Fall Story Ideas 2009

Fall is an ideal time to visit the beach and soak up savings at rental houses, hotels and condominiums. At the new upscale Beach Club condominium, ladies can enjoy a man-free getaway for $499 per person, which includes a three-night stay, dinner at the acclaimed Jackson’s Steakhouse, a sunset dolphin cruise, and a manicure and facial at Aqua Spa. For $549 per person, guys can get away to the Beach Club for a three-day weekend and bond with a deep-sea fishing trip, flight simulator ride at the National Naval Aviation Museum and dinner at the popular Fish House.

Guests can stay at Portofino Island on Pensacola Beach for $199 per night and receive one half-day deep-sea fishing trip and a round of golf free each day. Other free services include beach chair set up, unlimited DVD rentals and ferry rides to Portofino Boardwalk. The full-service resort is appealing for girls getaways, mancations or the family with its spa and fitness center, indoor and outdoor pools, bayside children’s swim area, access to bike trails, kayak rentals, volleyball, tennis and more.

Louisiana families can fill up their tanks and spend a lot of time in our area without spending a lot of money. The Pensacola Bay Area offers visitors an exceptional value, especially in the fall. Lodging rates are lower than other Florida destinations, plus a variety of free activities keeps everyone busy by day and night. Most of our biggest attractions are absolutely free, including the National Naval Aviation Museum with 150 vintage aircraft, Blue Angels practices, the T.T. Wentworth, Jr., Florida State Museum, and area beaches including Gulf Islands National Seashore. Visitors can enjoy lively festivals and parades year round, stroll through our downtown historic district, or explore brick fortresses with a national park ranger. For more free ideas, visit 1tank2pensacola.com.

For the past 450 days, we’ve been celebrating Pensacola’s 450th anniversary. Pensacola was founded Aug. 15, 1559 by Spanish sailor Don Tristan de Luna, making the area the first European settlement in the United States. Our celebration has included special visits from the king and queen of Spain, the Elcano tall ship and renowned Spanish artists and winemakers. Our Royal Tour of Pensacola allows visitors to walk in the footsteps of King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain to our many historic landmarks around town. Pensacola is home to the oldest cemetery and church in Florida, along with the country’s second-oldest shipwreck. Homes in Historic Pensacola Village, the Pensacola Lighthouse and several brick fortresses pre-date the Civil War and are open for tours. Having been ruled by Spain, France, Britain, the Confederacy and the United States, “The City of Five Flags” is a fascinating city with seemingly endless opportunities for exploration and learning.

Nesting birds and turtles, a diverse, active ecosystem and a massive brick fortress are a few of the treasures found on the western tip of Santa Rosa Island at Gulf Islands National Seashore. After being closed by storm damage in 2004, Fort Pickens Road is again open to vehicles. In the interim, seemingly taking advantage of the solitude, it appears that nature has stretched her arms and flourished. Record nesting of sea turtles, endangered least terns, snowy plovers and skimmers were reported in the last year. Rarely seen river otters that live in the island’s brackish canals were spotted frolicking in the salty Gulf. With easy public access re-established to Fort Pickens, a massive pre-Civil War Era brick fortress, and its nature trails, ranger-led programs from snorkeling to barrier-island walks to candlelight tours of the fort are once again being offered throughout the year. Park admission for the week is $8.

Pensacolians have long had a taste for palette-pleasing get-togethers that take advantage of the bounty pulled directly from the teeming waters of the Gulf or the estuarine waters of bays, rivers and bayous. With a cuisine derived from the area’s many cultural influences – Spanish, French, Greek and Creole to name a few – and fueled by local produce and seafood, travelers with a taste for the spectacular will find plenty to choose from.

The Pensacola Bay Area’s many culinary affairs display the broad array of what we have to offer. Fall brings the Taste of the Beach event and the annual Seafood and Greek festivals. Throughout the year, other tempting events arrive – Goombay Gulf Coast with its accent on Caribbean cuisine and culture, the Crawfish Festival where the tastes of Cajun cooking hold sway or the Bushwacker Festival, which revolves solely around the tasty adult beverage invented on Pensacola Beach. And Pensacola’s Celebrity Chefs use the kitchens of their award-winning restaurants to make sure new tastes keep arriving, while old favorites, such as Grits a Ya Ya, crisp-fried, fresh mullet and Pensacola sushi roll never go out of style.

Frights are free in the Pensacola Bay Area. From poltergeists and a haunted lighthouse to a prankster convict condemned long ago, travelers can delight in hair-raising tales and maybe even spotting a ghost or two. Ghost hunters have come with hopes of catching a glimpse of the ancient sea captain whose spirit refuses to depart the Pensacola Lighthouse or to relive the grim antics of Hosea Poole, the last man hanged at the county jail, now home to Pensacola Little Theatre. Aboard Naval Air Station Pensacola, hear about the eccentric commander who once lived in one of the grand houses on “Admiral’s Row.” From ZooBoo, a hauntingly historic tour, to productions of “Rocky Horror,” the Pensacola Bay Area offers eerie or campy chills for locals and visitors.

New in 2010-2011 The Pensacola Bay Area continues to thrive, with new accommodations and attractions opening soon for Louisiana visitors. Construction of a Holiday Inn on Pensacola Beach broke ground last week. The hotel is owned by Innisfree Corporation, which owns the Hilton and the Hampton on the beach. The Grand Marlin Yacht Club and Hotel Indigo will open next year with luxury amenities for a high-end market. Near the Pensacola Gulf Coast Regional Airport, the 127-room Hyatt Place Hotel will be the anchor of a $24 million development including offices, restaurants and retail shops. Next year, Highpointe Hotel Corporation is opening its sixth Pensacola hotel, an $18-million, 137-unit Hilton Garden Inn on Airport Boulevard. Both properties can be accessed from I-110, thanks to a new exit at Airport Boulevard. Road construction on I-110 is now complete, giving travelers better access around town and to area beaches. The groundbreaking for the Community Maritime Park will take place in August. The $38 million waterfront park will feature the University of West Florida maritime museum and aquarium, a minor league baseball stadium, public piers and green space.

Contact: Laura Lee, communications manager, Pensacola Bay Area CVB, (850) 434-1234; (800) 874-1234, llee@visitpensacola.com, or Ashley Chisholm, public relations manager, EW Bullock Associates, (850) 438-4015, ashley@ewbullock.com.