I Found Florida’s Best Kept Secret and I’m Almost Mad I’m Telling You
I knew very little about Pensacola Beach before deciding to visit. Tucked into the far northwest corner of Florida, it’s not a part of the state that gets talked about much. But it turned out to be a proper hidden gem, and I fell in love with it almost immediately. White sand beaches that genuinely look like snow, a downtown packed with history and ironwork balconies, dolphins that turn up on cue, and seafood that’s about as fresh as it gets. Here’s everything I did, in case you want to do the same.
Things to Do in Pensacola
1. National Naval Aviation Museum
This is a genuine highlight, and one of the best museums I’ve been to anywhere. It’s free to get in, open daily from 9am to 4pm, and it’s enormous: two giant aircraft hangars packed with more than 150 vintage aircraft and 4,000 artifacts. You walk in to a simulated aircraft carrier landing, complete with lights and sound coming at you as if something’s about to touch down on your head.
There are flight simulators, a mock-up of the Blue Angels, a model of Air Force Two (the presidential helicopter) you can actually climb into, recovered shipwreck artifacts and even an atomic bomb model. You can also climb aboard a real Blue Angels jet for photos.
Don’t skip the Cubi Bar Café inside the museum. It looks like a themed restaurant, but it’s not a replica. It’s the actual Cubi Point Officers’ Club, the legendary bar from the US naval base at Subic Bay in the Philippines, dismantled wall by wall and shipped here when the US pulled out of the Philippines in the early 1990s. The thousands of squadron plaques on the walls are the real ones, packed up and placed exactly as they were when the original bar closed.
The museum sits on Naval Air Station Pensacola, so getting in requires a bit of planning. Also, the entry criteria and process is subject to change as it is a working military base. Do check the website before visiting.
2. Pensacola Lighthouse
Right across from the museum, on the same naval base, the lighthouse was built in 1859 and still works today as an active US Coast Guard aid to navigation. Climb the 177 steps (you need shoes with a back strap, flip-flops won’t cut it) up a beautiful wrought iron spiral staircase, and you’re rewarded with views over Pensacola Pass and three historic forts. There’s also a lighthouse keeper’s cottage on site, now a small museum.
One quirky bit of history: in 1840, after her husband died, Michaela Ingraham took over full lighthouse duties and ran it for the next fifteen years, the only woman to ever run the station. It’s also got a reputation for being haunted, and has featured on Ghost Hunters. Admission is roughly $9.50 for adults.
Book and plan your visit here.
3. Big Lagoon State Park
A short but lovely stop. There’s a three-story observation tower at the end of an easy boardwalk where you can climb up for gorgeous views over the lagoon toward Perdido Key. It’s also the starting point of the 1,515-mile Florida Circumnavigational Saltwater Paddling Trail, and a designated birding hotspot if that’s your thing.
4. Sunset Kayak with Glow Paddle
This was genuinely one of the highlights, and it couldn’t be more convenient: the outfitter sits literally across the road from the Pensacola Beach Resort. Go at sunset rather than full dark and you’ll get less of the glow effect but a beautiful, peaceful paddle with pelicans hanging around and the sky turning pink and gold. Go later and darker for the full glow paddle experience.
5. Pensacola Beach Pier
A short walk down the beach from the Pensacola Beach Resort is Pensacola Beach Pier. There’s a small entry fee to walk out onto the pier, which is a charming old wooden boardwalk stretching 1,471 feet over the Gulf. Early morning is best: fishermen lining the rails, a resident heron, and supposedly one of the better spots to watch the Blue Angels practice overhead (I wasn’t lucky enough to catch them, but the views alone are worth it).
6. Fort Pickens
Part of Gulf Islands National Seashore, and a proper slice of history. Completed in 1834, it’s the largest of the forts that once defended Pensacola Bay, and one of the only forts in the South that stayed in Union hands through the entire Civil War. Its strangest chapter: the Apache war chief Geronimo was imprisoned here in 1886 and 1887, put to hard labor clearing weeds and stacking cannonballs, and ironically became such a tourist draw that Pensacola residents lobbied to keep him there. You’ll wander past cannons, brick ramparts and battlements slowly being reclaimed by greenery.
7. Florida National Scenic Trail
Just east of Fort Pickens, a short trail dips off to the right, around a quarter mile one way. I only walked fifteen or twenty minutes of it but it was beautiful: marsh walkovers, lush grass, live oaks, genuinely tropical colors. What I didn’t realize at the time is that this little stretch is actually the official northern terminus of the full 1,300-plus-mile Florida Trail, and the only National Scenic Trail beach hike in the country. It felt a million miles from anywhere despite being a stone’s throw from the fort.
