. 850/332-5916), For a more illicit vibe, head to speakeasy Sister Hen.
Beach nightlife centers on Pensacola Beach Boardwalk, Via de Luna at Fort Pickens Road, a complex on Santa Rosa Sound. With the lively beach-and-reggae bar at Flounder’s Chowder House just a few steps away, it’s easy to barhop until you find a band to your liking. Across Via de Luna, at Casino Beach, is The Dock (tel. 850/934-3625), which has live bands nightly in summer, and on weekends off season. Finally, Sidelines Sports Bar & Restaurant (tel. 850/934-3660) has a great game lineup.
