A Pensacola Thanksgiving: Gobble, Sun, and Fun

When the turkey's calling and the beach is beckoning, there's only one place to be: Pensacola, Florida. We’ve got your ticket to a Thanksgiving like no other this year, where sandy shores meet holiday feasts. Whether you're a Pensacola local coming home or visiting in pursuit of a sunny escape, here's how to enjoy Thanksgiving in Pensacola to the fullest.

A Great Southern Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is all about the food, and Pensacola serves up some delightful options for your holiday feast. If you're craving a touch of elegance with your turkey, look no further than Jackson's Steakhouse. Their Thanksgiving menu combines tradition and coastal flair for a dining experience to truly be thankful for. Chef Irv Miller prepares a traditional Thanksgiving plate with all of the trimmings – oven-roasted turkey, sliced and served alongside garlic buttered green beans, andouille and cornbread stuffing, Anjou pear and cranberry relish, roasted butternut squash, and down-home gravy.

The Fish House and Atlas Oyster House offer Thanksgiving with a Gulf Coast twist, serving a traditional turkey plate with all the trimmings prepared by Chef Jason Hughes – from brined turkey breast, Southern-style cornbread dressing, roasted sweet potato casserole with Renfroe pecan streusel, garlic butter sautéed baby green beans, and whipped potatoes served with cranberry-apple relish and turkey gravy. Or of course, the seafood lover in you can always give thanks over the Grits a Ya-Ya.

How do you say Thanksgiving in Italian? Angelena’s Ristorante Italiano! Chef James Briscione has prepared a delectable Thanksgiving feature of wood-fired turkey ‘saltimbocca’ parmesan-potato puree, cranberry chutney, focaccia stuffing with sage and fontina.

For a dose of Southern comfort food with a Thanksgiving twist, make your way to Five Sisters Blues Café for one of their five Thanksgiving seatings. The Thanksgiving plate will include herb-brined, sliced turkey breast, bourbon-glazed ham, and all the trimmings — green beans, mashed potatoes, yams, Conecuh cornbread dressing and dinner roll. Dessert choices include homemade chess pie or sweet potato pie. Grab and go your Thanksgiving gobble from Five Sisters to celebrate a great southern holiday from home.

Surf and Turf

A holiday is better on the water, and Salt Pensacola Beach has holiday fun for the whole family on Thanksgiving Day. Salt features fresh from the Gulf cuisine fused with Mediterranean Coastal inspired culinary delights.

Or keep your festivities grand at The Grand Marlin on the Santa Rosa Sound for a full day of delicacies – traditional or coastal – from 10am-7pm.

Gobble Up Your Grab and Go

If you prefer a relaxed Thanksgiving at home or your beachfront rental, visit a Pensacola specialty store to be your own chef or order a Thanksgiving meal to go. Restaurant Iron boasts a Take and Bake menu (spoiler: the Nutella pie is nonnegotiable) to spice up and ease up your meal prep. Or, let Scenic 90 Café handle all of your main event menu with their beloved “shiny diner” dishes. Satisfy your sweet tooth by ordering in from Craft Bakery or J’s Bakery.

For the most local ingredients to make your own menu, dive into Joe Patti’s Seafood for the freshest Gulf seafood imaginable, and pair it with the local favorite twice-baked potatoes from Apple Market. Dazzle your tastebuds with the wide array of oils, vinegars, and accoutrement at the Bodacious Shops or get your organic, locally-sourced products from Ever’man Cooperative Grocery & Café.

Dress Up Your Dressing

From the end of spooky szn, the day of gratitude itself, or looking into all things merry and bright, spending Thanksgiving in Pensacola gives you ample opportunities to celebrate with the cornucopia of activities during the week. Dive into Pensacola's rich history by visiting attractions like Fort Pickens, the Pensacola Lighthouse, and the Historic Pensacola Village to combine culture with your holiday festivities.

Not quite ready to let ghoul of the Halloween season? Haunt your way through the Spirits of Seville Quarter Ghost Tour and Luncheon – no bones about it. The Pensacola Beach Turkey Trot kicks off Thanksgiving day with a run for both you and the kids to burn off that stuffing before the first carving.

The following day, bring out that elf on the shelf Friday at the Winterfest Elf Parade and Christmas Jubilee. If physical running isn’t your forte, run that credit card instead to shop ‘til you drop down Palafox Street at Pensacola favorite boutiques like Gray Boutique, Scout, Bluetique, Rusted Arrow Mercantile, and Indigeaux Denim Bar.

Pensacola: The Way to Beach

Thanksgiving in Pensacola offers a unique blend of coastal charm, delicious cuisine, and a warm sense of community. In Pensacola, we don't just celebrate Thanksgiving; we celebrate it with a side of sand and sunshine. Whether you're a local reuniting with hometown friends or a visitor in search of the ultimate beach getaway, you'll find something to be thankful for in this coastal paradise. So, kick back, relax, and savor the thing us Pensacolians are most thankful for – the sun, the surf, and the scrumptious cuisine.

Author

Sid Williams-Heath

Sid Williams-Heath relocated to Northwest Florida from New York City with his husband, Dr. Nicklaus Heath, after working for the Savannah College of Art and Design. He is the CEO of The Clark Family Cultural Center and oversees the Pensacola Little Theatre. Williams-Heath currently serves as the president for Stamped LGBTQIA+ Film Festival, treasurer of Visit Pensacola, a member of Sundays Child and the Association of Fundraising Professionals, and graduated from Leadership Pensacola’s class of 2019. Sid also instructs indoor cycling classes at the boutique spin studio, Ride Society.

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