Pensacola is Florida the
way it used to be, according to many longtime residents
who maintain that Pensacola had “ecotourism” before
the word was even invented. The creation of the United
States’ second national seashore in 1971 and a deep
respect for history and nature among its residents have
helped preserve “Florida's Last Frontier.”
Continuing the heritage of protection and preservation,
Pensacola has been named a Tree City USA every year since
1990 and boasts nearly 100 city parks. For a spectacular
view of the area, visit either the tower at Big
Lagoon State Recreation Area or the Pensacola Lighthouse, built
in 1859 and still in use today at Naval Air Station Pensacola.
At 160 feet tall, it is the fourth tallest brick lighthouse
in the nation.
Photographers will have
a field day at The Bluffs. This city park on Scenic Highway
offers a stunning
view of Escambia
Bay from its observation decks on the only natural bluffs
in the state. In fact, Scenic Highway itself is one of
only two highways in the state designated as a Florida
Scenic Highway.
The Edward Ball Nature Walk, nestled in the University
of West Florida campus, meanders through a tree-shaded
bayou filled with fish and turtles. Visitors may even spot
Captain Thunder, a 10-foot-long, three-legged alligator
that calls the bayou home. The tranquil campus also contains
several hiking and jogging trails and self-guided nature
walks among its 1,000 acres of nature preservation.
On
the outskirts of downtown Pensacola, motorists headed for
the beach can’t help but notice the Project GreenShores,
a habitat restoration project in Pensacola Bay. More than
400 local and migratory birds are often found taking turns
wheeling in the air on their quest for food or basking
placidly in the Florida sun atop 10,000 tons of the limestone
rock that is part of a man-made oyster reef. In addition,
10,000 emergent saltmarsh grasses, planted by volunteers,
have been placed shoreward of the reef in an attempt to
return a portion of Pensacola Bay to the way it was decades
ago.
Whether you are looking for a walk through historic districts,
a romantic sunset over the bay, or a picnic under majestic
oak trees, enjoying the outdoors in Pensacola comes naturally.
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