Hidden Treasures Revealed…

Posted by Webmaster in Gulf Breeze, Milton/Pace, Pensacola, Pensacola Beach, Where to Play | 0 comments

More than just the beach!

Pensacola is a survivor; it has been since its founding. The City of Five Flags is the oldest European settlement in the United States, and it hasn’t earned that distinction without bouncing back from its share of setbacks.

The recent oil spill disaster is only the most recent in the list of challenges faced by the folks here in the Panhandle. In fact, a massive hurricane destroyed the first settlement merely weeks after Spanish explorer Tristan de Luna landed his ships here in 1559.

But it wasn’t too long before the Spanish were drawn back to the area and returned to reestablish the city. People who live here or have visited understand why.

Since then, Pensacola has been inhabited and governed by four other  governments – England, France, The Confederate States of America, and the United states – thus earning the distinction as The City of Five Flags.

This mixture of culture is one of the pillars that have kept this city standing and ready to rebuild time after time. Another source of support comes from the visitors who also love Pensacola for what it has to offer.

Pensacola and its residents need visitors like you now more than ever. Especially after two devastating hurricanes  (Ivan in 2004 and Dennis in 2005), the worst recession in recent memory that followed, and now an environmental disaster in the Gulf. In short, Pensacola is not a “beach town.” The City has a long history of rich culture and exciting entertainment options; it just happens to be located a very short distance from the Gulf of Mexico.

So, despite the conditions at the beach – which is actually relatively oil free and open for sunbathing, swimming and fishing – guests of Pensacola will have no shortage of interesting and exciting options for a fun-filled stay. Let’s take a look at what Pensacola and it’s surrounding areas have to offer.

This remarkable facility is a true representation of the Naval Aviation heritage of Pensacola. For more info about the museum, visit www.navalaviationmuseum.org. Also located aboard the Naval Air Station is the Historic Pensacola Lighthouse. Rumored to be inhabited by supernatural forces/entities, the lighthouse and museum offers climbing tours of the landmark 1859 lighthouse. The Lighthouse, situated on Pensacola Bay across from the Naval Aviation

Museum, offers indoor and outdoor history exhibits, gift shop, Light of the Moon Tours, Ghost Hunts, weddings and special events.

OUTDOOR DESTINATIONS

Northwest Florida also offers some great outdoor destinations for those that want to escape the city. Bike/walking trails, kayaking and tubing adventures, historic forts and a forest zipline course are all within a very short drive of Pensacola.

Both the Blackwater River and Coldwater Creek are located approximately 20 miles from Pensacola, and off er some fun outdoor adventures.

ADVENTURES UNLIMITED

Adventures Unlimited has always offered people an opportunity to experience the natural beauty of Northwest Florida. Visitors can enjoy canoeing, kayaking, tubing, cabins and camping along the Coldwater Creek, which meanders through Blackwater River State Forest, one of the areas natural gems.

Adventures unlimited has amped up the outdoor fun even more with its recently opened Canopy Zip Tour! Zip Adventures combines the adrenaline rush of a zip line with the beauty of Northwest Florida’s forest and Coldwater Creek. Forest Flight, a series of nine zip lines and one sky bridge, is a 3-hour experience that ends up on the back porch of the Adventures Unlimited Store. Soaring Stream is a series of five zip lines – some of which run over Coldwater Creek!

If you’re looking for even more outdoor fun, you can enjoy the Ultimate Zip Adventure, zipping a total of 14 zip lines, two sky bridges and two towers – definitely the best experience offered! “The adrenaline rush of the zip line adventure is truly fantastic,” explains Adventures Unlimited owner Jack Sanborn. “But it doesn’t stop there. We also voyage through history, and learn the geology of the river.”

Did you know that Northwest Florida is also the nation’s premiere canoe destination? If it’s too difficult to choose between canoeing and zipping, make a weekend of it, and spend a leisurely weekend in a cabin or cottage or at the Adventures Unlimited campground.

STATE/NATIONAL PARKS

The State of Florida has some of the most spectacular natural parks, and Pensacola (and the surrounding area) is home to several of these stunning destinations.

Pensacola visitors have easy access to Big Lagoon, Yellow River marsh, Tarklin Bayou and Blackwater River State parks. These sites off er endless opportunities for camping, boating, fishing, hiking/nature trails, wildlife viewing, picnicking and swimming.

GULF ISLAND NATIONAL SEASHORE

Pensacola Beach is also home to one of the premiere National Parks – Gulf Island National Seashore, which spans the coasts of three states including Alabama and Mississippi. The beauty of the park was recently the feature of a breathtaking documentary, narrated by famous documentarian Ken Burns.

DOWNTOWN PENSACOLA

The charming colonial village is Pensacola’s cultural heart – pumping the blood of arts and fine dining through the veins of residents and visitors alike. The mixture of European, Native American and Caribbean influences has created a  unique environment of entertainment. Downtown hosts a plethora of festivals, parades, free concert series and outdoor gallery exhibitions throughout the year.

Visitors can also learn quite a bit about local, state and national history just by breezing around the streets, parks and plazas.

SEVILLE QUARTER

Seville Quarter is a landmark establishment of the Downtown area. Located on Government Street, near Historic Seville Square, Seville has been a Gulf Coast entertainment destination since 1967.

