The Pensacola Lighthouse at Pensacola Bay was build in 1859 and is the third iteration of what was originally a lightship moved to Pensacola in 1823 from its previous post at the mouth of the Mississippi River after a lighthouse had been completed there. The conical tower is 190 feet tall and has 177 steps which visitors can climb up and the view at the top is more than worth it.

There are incredible views of the Emerald Coast blue waters, Pensacola, the Navy base, and the three Civil war forts from the top of the light and even better is the view of the Blue Angels buzzing past the tower if you visit at the right time. If you have a chance reserve a spot for one of the Blue Angels tours that are offered most Tuesday and Wednesday mornings during regular season.

We were advised to not bring our baby that we had in a front carrier to the top of the light as the stairs are very narrow and not really suitable for that. So instead we took turns with one of us staying back managing to both get to the top and enjoy the insanely beautiful views. 

Inside the tower once you get to the top of the Light you’ll find the original first order Fresnel lens that is still in operation.

The Lighthouse museum is located in the keepers house and is full of information about the lighthouse and the Pensacola area. Here is where you can purchase tickets for their tour and learn what you’ll be seeing as you explore around. The admission is only $5 for adults and $3 for children. Make sure that you are wearing sandals with straps in the back or closed shoes and no pointy shoes per Lighthouse request. If you are not equipped with proper footwear you’ll be asked to leave your shoes at the bottom of the steps and start climbing bare feet.

The living quarter you’ll be visiting while climbing the 15 story tall lighthouse gives examples of what family life used to look like in the historic 1869 Keeper’s Quarters. Downstairs there are artifacts from the civil war battles that broke out from the three surrounding forts. 

Pensacola Lighthouse offers the best haunting tour in the  State of Florida suggesting that six people are still occupying the Light and not really looking to move out anytime soon. According to Rob Boothe who is the Haunted Night Tour Coordinator the story begins with Ellen Mueller who grew up here and got married at the lighthouse. She died from complications during childbirth more than 100 years ago. In an article he did for News 5 WKRG he said that “There are about 20 ghost hunters and they use two different devices that pick up on electromagnetic energy to communicate with ghosts”. Both the Travel channel and the Scy-FY channel have done haunted specials on the Pensacola Lighthouse and the ghosts that reside within, and they have the videos playing in the museum.

Back outside the Lighthouse you can take the waggling path to the sand beach for some more views of the Gulf and the Lighthouse from the back. You can bring a blanket or a folding chair and sit for awhile enjoying the sunshine and marvelous views. The soft white sand makes for the perfect spot for a picnic with a view.

The Pensacola Lighthouse is open daily from 9 a.m to 5 p.m with last admission at 4.40 p.m. If you are looking to take the tour make sure that you bring an I.D. card and wear proper shoes. Climbers must be 44 inches tall and at least 7 years old. Children 12 & under are not allowed to climb without a ticketed adult. According to their rules no bags or purses are allowed on the property. The Lighthouse offers several different events throughout the year and can be found here:

We have visited a great number of National Parks and have to say that this one should be up there on everyone’s list as one of the most beautiful and by far the least crowded. The fort was built prior to the outbreak of hostilities during the US Civil War, completed in 1834 and named after American Revolutionary War hero Andrew Pickens.

Visitors can take a walk around the old fort, see some coastal defense batteries built between the world wars, and enjoy a nature trail and the great pristine beaches surrounding the structure that kind of reminds you of the Rome Colosseum a little bit. It will cost you $20 per vehicle to enter the park which also has some real nice bike trails if you brought your bikes. If you have a national park senior pass the entrance for you is free.

We drove to Fort Pickens on an early weekday morning coming from Pensacola where we were spending few days exploring. It’s a little over a half an hour drive pass stunning white sand beaches and the change of the flora and fauna in such a short distance is striking. The area is a far cry from the overbuild Pensacola beach-site and a nice relief from the tourists. We heard that after hurricane Ivan went through Florida, the road leading to the Fort was closed for some time and serious renovations had to be done. Some of Fort Pickens was heavily damaged in the Hurricane as well but it is being repaired now and most of it is back to a good state.

Once you get to the gate where you need to pay make sure to ask what time the next Ranger tour starts. Be sure to go on one of this tours which will make your experience ten times more enjoyable! While waiting on the Ranger tour take a seat and watch the video tour which is extremely informative and well worth watching. To be able to take a peek of the grounds throughout the years was astonishing. It helps you make sense of the fort itself as you walk through it.

If you just want to go at your own pace and stop here and there as you please you can also take a self-guided tour of Fort Pickens. A very interesting fact we learned while reading the informative signs placed strategically throughout the Fort was how it was used during the Civil War and later used as a jail to hold the Indian chief Geronimo and that it was never occupied by Confederates during the Civil War. Some historians even claim that the first shots fired in the Civil War were fired here after villagers  intended to occupy the fort.

While exploring the historic buildings you’ll find yourself passing through what seems to be miles of tunnels in which you can get lost and open areas that were once occupied by prisoners. It was so interesting to learn all about how the Fort Pickens was built and what different areas were used for and just to be able to walk in the footsteps of history was really neat.

We made a short stop by the small gift shop and chatted with the rangers, who were are very informative, before taking the little path outside the fort that snakes pass grass fields and leads you to the beach. The beaches here are beautiful and virtually deserted and way less crowded than the ones in Pensacola.

