Pensacola Things to Do

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This zoo is 50 acres big and has a lot of farm animals like rabbits,sheep,goats.They also have a tiger and bears,amazing varieties of birds,including Australian geese with light green beaks,Mr.stock,budgies. As for macaws,cocks and Genni hens who is free of cage,they roam and not scared of visitors at all .Some animals shares cages and it's so funny to look how they socialize with other animals. We have Columbus zoo membership,but they don't give us any discounts,which is OK, I love to support zoos at any case and we enjoy watching them.Every zoo is different,this one is not the best of all we have ever visited,but most exiting thing about it you can pet most of farm animals and feed giraffes!!!! They are very shy though,you wouldn't think of them that way,but they are if something wrong for them in your move they will leave you like a kid who is not happy with you.African sheep have such long ears,like rabbits-very funny and unusual,and you can pet and feed them too.

Featured by The Travel Channel as one of America's Most Haunted Lighthouses, the Pensacola Lighthouse is still an active aid to navigation. The Pensacola Lighthouse Association is hosting Full Moon Ghost tours May through October. This is a unique opportunity to climb a working lighthouse after dark and listen to some of the ghostly tales from its 150 years of history! The first-order Fresnel lens is magnificent with its eight huge bulls-eyes.

One of the most 'squared-away' dive facilities in Pensacola. They were very accomodating to out-of-town divers who were coming for the chance to see the largest man-made reef in the Gulf! Consumate professionals, they offered great diving advice and technical knowledge. Their shop is run with military efficiency, and they maintain precise schedules and timelines. Everything you could want in a dive outfit!

The dive itself was great. We had three dives to the wreck. The con tower ranges from 70- 130' of water, with plenty of barracuda, amberjack, and tropical fish. There is one particularly good-sized octopus who makes the bridge home. The flight deck is at 137'. NITROX is available, and deeper technical dives can be planned.

Terrific experience!

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Although not as spectacular as most zoo's Ive been, the Northwest Florida Zoo is a great up and comming zoo that really could use your patronage and suppport. Take a look at the adorable orangutans and spider monkeys, laugh at the mighty gorilla, photograph the colorful birds, watch the playful lemurs, see the majestic lions, & take a ride on the Safari Line Limited Train, which winds through 30 acres of free-roaming wildlife!

Price of Admission
$8.25 Children (3-11)
$11.50 Adults (12-61)
$10.50 Seniors (62-up)
(Children 2 and under are Free!)

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We went to find Fort Barrancas, to take the 2 p.m. tour. In front of the fort was the Water Battery, which was initially constructed by the Spanish in 1797. The guns in this battery were designed to fire directly across the water - skipping along the surface until they hit the hull of a ship. So no problem with trajectory or anything like that. We went by the water battery (which is whitewashed) and had to turn around and go back to access the main fort visitor's center.

Guided Tour

There is a guided tour of Fort Barrancas (on board the Naval Air Station)everyday at 2:00 p.m.

There is a guided tour of the Advanced Redoubt (on board the Naval Air Station) on Saturday at 11:00 a.m.

Fort Barrancas sits on a bluff overlooking the entrance to Pensacola Bay. The natural advantages of this location have inspired engineers of three nations to build forts. The British built the Royal Navy Redoubt here in 1763 of earth and logs. The Spanish built two forts here around 1797. Bateria de San Antonio was a masonry water battery at the foot of the bluff. Above it was earth and log Fort San Carlos de Barrancas. American engineers remodeled the water battery in 1838 and built a masonry fort on the bluff, connected by a tunnel to the water battery. This is the current Fort Barrancas. A $1.2 million, eighteen-month restoration project led to its reopening in 1980.

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We visited this museum twice. This is one of the three largest air museums in the US - the other two are the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and an AF museum in Ohio. The museum is way too big to see all of it in one visit - 291,000 square feet of exhibit space and 37 acres of grounds.

We were interested in seeing some of the 140 restored aircraft representing Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Aviation. We mostly saw just the ones inside the Museum and didn't see many of the ones that are outside.

I took pictures of the model of the Essex (aircraft carrier). I though Bob was on the last cruise in this ship in 1962 when the keel was broken by a North Atlantic winter storm, but the info said that the Essex was not decommissioned until 1969. I didn't see a model of the Intrepid.

Both of us took pictures of the N3N which was the trainer seaplane in which Bob took his first flights on at the USNA and which gave him the idea that he wanted to fly instead of do submarines, and we both took pictures of the T-28 and T-34 which were the trainers that he learned on when he was in flight school here in Pensacola. I also took pictures of the four A-4 Skyhawks in formation suspended in the Blue Angels Atrium.

The Flight Line Tour which they used to have was not available because of storm damage. When it is running, the Bus leaves from the museum entrance every half hour 10:00 AM through 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM through 4:00 PM Tickets are free and available at the Information Desk

On the second visit, we went to the IMAX "History of Flight" show. Afterwards we walked around the museum - listened in on a tour group, took a weather quiz, and took pictures of Cessna OE-1 (Army L-19) that Bob's brother flew

The museum is open 9:00 to 5:00 every day except Thanksgiving Day,
Christmas Day and New Year's Day - admission is free. There is a charge for the IMAX and simulator rides.

North Hill is a really pretty old neighborhood in Pensacola. Many of the houses have wrap around porches. There are also two bed and breakfasts in North Hill which are a pleasure to stay in. For more information see website below.

Tour: http://www.historicnorthhill.com/tour.htm

Photos: http://www.filmnorthflorida.com/locations/drill/North-Hill

The Museum of Naval Aviation focuses on Naval Aviation from inception to today. This museum is one of the best around. Although not as large, I prefer it over the Air Force Museum in Dayton.

There are a variety of Naval planes highlighted including the Blue Angels who call Pensacola their Home. The World War II section is based on a mock up of a carrier deck which is outstanding.

They also have done a good job showing the wreckage of planes. You really feel as if you are underwater.

The Cubi Bar is the old Officers Club from Subic Bay Philippines that has been relocated since Subic closed.

Since Pensacola is close to the gulf, you can stop by the beach after visiting the museum. You can also see the Blue Angels practice on Tuesday and Wednesday. Check with the base to make sure they are there.

Fun for all ages!