Pensacola Celebrates 450 Years Of History
ROYAL TOUR OF PENSACOLA
Last year, Pensacola celebrated its 450th anniversary with a visit from the king of queen and Spain. Visitors can walk in the footsteps of royalty by visiting the same landmarks as King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain. The self-guided tour of Pensacola includes stops at Plaza de Luna, Fort George, the T.T. Wentworth, Jr. Florida State Museum, the Hilton Pensacola Beach Gulf Front and the National Naval Aviation Museum.
THE FIRST EUROPEAN SETTLEMENT IN THE UNITED STATES
When Don Tristan de Luna’s ships sailed into the area in 1559 (six years before St. Augustine was discovered), Pensacola Bay was described in a Spanish seaman’s journal as “the best I have seen in my life.” Unfortunately, their first settlement didn’t last because of a hurricane that destroyed supplies. In 1698, Presidio Santa Maria de Galve became the first permanent settlement in Northwest Florida. Remains of the fort can be found at Naval Air Station Pensacola, and in 2007, remains of one of de Luna’s ships were found in Pensacola Bay – the second oldest shipwreck in the United States. Since its founding, the area has been ruled under five flags – Spain, France, Britain, the Confederacy and the United States.
HISTORIC PENSACOLA VILLAGE
Guests step back in time with archaeological sites, museums, one of Florida’s oldest churches and furnished period houses spanning from the earliest Spanish explorers to the Victorian era. The Museum of Commerce paints the picture of a turn-of-the-century streetscape of Palafox Place which remains the heart of downtown. The T.T. Wentworth, Jr. Florida State Museum holds major pieces of history including the anchor believed to have belonged to de Luna.
ST. MICHAEL'S CEMETERY
This historic treasure is an open-air museum, telling the story of more than 3,000 lives spanning the centuries. Said to have been a burying ground as early as the mid 18th century, the cemetery is considered the oldest in Florida. The archaeological site is the final resting place of both the famous and the common, the Spanish, French, English, Irish, African and Greek – the unique blend of early America. Elaborate mausoleums and plain cement slabs reflect a disparate society, and monuments portray attitudes and beliefs about life and death.
HAUNTED PAST
The Pensacola Historical Society’s haunted house candlelit walking and trolley tours are a tradition that began nearly two decades ago and have grown into a significant Halloween event. Costumed guides reveal stories of murder and mayhem supposedly responsible for ghost sightings throughout the centuries. The narrated tour visits more than 50 sites around downtown’s Pensacola Historic District and North Hill historic district.
MILITARY HERITAGE
The Pensacola Bay Area has had a strong military presence for centuries. It was home to important forts in the Civil War, and today, all Navy, Marine and Coast Guard aviators start their training in Pensacola, giving it the nickname “Cradle of Naval Aviation.”
The NATIONAL NAVAL AVIATION MUSEUM, located aboard Naval Air Station Pensacola, features an impressive display of more than 150 vintage aircraft, a Top Gun F-14 flight simulator, motion-based simulators and an IMAX® theatre. Inside the museum, visitors stop by the Cubi Bar Café, an exact replica of the famous Cubi Point Officers’ Club in the Western Pacific. Each Tuesday and Wednesday morning, from March to November, guests can experience the world-famous Blue Angels as they practice awe-inspiring aerial maneuvers in the skies above. (Check schedule prior to visit.) Museum admission is free.
Visitors can explore two pre-Civil War fortresses at Naval Air Station Pensacola and another on Pensacola Beach. The ADVANCED REDOUBT tour each Saturday takes visitors to the only fort in the region built specifically for land defense of the Navy yard. It is the only time visitors are allowed to explore the archways and tunnels, view rifle galleries, parade grounds and the dry moat surrounding the fort. The FORT BARRANCAS tour is offered daily featuring the military history of the 1839 fortress and the Spanish Water Battery. FORT PICKENS just re-opened in May of 2009, so that visitors can once again tour the massive fortress that once was home to Union troops and later held Geronimo captive.
THE PENSACOLA LIGHTHOUSE, built in 1859, stands at Naval Air Station Pensacola and peers over the pass to the Gulf of Mexico. The lighthouse has survived hurricanes, lightning strikes, fire and the Civil War. At 160 feet tall, it is the fourth-tallest brick lighthouse in the nation. It is said the first lighthouse keeper, Jeremiah Ingram, still wanders through his former quarters. Tours are offered Wednesday and Saturday from May to October.
For more media information, contact Laura Lee at (800) 874-1234 and llee@VisitPensacola.com or Ashley Chisholm at (850) 438-4015 and ashley@ewbullock.com.
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