8. Battery Worth
One of several coastal gun batteries dotted around Fort Pickens. Completed in 1899, it once housed eight 12-inch mortars that could lob 700-pound shells high into the air to drop straight down onto enemy ship decks. During World War II it became the Harbor Entrance Control Post, the nerve center coordinating Army and Navy defense of the bay. You can climb the observation tower for what’s reportedly the highest viewpoint anywhere in the fort.
9. Langdon Beach
Some of the whitest sand I’ve ever seen, even by Gulf Coast standards. It’s part of the Fort Pickens area and has the only lifeguards and full facilities (restrooms, showers, picnic pavilion) along this stretch, but it never feels crowded.
10. Perdido Key State Park
Florida’s westernmost public beach, with sand as fine as snow, and “Perdido” literally translates to “lost” in Spanish, named by explorers who found the island in 1693. It’s also one of only two places on Earth where you’ll find the endangered Perdido Key beach mouse.
11. Tarkiln Bayou Preserve State Park
A favorite of the trip. Tall pines, a genuinely tropical feel, and a boardwalk walk that makes you feel miles from anywhere. The name comes from its history: this land was used for “naval stores,” tapping native yellow pine for tar, pitch and resin used to waterproof wooden ships. Today it’s one of the best places in Florida to see rare carnivorous pitcher plants, and the boardwalk leads out to an overlook on the bayou itself, the calm tannic water that gives the park its name.
12. Sunrise at Pensacola Beach
Free, and one of the best things I did the whole trip. If jet lag has you up early, walk down to the beach and watch the sun come up over the Gulf. Magical, and a good way to have the sand to yourself before anyone else is awake.
13. Dolphin Cruise
We took a sunset dolphin cruise with Frisky Mermaid, which departs from 701 Pensacola Beach Blvd, right on the road you cross to get onto Pensacola Beach (behind Shaggy’s). We saw dolphins again and again, some coming close enough to the boat for great photos, all while the sky shifted through blue, pink and gold. Shared sunset cruises run from around $29 a person; private small-group options are also available.
14. Palafox Saturday Market
Every Saturday, 9am to 2pm, rain or shine, on Palafox Street downtown. It’s been named Florida’s Best Farmers Market by Southern Living, and everything sold has to be grown, made or created by the vendor themselves, no resales allowed. Expect local produce, cheeses, bakery goods, plants, candles from the Pensacola Candy Company, brooms, pork skins, flowers and live music, all under shady oak trees.
Find out more at Visit Pensacola.
15. Pelicans in Paradise
A fun little art trail: decorated pelican statues scattered all over downtown and the beach, each branded to a different local business or theme. Worth seeking a few out as you wander.
16. Palafox Street
The heart of downtown and genuinely one of America’s great streets (the American Planning Association named it one of its “10 Great Streets” in 2013). The architecture is a real mix of Spanish, French and British influence, and those wrought iron balconies that give it such a New Orleans feel are original cast-iron storefront awnings designed to shade pedestrians from the Florida sun. Most shops open around 10am, and it’s packed with coffee shops, retailers and restaurants well worth exploring at a slow pace.
17. North Hill Historic District
A beautiful residential neighborhood just north of downtown, packed with over 400 historic homes built between 1870 and the 1930s in styles ranging from Queen Anne to Tudor Revival to Mediterranean Revival. It was funded largely by Northwest Florida’s lumber boom in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Walking through, you’ll pass the Boysen-Perry House on the corner of North Palafox and East Wright Streets: built in 1867 for a Danish sea captain using materials salvaged from wrecked buildings, it later served as a consulate and was even home to a Florida governor.
18. Historic Pensacola Village
A genuine outdoor museum spanning several downtown blocks, with restored homes, old steam trains, and costumed interpreters bringing 19th century daily life to life. The standout is Julee Cottage, built around 1805 for Julee Panton, a free woman of color, who earned her living through baking and candle-making, and is remembered (though not definitively documented) for using that income to help free enslaved people. It’s a moving, beautifully restored stop and works well as a self-guided walking tour. One ticket covers seven days and gives you access to multiple museums across the complex.
19. Pensacola Museum of History
Housed in a stunning 1907 Mediterranean Revival building that once served as City Hall. The “City of Five Flags” exhibit covers the entire first floor and tells the story of how Spain, France, Britain, the Confederacy and the United States have all ruled Pensacola at different points. A fun fact worth knowing before you go: Pensacola actually beat St. Augustine to the title of first European settlement in what’s now the US by six years, in 1559, though a hurricane sank most of the original ships within weeks and the settlement only lasted about a year.
20. The Rex Café
A beautiful old theater on Palafox Street, now a café with both indoor and outdoor seating and a lot of atmosphere. A nice stop for an iced coffee while you’re exploring downtown.
