Our Impressions of Pensacola Beach / Pensacola
Pensacola Beach is a town, separate from Pensacola. Pensacola Beach is a barrier island just south of Pensacola, FL. This is a wonderful area of the country. There are so many things to do, and so many great restaurants! In our opinion, the soft, white sandy beaches of Pensacola Beach and the National Seashore are the best in the country.
Attractions
Fort Pickins was built in 1816 to defend Pensacola Bay and the Pensacola Navy Yard and Depot from foreign attacks. Parts of the original fort are still standing, and you can walk through most of them. There is a lot of history here.
The Gulf Breeze Zoo is a 50-acre zoo located very close to Pensacola and Pensacola Beach. It has over 900 exotic animals, including rhinos, giraffes, hippos, Western lowland gorillas, orangutans and a freaky bat exhibit! The zoo is clean, and it appears the animals have space and plenty of water.
Gulf Island National Seashore, encompassing Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key is home to the longest stretch of federally protected seashore in the United States. There is plenty of parking and miles and miles of soft white sand.
The Pensacola Lighthouse is on the Naval Air Station Pensacola base. It was built in 1859. You will need to show ID to get on the NAS Pensacola base. If you plan on climbing the 177 steps to the top of the lighthouse, do not wear flip flops; if you do, you will have to climb barefoot! It is an amazing view of the water from the base and from the very top!
The Blue Angles are housed at the Naval Air Station Pensacola. When we were there, the Blue Angels were not flying a show, but when we were downtown Pensacola, we saw them doing practice maneuvers. It was pretty amazing!
Street Fair on Palafox every Saturday. This includes the grassy area on the north and south side of Palafox, the main street in downtown Pensacola.
Frisky Boat Tours has Mermaid Dolphin Tours and it was a lot of fun, and we got to see dolphins! The Frisky Mermaid is a 52’ boat. We took the 2-hour, sunset cruise.
Downtown Pensacola
No parking meters here! Downtown Pensacola is an amazing area to walk with an abundance of theaters, restaurants and shops. It is a pleasure to walk the length of Palafox, the main street in downtown Pensacola.
Flora-Bama (Perdido Key, FL)
We are not sure what the Flora-Bama is. Should it be in the attraction or the food and drink section? One of the few places we have visited in the country that is BOTH! Just say Flora-Bama, and everyone knows what you mean.
It is a concert venue, a beach restaurant, a drinking dive bar, an oyster bar and so much more. It is an experience all by itself. It opened in 1964 and has been going strong ever since. It is a Gulf Coast landmark, said to be America’s “Last Great Roadhouse” or “the most famous beach bar in the country”.
Food and Drink
Pensacola Beach
Crabs is our “go to” restaurant in Pensacola Beach. We have been there many, many times. It is a multi-level casual dining restaurant with inside and on the beach seating. Sometimes we would go just for the Great Balls of Fiery Crab appetizer, a stiff drink and water viewing.
Peg Leg Pete’s is a casual, very busy kitschy restaurant. There is always a line, even if you have reservations. The food is always good; the atmosphere is funky.
Flounders Chowder House is another casual dining restaurant. It is a “sister” restaurant to Crabs. The food is good; the prices are reasonable for the area.
The Café NOLA is a hidden gem in Pensacola Beach! It is one of the only places to get a decent crawfish boil. Others say they have crawfish boils, but there is no spice to them! Why bother? The Café NOLA has indoor and outdoor seating with a wonderful view of the water.
Navarre
Scooter’s Fish House is a very casual, local restaurant in Navarre, another beach town in the area. They have great fried oysters. One of the only places I have ever seen fried cabbage. It was surprisingly goo
Pensacola
Bonefish Grill is a chain restaurant, not something we usually go to, but it was close to the airport and had good reviews. We were impressed! The food was excellent (I had butter fish), and the service was impeccable. We would go back, even though it is a chain!
Jaco’s Bayfront Bar and Grille is in downtown Pensacola on the waterfront. We went for appetizers and had a meal! Indoor and outdoor seating available. Excellent food!
Graffiti Pizza on Palafox was a really good local pizza place. We had slices. Dave had a traditional pepperoni, but I had elote (Mexican street corn). It was amazing, something I will definitely make for myself (I have never seen it offered anywhere else!).
Parlor Donuts features layered donuts! And they are amazing! We have been back here many, many, times. Don’t buy them to keep for a week. These are fresh, with no preservatives! If they are out of your favorite, they will make one up for you. This is a chain, but you wouldn’t know it! The staff went out of their way to accommodate whatever we were looking for!
