Last weekend we packed up and headed to the beach for a little getaway. We LOVE going to anywhere we can put our toes in the sand, and since the gulf is our closest option, we took off for a little bit of time of sand & sun. Before we left, I tried to find some neat things to do, but the info out there is kinda slim – so I thought I’d share some highlights & lessons we learned while hanging out in Pensacola, FL.
First things first: Hit the beach! There aren’t a ton of them in Pensacola, but they are beautiful! We also took a stroll along the privately owned pier. You have to pay $1.50 per person, but it’s well worth it to see the gulf in all it’s glory. I know there are a lot of free piers in the world, but the price was cheap enough that it’s kind of a no brainer 🙂
What we skipped? The Ferris Wheel – at $15 per person, it was not worth it to us. I’m sure it’s gorgeous up there, but $60 for a family of 4 for a five minute ride was outrageous to me.
Here’s a tip about the beaches. If you want to go to a beach that’s not quite so crowded, head down the scenic highway just a bit. There’s no pier, or much of anything else for that matter, but the beaches are not nearly as crowded and maybe even more beautiful. If you chose to go to the big beach, still make sure to take the drive so you can see all the beautiful beaches. We went early after sunrise, and it was breathtaking!
Ya gotta eat, right? We chose to eat out one meal every day, and among the great restaurants we picked was The Happy Pig. Ah-MAZ-ing BBQ, folks! Fairly reasonably prices, huge portions and friendly service. It’s a place that will definitely be on our “must do” every time we come back!
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If you go to the gulf, you gotta have seafood! We ate our fair share, and this was the best of the bunch. Landry’s Seafood is another new favorite to add to our list – great prices, delicious food, and top notch service. And the portions were huge! The inside of the restaurant is lined with old barnwood and beautiful vintage flair. A feast for the eyes as well as the stomach 🙂
Besides the beach, we took time to go to the National Museum of Naval Aviation. The free museum is full of history, planes, and so much stuff that will blow your mind. There’s everything from early Naval history, even a huge section on NASA & the space program. With tons of interactive features, I was amazed at just how great this free museum is!
My favorite part of the whole museum was upstairs, where there was a small town set up from the WWII era. There’s a house, a store, a barber shop, and it’s all done in historically correct detail that was like stepping back in time. I spent a TON of time looking over every little thing.
So if you decide to slip off to the gulf, make sure you try Pensacola – it was one of the best beach getaways we’ve ever taken.
Where’s your favorite beach?
We’re always looking for new ones to visit 🙂
Oh my goodness – I love Pensacola! We paid a little extra to go to the Fort Pickins beaches and never saw another person. And the food was amazing….Dharma Blue was our favorite sushi spot.
Yep, P’cola is definitely underrated!
I’ve never been to Pensacola, it looks very nice! We just moved to South West Florida in May and have been enjoying Fort Myers beach, we stayed down there for a few nights and it was wonderful. I also LOVE Venice Beach, very quaint and quiet:)
Love Pensacola! One of my favorite places to go is Joe Patti’s Seafood. You can buy fresh seafood there and take it home and prepare it. Have you ever been to Gulf Shores/Orange Beach AL? While the water is not as blue as P’cola, the beaches are clean, the people and friendly and there are lots of fun family activities.
Yes! We love Gulf Shores/Orange Beach – it’s beautiful! We were going there originally but found a better deal on a hotel in P’cola – so glad we did because we had a great time!
I got married two years ago in orange beach!! It’s my favorite beach by far! This year w will be staying at Mira Mar beach in Destin. We will be spending our two year anniversary on a beach on the some coast we were married on!!!
Looks like a fun adventure. I have never traveled to the East Coast. So, I don’t have a favorite Beach there. Mine happens to be in Oceanside,CA. I love it there. Of course that is where I grew up and spent many happy summers sunning myself.
I would love to travel to Florida someday soon.
My hubby’s family is from Pensacola, so we head up there (from Central FL) once a year at least and we LOVE the museum as well! True, there’s really not a lot to do so be prepared for lots of family time and sand in between your toes 🙂
I like Pensacola Beach but have found another less congested area that is a favorite for shelling. It is Navarre Beach and is about 30 minutes or so east of Pensacola Beach. It is undeveloped and just gorgeous. Next time you are down that way, check it out.
Pensacola has the whitest beaches around….alomost looks like snow. Used to frequent there often, when I lived 35 miles from there, in Robertsdale, AL.
I haven’t been to Pensacola in about 10 years. I love the beach there. Years ago we went to a big church that was in revival there. It was an amazing experience. Blessings to you- xo Diana
Another vote for Navarre Beach. An undiscovered gem! For family fun, head towards Destin. Lots of fun things to do!
We love North Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. It is very family oriented.
We love the Gulf! The last couple years we’ve gone to anna maria island – we can’t get enough! Beautiful.
brenda
cottage4c.com
Hi Gina,
My name is Jane and I’m with Dwellable.
I was looking for blog posts about Fort Myers Beach share on our site and I came across your post…If you’re open to it, shoot me an email at jane(at)dwellable(dot)com.
Hope to hear from you 🙂
Jane