Pensacola Beach

Dine in our outstanding restaurants lining Pensacola Beach road. Most specialize in fresh local seafood and regional recipes from the area’s French and Spanish heritage. You can relax on the decks of our casual restaurants, listen to music while enjoying a meal, or visit one of our fine-dining restaurants, boasting renowned chefs and elegant dishes. Adding to the charm of the Island are our free trolleys, complete with reggae tunes, which make your travel on Pensacola Beach worry-free and fun. 

Fishing enthusiasts, both big and small, abound on Pensacola Beach. There are several charter boats for avid fishermen, as well as spots along the beach for children to fish. Sun seekers have an array of entertainment to choose from, including sailing, jet skiing, sailboarding, parasailing, swimming, diving, snorkeling, or just relaxing on the beach building sand castles. Kids can enjoy riding the go-carts and jet skis, too. Children of all ages enjoy playing the many games in the arcade, as well as testing their skills on our miniature golf courses. 

Pensacola Beach has a wide-paved, multi-use recreational path parallel to the beach roads for the safety and convenience of joggers, skaters, bikers, and walkers, although some joggers prefer the sand at the water’s edge for keeping cool while staying in shape. Our climate is mild enough to enjoy outdoor recreation in the fall and winter months also. 

Isle de St. Rose Celebrating 450 Years

In 2009, the Pensacola Bay Area is celebrating the 450th anniversary of the founding of the first European settlement in the United States. The first out-of-town visitor to Isle de St. Rose was Don Tristan de Luna. In the summer of 1559, he sailed up the Gulf from Mexico, his 11 ships loaded with gear and food for survival.

Many do not know that Pensacola predates St. Augustine (1565) and Jamestown, VA (1607). Several months after the settlement was established in 1559, a hurricane destroyed the supplies, and within three years, de Luna and his group were forced to abandon camp.

The cross on Pensacola Beach commemorates the first Christian mass held in the United States when the first Spaniards arrived.

Fort Pickens

The Fort was completed in 1834 and used until WWII, when modern weapons made traditional coastal defense obsolete. Fort Pickens has changed over the years, so take the self-guided tour and peel back the layers of history. You'll see the plaster-lined rooms that were intended as officers' quarters, and later used to house Apache prisoners. The most famous resident, Geronimo, lived in identical rooms along the south wall, which have since collapsed.

The seven miles of beach from Fort Pickens Gate Park to Pensacola Pass is accessible to hikers, bicyclists and boaters. Fort Pickens campground “Loop A” recently opened to backcountry camping and is available on first-come-first-serve basis for $10 per night. Campers will have access to running water, grills, picnic tables and bathrooms with cold showers.

Boaters planning to camp can unload their passengers and gear near Battery Langdon located on the bayside of the island and west of the Ranger Station dock and hike on the bike path or Fort Pickens Road to “Loop A.”

Historic Fort Pickens is open for self-guided tours during daylight hours only. The fishing pier is also open.