Gulf Islands National Seashore

Spend some time visiting all of the sites between Gulf Islands National Seashore and Pensacola; you'll start connecting some pretty interesting historical dots that cross the centuries. Also worth noting, of our country’s ten national seashores, the Gulf Islands National Seashore is the largest at 137,000 acres, of which 80 percent are submerged lands.

Entrance Fee:  $10/pedestrian, cyclist; $20/private vehicle; free with America Beautiful Pass or 4th Grade Every Kid in a Park Pass 

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Fort Pickens Area

Completed in 1834– and remaining in military use until 1947– Fort Pickens is essentially a fort within a fort surrounding the WWII-era Battery Pensacola. Ironically, it was built to protect the Florida mainland from foreign attack, but the only real action that it ever saw was during the United States Civil War.

Built from 21 million bricks manufactured in nearby Pensacola, Fort Pickens is a marvel of masonry construction. Grievously, it was built by slaves to protect rights and freedoms that they themselves did not possess.  A self-guided tour allows for mostly unrestricted exploration of this Third System fortress. Several large cannons are still mounted on its walls, overlooking the Gulf of Mexico.  Across the inlet to Pensacola Bay lies Confederate Forts McRee and Barrancas with which Pickens battled during the Civil War in 1861. In 1898, the fort was upgraded with new concrete construction and giant disappearing cannons known as Battery Pensacola, of which remnants still remain.

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Between Fort Pickens and the campgrounds, you can also walk around WWI and WWII-era gun batteries, each one bigger than the last. The remains of the casemates are camouflaged by sand dunes. The disappearing guns were designed to pop up from behind reinforced concrete walls, shoot 50lb shells, and hide again. The guns at Battery Langdon could hurl a 12" half-ton shell and hit a target 17 miles out to sea. The whole of the west end is a kind of living museum of coastal defense innovation.

Fort Pickens Discovery Center

The Fort Pickens Discovery Center, located within the park, is open daily from 9:00 am to 4:30pm. Explore the many interactive exhibits at this visitor center museum, watch the 15-minute film about the history of Fort Pickens, and ask for the Junior Ranger workbook. With extra time, take a guided ranger tour of the fort and grounds.

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National Naval Aviation Museum

While a little out of the way (but oh-so worth the effort), the National Naval Aviation Museum at Pensacola Naval Air Station (home to the famed United States Navy precision flight team, the Blue Angels) is worth a visit. From your first moments within the extensive collection, you'll experience–up close and personal–everything from modern naval aircraft, to the planes of the Wright Brothers' era at every turn, hangar, and ceiling.

You could make the case to guide yourself through the hangars as there are plenty of informative kiosks and interactive displays, but if you have the chance, we'd highly recommend hopping into one of the free guided tours. Our tour guide was a retired Korea/Vietnam-era naval aviator that not only gave us a technical history of the aircraft and their particular strengths and flaws, but also interweaved many personal and detailed stories of the men and women who flew the aircraft. 

Hours: Open daily from 9am to 5pm (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year's Day)
Admission: Free (additional fees each for IMAX movies, Blue Angels 4D Experience, and Flight Simulators)

NOTE: Visitors (16 years and older) must present valid identification for entry. Access to the museum is only from the West Gate off Blue Angel Parkway (1878 South Blue Angel Pkwy) of Naval Air Station Pensacola

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Pensacola Lighthouse and Museum

If you are a lighthouse nut – and who isn't – the 177 steps to the top of this working lighthouse will take you up to some of the best views of Pensacola Bay. Plus, you'll have a better geographical understanding of the importance of Pensacola Harbor and the Naval Air Station (NAS) on which grounds it is located.

The 151 ft tall Pensacola Lighthouse was built in 1859 and replaced the original 1824 structure. Its construction ushered in the military build-up in the area that lasted until the mid-1940's.  Nearby Fort Pickens began construction in 1829 and by the early 1830's this part of Florida was a major military community. Pensacola NAS was built in 1913 and is to this day home to a major United States Navy Flight Training Center.

NOTE: Like the National Naval Aviation Museum, the Pensacola Lighthouse and Museum is located at the Naval Air Station Pensacola so be ready to provide valid identification and access is only from the West Gate off Blue Angel Parkway

Hours: 9:00am–5:00pm daily; check website for holiday closures
Admission: Adult (13+) $7.00; Military/Seniors/Youth (3-12) $4.00

Things to Know:

• Must be 44” or 7 years of age to climb the lighthouse.
• Children may not be carried up the lighthouse - even in a secured carrier.
• Shoes must have a secure back (no flip-flops) and no spiked heels.
• No smoking, food, drink, pets, or wet clothing are permitted in either the lighthouse or museum.
• No backpacks, camera bags, and other oversized bags are allowed in lighthouse or museum.

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Pensacola Beach

If you tire of the remote campground location and are hankering for some local seafood or a taste of nightlife, then trek back east of the preserve and in twelve minutes you'll be in the heart of Pensacola Beach. Restaurants, bars, high-rise hotels, condos, and a fishing pier make up the heart of the community.  If you need to resupply during your stay, there is a small local c-store on the island, but you'll have to head back over the toll bridge to the mainland to access a larger market.

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