21. Seville Quarter
A sprawling entertainment complex of multiple bars and restaurants all under one roof (or rather, one historic block), open since 1967.
22. Bruce Beach
A relatively new waterfront development downtown, part of a wider plan to reconnect the city with its waterfront. There’s a foreshore, comfortable chairs, and play areas for kids. A relaxed, easy spot to sit for a while.
Where to Eat and Drink in Pensacola
23. Native Café
On Pensacola Beach, Native Cafe is a real character: quirky decor with a mock-up of the giant Pensacola Beach beach ball, street-art-style murals with pink flamingos and Blue Angels jets soaring overhead. Great breakfast and lunch spot. I had fish tacos and shrimp and gumbo grits, both excellent.
24. Flounders Chowder House
Flounders is a Pensacola Beach institution and a proper local landmark. It’s huge: live band, beach volleyball out front, multiple indoor and outdoor bars. I sat at the tiki bar section for the atmosphere and had giant scallops and other excellent seafood.
25. The Wine Bar on Palafox
The Wine Bar on Palafox is downtown, with a cozy indoor seating area and a lovely outdoor bar, plus a genuinely excellent wine list. It’s been rated best wine list in Pensacola, and happy hour runs daily from 11am to 6pm with over 20 glasses at half price.
26. The Fish House
The Fish House is also downtown, right on the water, with a real fishing-village charm. Sit on the porch and watch the boats go by while you eat. Amazing oysters, followed by excellent local fish.
27. Polonza Bistro
Polonza Bistro is a great breakfast and brunch stop in downtown Pensacola. Excellent cortado, everything made from scratch.
28. Joe Patti’s Seafood
Joe Patti’s is an absolute local institution and a must-visit, even if you’re not planning to cook. It traces back to 1931, when Captain Joe sold fresh bay shrimp he’d caught himself, with his wife Anna selling it on, mostly for fish bait, from the back porch of their modest home. By 1935 it had become Joe Patti’s Fish Market proper.
It’s a sweet story too: Joe and Anna were both Sicilian immigrants born less than ten miles apart, yet they didn’t actually meet until they crossed paths in Pensacola in 1928. Today it’s a sprawling market, and I had some of the best sushi of my life at the in-house sushi bar, made fresh from the seafood on display just feet away.
29. Crab Cake Eggs Benedict and Pancakes at Pensacola Beach Resort
Breakfast at the resort twice during my stay, and both were fantastic: gorgeous pancakes one morning, beautiful crab cake eggs Benedict the next.
30. Jaco’s Bayfront Bar and Grille
Jaco’s is on the water downtown, and a lovely spot for a final seafood dinner. Great views over the bay as the sun goes down.
Where to Stay in Pensacola
31. The Pensacola Beach Resort
The Pensacola Beach Resort was my first stop, and an absolutely perfect charming beach hotel. The location couldn’t be better: literally on Pensacola Beach, so you can walk straight down to watch the sunrise or take an early morning stroll. My room was big and simply decorated, white sheets, ceiling fans, wooden floorboards with little blue accents, a big bathroom, a properly comfortable bed and a bathrobe.
The balcony looked straight out over the sea. There’s also a gorgeous pool on property, right next to the beach, so you can see the sand and water from your lounger. Breakfast here was a genuine highlight too.
32. Celestine Bed and Breakfast
My second stop, in downtown Pensacola’s North Hill district, was Celestine Bed and Breakfast and a completely different but equally brilliant experience. It’s a converted historic 1880s home with an extraordinary eye for design: my room had a gorgeous leopard print rug, beautifully varied cushion colors and textures, and a huge bathroom with a separate tub and shower, all done in white tile. Every detail had clearly been considered.
It’s a genuinely personal place too: it’s named for Celestine Elizabeth Tolliver Harrison, the owners’ great-grandmother, born in Pensacola in 1908, and each guestroom is named after one of her children. That family history runs through the whole property, and it shows.
Pensacola Beach surprised me at every turn: the history runs far deeper than I expected, the seafood is some of the best I’ve had anywhere, and the beaches genuinely are as white as everyone says. If you’re after a Gulf Coast destination that still feels a little undiscovered, this is it.
I visited Pensacola Beach as a paid guest of Visit Pensacola – thanks guys – but as always my opinions are my own.
Please note that this article does contain some affiliate links. That means if you click on the links and end up making a booking I may receive a small commission. Just wanted to let you know.
Amanda O’Brien is the creator and editor of The Boutique Adventurer. She has visited 80 countries and is a member of the British Guild of Travel Writers as well as the IFTWTA. She is passionate about wine had has just completed Level 3 of the WSET. Born in Australia, she lives in London.