It was in that year that Bob Snow took a dilapidated 19th century warehouse and transformed it into “Rosie O’Grady’s Warehouse,” a beer-and-peanuts saloon offering up heaping portions of Dixieland jazz and good times. Since then, Seville Quarter has grown to include seven rooms — the original Rosie O’Grady’s, Phineas Phogg’s, Lili Marlene’s, Apple Annie’s, Fast Eddie’s, End o’ the Alley and Palace Café — each with its own theme and atmosphere.

Also a part of the complex is the Seville Party Plaza, an outdoor concert venue, and Heritage Hall, a spacious banquet and event facility. Weekly and nightly entertainment at Seville includes a Dueling Piano show, cookouts, karaoke, live  entertainment and poker.

If you’re visiting in the fall, Seville hosts one of Pensacola’s most exciting events – the Emerald Coast Beer Festival, September 9 and 10. Seville Quarter offers some of the best entertainment, fine dining with a unique ambience, and a gift shop featuring the best wines at the best prices. All this combines to create place where you can experience “Historic Pensacola with a bourbon chaser,” as it says on their website: www.sevillequarter.com.

SAENGER THEATRE

The Saenger Theatre has been called the Grand Dame of the Downtown area. Opened in 1925, its Spanish Baroque architecture, in opulent Rococo style took nearly thirteen months to complete. The awe-inspiring venue is now host to a  plethora of performing arts: symphony, stand up comedy, music concerts, Broadway, ballet and plays.

Recent renovations include doubling the size of the lobby, providing better accommodations for persons with disabilities and restoring the lobby to the grand scale of its historic past. The theatre reopened in 2009 and today is listed in the National Register of Historic Sites.

The lights of the “grand ole lady” have been beckoning patrons of downtown for 85 years. Calling on them to forget their troubles and suspend their imaginations, if only for a few hours. For a schedule of performances, visit www.pensacolasaenger.com.

Some of the finest dining in Northwest Florida can also be found Downtown. Establishments such as Jackson’s Steakhouse, Landry’s and The Fish House off er diners an exquisite menu influenced by the rich mix of culture in the area and traditional American cuisine with a twist of coastal flavor.

Downtown is home to and endless list of art galleries, displaying the beautiful artwork of the area’s most talented artists. For a list of these and other downtown establishments and events, visit www.visitpensacola.com.

NATIONAL NAVAL AVIATION MUSEUM

Pensacola is dubbed the “Cradle of Naval Aviation,” and it has the museum to prove it. If you’re looking for an exciting history lesson, fly high with a visit to the National Naval Aviation Museum – the largest aviation museum in America.

Located aboard Naval Air Station Pensacola, this historic treasure boasts more than 150 beautifully restored aircraft, hands-on exhibits more than 4,000 artifacts representing Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard aviation, and an IMAX theatre. And guess what, entry is absolutely free!

Take a ride in a motion based or Top Gun Air Combat simulator, have fun with the ultimate seven story giant screen movie experience in the IMAX Theatre and dine in the Cubi Bar Café, an exhibit itself. The museum is also the spot to catch the awe-inspiring Blue Angels flight demonstration team practice air shows from March through November.

Whether you visit the area for a day or a week, the National Seashore is home to many activities and places to explore. Choose from swimming, bicycling, snorkeling, fishing, hiking, beach combing, bird watching, boating, and camping. Or,  you can just sit back and watch a magnificent Gulf Coast sunset!

FORT PICKENS

Historic Fort Pickens and the Visitors Center is one of the main attractions of the National Seashore. Located at the western tip of Santa Rosa Island, Fort Pickens is the largest of four forts built to defend Pensacola Bay. The fort was begun in 1829, completed in 1834, and used until the 1940s. The historic structure has since been designated a national landmark, and now hosts a variety of activities, including free Rander-led tours of the fort. In addition to the main fort structure, the grounds are home to ten concrete gun batteries, including one in the middle of the historic fort, that were built from the 1890s through the 1940s.

Did You Know that in the 1880s, Geronimo and other members of the Chiricahua-Apache tribe were prisoners at Fort Pickens? Take a trip out there to see what else you can learn about this amazing place. For more information, visit www.nps.gov/guis.

GOLF

There are also several breathtaking golf courses located near Pensacola, that offer traveling golfers the opportunity to enjoy the natural beauty of the area while enjoying a favorite pastime.

The Lost Key Golf Club, just west of Pensacola, is framed by the natural beauty of Perdido Key,  which is situated right on the Gulf. Redesigned by the Arnold Palmer Design Group in 2006, the par 71 signature designed championship course features the new Sea Dwarf Paspalum grass from the tee through the green for the optimum in quality playing surfaces and green speeds. For more information, visit www.lostkey.com.

Tiger Point Golf Club is located in Gulf Breeze, just across Pensacola Bay. The course, which is situated along the shores of Santa Rosa Sound one of four  sites on the Emerald Coast Golf Trail. The club, a stop on the 1988 PGA Tour, also has a newly renovated clubhouse – home of the Sunset Grille. For more information, visit www.tigerpointclub.com.

Just down the road from Tiger Point lies The Club at Hidden Creek in Navarre. Also a site on the Emerald Coast Golf Trail, Hidden Creek is well known for its excellent conditions, fast greens, lush landscaping, rolling terrain, and scenic layout. The 18-hole championship golf course plays 7,012 yards from the back tees and provides excitement for golfers of all skill levels. For more information, visit www.hiddengolf.com.

Pensacola has been around longer than any other city in the United States. Just a brief overview of the broad spectrum of its enriching qualities makes it easy to understand why locals stay here, why visitors come here, and why the people who leave the area always seem to return. Simply put, Pensacola is not a “beach town,” it’s so much more!