The Best Advice for Travelers to Pensacola, Florida
Found along the western portion of Florida’s Gulf Coast, Pensacola is the heart of Escambia County. Towering cypress, oak trees and nice homes with wooden porches characterizes Pensacola making it a perfect place for relaxation away from the crowded Florida resorts.
Next, we share some interesting attractions and things to do. Additionally, you will find some useful trends for these exciting places as well.
Positioned near Navarre Beach, Pensacola Beach provides travelers with many water activities. Its old historic sites, nature trails, and area lakes are ideal spots for boating, hiking and biking among others.
Often referred to as the place “Where Dreams Come True,” nearby Pensacola Bay is home to these hyper mammals which inhabit the waters all year around. Dolphin watching is without doubt one of the most popular activities in Pensacola Beach, Dolphin snorkeling tours and dive tours are also available.
The Little Zoo that Could and Alligator Ally are THE place to visit if you love nature and leisure parks. These two are top picks if you have small children. They are actually located in Gulf Shores, but if you are staying on Pensacola Beach, it’s only about a 30 minute drive. Shuttles are Available. These great attractions have an Alligator Feeding Tour where travelers can pet baby alligators and watch the adult alligators get fed! Your kids will love both of these parks, and they are right next to each other, so you can do both in one day. They are small parks. While you are in the area, take a look at the Track and Waterville USA. These two spots are very fun with kids and pre-teenagers. Small children can ride tandem on the Go-karts, but that’s about it.
The thing about Pensacola Beach is that it seems less congested in areas like Perdido Key. However, Gulf Shores and Orange Beach are very nice as well. I guess it just boils down to which resorts and condos are offering the best deals. For small kids, there is just more to do in Gulf Shores, so you have to leverage relaxation with activities. For plenty of people, staying in Gulf Shores or Orange Beach makes sense, but there are many people who have been staying at Perdido Key for years and will not budge. Waterville USA does have a Flow Rider (Standing Surfing Wave) and roller coaster ride to go along with all the water slides. There are plenty of Water Slides including a straight down death drop.
Do you want to discover Florida’s wild animals? Well, you will find American Alligators, Coyotes, Dolphins, and White Tailed Deer at this park. Fort Pickens State Park is a very scenic park for those who love to experience nature without all the high-rises and busy (NOISY) restaurants. It is an attractive area full of white sand dunes and a sandy beach area where the bay meets the gulf. This is perfect for a relaxing walk, bike ride, hike, picnic, bird watch, or beach wedding (in OCTOBER ONLY for the Wedding). The Fort Pickens State Park is the best place to visit for those who love wildlife, desolate beaches, and land fishing. Be sure to pack a picnic because there are no restaurants there. There is a little pier where the Bay meets the Ocean. You can catch Redfish, Spanish Makerall, and Bluefish right off the beach. Also, there are sharks out there such as bull sharks, black tips, and sand sharks. Watch out for pigmy rattle snakes. They are not very big and are very poisonous. Evidently, the black tip sharks are edible, but it is common courtesy not to attract sharks near the beach. There are not necessarily more sharks here than the rest of the gulf, but sometimes there are. Travelers can see Dolphins and fish all year round while snorkeling here, but the best time to snorkel is when the tide is coming in not going out. This is when you enjoy blue tropical looking water.
There are small museums and fine Restaurants situated in Downtown Pensacola, so for those who love to have some history in your vacation, just go park and explore. It is one of the most historic places in all of Florida.