Historic Pensacola Hotspots

With over 460 years of history, Pensacola has countless tales to tell. Visitors seeking stories of 16thCentury Spanish explorers, a prosperous English colony or momentous battles may be taken aback by the sheer volume of landmarks and historic outposts the city has to offer. Fortunately, the epic saga of Pensacola’s past can best be understood by visiting a few major hotspots.

President James Monroe established a navy yard and depot on Pensacola Bay in 1825. By 1834, Fort Pickens was built at the very tip of Pensacola Beach, overlooking the entrance of the bay, to defend against the potential for foreign attacks. According to the National Park Service, “Its purpose would reach beyond the physical boundaries of the Gulf frontier. Fort Pickens stood to safeguard the democratic institutions of the federal Republic, and today it is an enduring symbol of the United States.” Now part of Gulf Islands National Seashore, Fort Pickens is run by the NPS and offers guided tours through winding tunnels, a historical museum and gift shop. The seashore it rests on also provides opportunities for swimming, fishing, hiking, biking and camping. Park admission is required for entry.

In Downtown Pensacola, visit Plaza De Luna, a waterfront park located at the south end of Palafox Pier. The park features a life-size bronze statue of its namesake, Don Tristan De Luna y Arellano, who led the Spanish expedition carrying 1500 colonists to settle Pensacola in August of 1559. De Luna’s plan was to establish the first permanent European colony in North America on Pensacola Bay. Pensacola was to be the first in a series of settlements that would spread west along the Gulf Coast and north into Florida to secure the territory for Spain. Unfortunately, however, a violent hurricane struck before De Luna and the Spanish colonists could finish unloading their 11 ships, sinking most of the fleet before the settlement ever got off the ground.

Today, children can enjoy the splash pad encircling De Luna’s monument, and visitors and locals alike can cast a line into Pensacola Bay if you are so inclined, or take a stroll along the waterfront walking path.

Anchored by the Pensacola Museum of History, Historic Pensacola encompasses 30 properties across an 8.5-acre area of Downtown Pensacola. Admission tickets, ranging from $5 to $10, include entry to the museums and public homes that comprise Historic Pensacola Village and are valid for seven days.

Beginning at the Museum of History, take a self-guided tour through the galleries and exhibits that fill the three-story 1907 Mediterranean Revival building. Then, continue your tour just steps away at the Pensacola Museum of Art or Historic Pensacola Village.

During guided tours of Historic Pensacola Village, offered three times daily Tuesday through Sunday, living history interpreters serve to bring the past to life. These guides will identify the diverse architectural styles of the area and explain the many furnishings and artifacts, from the Colonial and Victorian eras to 1920s Pensacola. On the Becoming American tour, for example, learn about Pensacola’s transition from a Spanish colony to an American territory. You will begin at Old Christ Church, one of the oldest churches in Florida, built in 1832. It has served as an Episcopal church, public library and museum, and Federal troops occupied the space during the Civil War. At the 1871 Dorr House, get a glimpse into Victorian Era, post-Civil War family life in Pensacola.

Today hungry foodies visit the historic Belmont-Devilliers neighborhood to whet their appetite for burgers from Blue Dot and traditional southern cooking at Five Sisters Blues Café. The area, formerly known as the Blocks, is experiencing new life that honors its heritage as the center of Pensacola’s African American community during the Jim Crow era of the 20th Century.

A record store and WBOP, Pensacola’s first African American radio station, once stood where Five Sisters is today. During the Segregation era, these businesses helped promote Black artists who played in the neighborhood’s nightclubs and bars when they were not allowed at “whites only” venues. The likes of Billie Holiday, Ike and Tina Turner, and Etta James took the stage here in what was often referred to as the Chitlin Circuit.

Naval Air Station Pensacola has an abundance of history to explore. It is home to the National Naval Aviation Museum, the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, Fort Barrancas, Barrancas National Cemetery and the Pensacola Lighthouse & Maritime Museum.

The National Naval Aviation Museum is one of the area’s most popular attractions, displaying over 150 restored aircraft representing U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard aviation in more than 350,000-square-feet of museum space. It’s also the home to the Blue Angels, and on certain Tuesdays and Wednesdays during their seasonal practices, NNAM plays host to the post-practice meet-and-greet autograph sessions with the pilots and crew. Admission is free.