Home Base: The Campground
For us, a campground is not our destination. Our RV is self-contained. Except for water, electric and sewer rarely do we use campground services or amenities. We are explorers, not campground reviewers!
Most recently we stayed on site 70 at Pensacola Beach RV Resort. The park is clean and well-maintained. Our drive-in site was a FHU (water-electric-sewer) on concrete. The sites are wide enough apart to give a little grass separation. Nice wooden picnic tables. 30 and 50 amp service was available. Good Verizon cellphone coverage. We had an open sky for our satellite.
This is our second time of staying at this RV park. The first time we stayed on site 25 for a month and it was a wonderful experience. This year was a COMPLETELY different experience:
- When I booked the reservation in December 2023 for April 2024, due to a “policy change”, I was told management had changed their policy to a maximum of 21 days (not monthly).
- When I booked in December, I also requested site 25 again. I was told they couldn’t guarantee 25, but we would be on that row (2nd row back from the water). That was fine; it is a common policy. But, when we arrived, we were told by Stephanie that due to a policy change, the 2nd row is only for 5th wheels. We had been assigned to the 3rd row, site 70, the worst site in the park, directly behind the building. Huh?
- We drove around and parked. To our surprise, there were 4 motorhomes on the second row, including a tag axle in the spot we had requested!!!!!. Huh?
- I went back into the office and asked why there were motorhomes on the 2nd row when she had told ne 10 minutes before the 2nd row was reserved for 5th wheels. Stephanie told me those RVers HAD REQUESTED THE 2ND ROW. What? I had requested the second row! She curtly told me: 1) there was no notation I had requested 25 and 2) there was nothing she could do because they were full.
- We stayed because it was spring break and there were no other campgrounds within 75 miles that could accommodate us for 3 weeks. We had many conversations with other campers. People who arrived before us and would be staying long after their 3 weeks, and new campers across from us (also from Maine) who boasted of staying 2 months. Huh?
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| 2023 View | 2024 View |
Needless to say, after being lied to repeatedly, we will not be going back to Pensacola Beach RV Resort. There are too many other choices in the area – if you book early enough. I don’t appreciate being lied to. Shame on this RV Park and shame on Stephanie for lying to me.
Our previous stay in the area had been at the Avalon Landing RV Resort in Milton, FL. It is a nice park, and the managers were very friendly, but it is about 45 minutes from the beach. If you don’t care how far the beaches are, this is a great park to stay at.
Fun Facts
- Established in 1559 by Don Tristan de Luna and Spanish settlers, Pensacola is America’s First Settlement. Pensacola is proud of its rich heritage and significant place in America’s history.
- Pensacola is often referred to as “The City of Five Flags”, having changed “ownership” several times.
- Pensacola Beach has 18 miles of beautiful white sand. Locals call it “sugar white sand”.
- Not only is the sand white, but it’s sparkly! That’s because it’s made up of small pieces of quartz that traveled all the way down from the Appalachian Mountains to end up on the beach.
- The name Pensacola comes from a Native American term, Panzacola. It was given to Spanish settlers in the 17th and 18th centuries and loosely translates to “the land of the hairy people”.
- Since 1955, Sherman’s Field in Pensacola has been home to the Blue Angels, the Navy’s flight demonstration team. As the Blue Angel’s hometown, Pensacola has the honor of being the only city in the United States to host two Blue Angel shows each year: the Pensacola Beach Air Show in July and the Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show in November.
- The world’s largest artificial reef is located 28 miles south of Pensacola. The 872-foot aircraft carrier, the USS Oriskany, was sunk there in 2006 when it was decommissioned.
| Pensacola | Pensacola Beach | Milton | |
| Population | 534,912 | 9,610 | 10,498 |
| Founded | 1559 | 1559 | 1844 |
| Elevation | 102 ft. | 7 ft. | 33 ft. |
| Ave. Income | $30,954 | $31,248 | $30,073 |
| Ave. House | $254,217 | $315,000 | $340,600 |
| Ave. Age | 37 | 47 | 39 |
Websites:
https://www.cityofpensacola.com/
https://www.pensacolabeach.com/
https://www.miltonfl.org/
Summary
This is one of our favorite places in the country, and we will certainly return. We will, however, find another local campground to stay at.
Your partners in travel,
Kathryn, Dave and Lucky
RVing Nomads
It’s a lifestyle
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