Historic Fort Barrancas, which saw combat action during the Civil War, sits atop a bluff with views of Pensacola Bay. According to the National Park Service, this location was so strategic, the Army Corps of Engineers built Fort Barrancas over the ruins of other forts built by the Spanish, French, and British as early as the late 17th century.

Since the early 1860s, more than 36,000 military veterans, including several Medal of Honor recipients, have been buried at Barrancas National Cemetery. Visitors are permitted in the cemetery daily from sunrise to sunset.

At the Pensacola Lighthouse & Maritime Museum, climb to the top of the historic lighthouse that was first lit on New Year’s Day, 1859. It is only 177 steps to the top! Learn about its fascinating history inside the adjacent museum, a space built in 1869 and inhabited by lighthouse keepers and their families until 1965. Admission ranges from $6.50 to $9.50.

** Access to NAS Pensacola is currently limited to current Department of Defense (DoD) ID card holders and Veterans who possess a VHIC card. It is recommended that you review the requirements for entering NAS Pensacola before you visit any of these attractions. A special visitor information line at 850-452-8450 for answers to your questions about visiting the base attractions.

An historic marker now stands at Emanuel Point overlooking Pensacola Bay. Located at what is believed to be the site of De Luna’s original 1559 settlement, Emanuel Point overlooks the area where two 16th century shipwrecks from De Luna’s 11-ship Spanish fleet were discovered in shallow waters. Emanuel Point I was first discovered by archaeologists in 1992. Less than two decades later, in 2006, the Emanuel Point II was discovered about 400 meters west from the first shipwreck. The Emanuel Point shipwrecks are the oldest wrecks found to date in the state of Florida and the second oldest in America. Archaeological research continues today.

Plaza Ferdinand, also known as Andrew Jackson Square, is an oak tree and sidewalk-lined green space at the southeast corner of Palafox and Government streets. This bustling area of downtown boasts a statue of General Andrew Jackson, who was a central figure in Pensacola ultimately becoming a U.S. territory after the War of 1812. Jackson and his troops forced the British to retreat from Fort Barrancas in 1814, later invading and establishing the American occupation of Spanish West Florida in 1818. Ultimately, on July 17, 1821, at Plaza Ferdinand, the Spanish ceded Florida to the United States and Gen. Jackson was sworn in as Florida’s first territorial governor. He later went on to become president of the United States. Today, bars and restaurants in this area are named in his honor.

Established in 2022, America’s First Settlement Trail is a three-mile marked path through downtown Pensacola and the Pensacola Historic District. Download a map and follow along on your mobile device to visit 20 stops and over 70 points of interest, from Fort George to Museum Plaza to St. Michael’s Cemetery.

Fort George was a British fort until the Siege of Pensacola, an important battle of the American Revolution in 1781. Bernardo de Galvez of Spain seized the fort, effectively cutting off British access to the Mississippi River. The Spanish renamed the fort, Fort San Miguel, but never used it in battle. During the Civil War, Union troops set up a battery at the site. Historic markers, a rebuilt portion of the fort, and a bust of Galvez now stand at the corner of La Rua and Palafox streets.

Museum Plaza, an open-air, interactive historic exhibit located behind the Pensacola Museum of History, is home to the Linda Evans Memorial Education Pavilion and Discovery Square, an early learning playground.

St. Michael’s Cemetery is home to 3,200 marked graves dating back to Pensacola’s second Spanish period. Historical research and early maps suggest the area may have been a burial ground as early as the mid 17th Century. Visiting the cemetery is like walking through a virtual history book.

Veterans and military families have been a part of Pensacola’s story for centuries. It is fitting that a place of honor for those who served and a place of remembrance for those who lost their lives in service stands in the heart of Pensacola along Bayfront Parkway. Veterans Memorial Park began with the creation of Wall South, a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., funded by local veterans. Today, 11 additional monuments have been added to recognize veterans of various conflicts, from the American Revolution to the Global War on Terror.

It just goes to show, Pensacola offers centuries of stories to discover and and sites to explore.