You can collect  sea shells and sandollars while strolling by the emerald green water, find a great spot to lay your towel for some sun basking or even take a deep in the ocean if the water is warm enough for you. There is so much wildlife to see around and if you came at the right time of year you might even witness the Blue Angels doing their show.  Grab binoculars and you’ll have a great view of the lighthouse across the fort. Or stay a little longer and enjoy a stunning sunset over the skyline of Pensacola Beach. It’s a great spot to bring the kids and have a family day to remember.

If you love camping here you can find a great campground that is quiet and clean, very secluded and really well maintained with bathrooms and showers, a water fountain near the Park Ranger’s house and fishing piers. It’s a great option where you can enjoy the natural beauty of the area and still be in driving distance to all of the fun in Pensacola. You can bring and pitch a tent just make sure you grab a spot with shade as some are full sun due to hurricane Ivan where a lot of trees got damaged.

Fort Pickens is open year round from 8:00 a.m. to sunset. The Bookstore & Discovery Center is open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Big Lagoon Park is home to nine distinct natural communities including mesic flatwoods, estuarine tidal marsh, wet flatwoods, and is dominated by scrubby flatwoods and features a number of threatened and endangered species such as the gopher tortoise, the large-leaved jointweed, migratory shorebirds, one of which is the snowy plover, least tern among some twenty other listed species.

We arrived early in the morning expecting to see more people but as we drove the winding road through the beautiful park we soon realized that we might just be lucky enough to have it all to ourselves that day. Maybe because of the early hour or possibly because we were visiting during off season, but this is the place to be if you are looking to stay away from the tourists and find a quiet and beautiful spot to watch the birds and calm your soul.

We parked our car and took the stroller out. The boardwalk is perfect to push a baby on or just to take a walk along. The stairs up the four story observation tower led us to spectacular views of the Long Pond and Grande Lagoon and we found a bench to sit on and have a quick snack before continuing exploring the rest of the park.

Visitors can take a stroll on the boardwalk by the untouched pristine beaches, bike down the 2.6-mile park drive, boat from a boat ramp on the Intracoastal Waterway. You can bring your own or rent a canoe and kayaks and go along the Big Lagoon and Grande Lagoon, bring a fishing pool and sit by the water. There are numerous hikes along the 4 miles of trails in the park. Blue Lagoon State Park  is the ‘gateway site’ for the Great Florida Birding Trail and we highly recommend it to everyone who loves bird watching.

We learned from the rangers that there are 75 electrified camping sites and a group camp. You can call in advance and reserve a spot fro $20 and also consult with them which site would be the best as some of them get flooded when it rains.

Each campsite varies in size, they are very well maintained, there is water and electric (no sewer) and each site has it’s own clothing line which we thought was pretty neat. There are bath houses that are acceptable and clean and the rangers make regular trips through the campsites, so campers can feel quite secure staying here.

After coming off of the boardwalk we continued our adventure on the wooded path, passing many wooden bridges and picnic areas. We love bringing our own lunch and having it at our convenience at a beautiful spot that we find while exploring in nature. After hearing about all the alligators living in this area we were hopeful that we would see one and we did indeed catch a quick glance of a little one swimming by the shore, but he quickly swam away and disappeared in the water before we can snap a good picture of him.

We did however see a ton of turtles, few snakes, lots of lush vegetation, tons of wildlife and plentiful of birds. We were told that if we sat long enough quietly we might be able to spot a hawk, bald eagles or egrets just to name a few. We would’ve loved to do this however we were only here for a day, but will be sure to return and rent a campsite and spend some quality family time here once the kids get older.

If you are ever in the area Big Lagoon State Park is open from 8 a.m. until sunset daily. It offers shelling, surfing, tubing, swimming, wildlife viewing, roller blading,  snorkeling, scuba diving, star gazing and tours. It costs $6 per vehicle and $2 for Pedestrians, bicyclists and extra passengers. For full list of prices check here. The park has an amphitheater which holds about 125 people for concerts, lectures, etc. and offers a variety of events for visitors. You can be found the Park here:

There are several permanent exhibitions at the museum as well as seasonal ones, but all of them are extremely informative and neat. We spent hours wandering around the building and the many cool galleries showcasing the fascinating history of Pensacola we had no idea about. You can read more  about The T.T Wentworth Jr. Museum here.

The museum is a wonderful place to bring the kids too and together learn some of the history of how Wentworth came about to opening his first roadside stand where he would display his collection of different items he found and that later donated all of them to the city. A floor is dedicated to said so eccentric collection that includes a mummified cat, among other items. The other two floors illustrate and interpret life in the Florida Panhandle over the centuries. The other floors house a science interactive museum for children.

T.T.  Wentworth, Jr. Museum is open daily from 10am to 4pm and from 12pm to 4pm on Sunday and can be found here:

After the tour of the museum we set off on exploring the old Historic Pensacola Village which is located nearby. We decided on a self guided tour, but if you are interested in a guided tour there are few available for purchase.  Admission is purchased for a week, and includes access to the entire complex and guided tour of several historic buildings. These buildings can be entered by visitors only during the tour. Or you can enjoy a self guided audio tour you can purchase via an app on your phone. There are many other tours available: a ghost tour around the village, crazy dash walking adventure, puzzling adventure and so on, there is something for everyone.

The Village consists of 29 historic houses and museums and is open for visitors Tuesday through Saturday, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and from noon until 4:00 p.m. for Half Price Evenings and Sundays. Members receive free admission for one year.

Built in 1884 for the Pensacola Ice Company, the “Hispanic Building” was a long narrow brick structure with six arches facing Zaragoza Street. Earlier structures at this site served as British and Spanish barracks, a boarding house and, in the 1830s the home of the West Florida Academy. The present building has housed the New Orleans Grocery Company, the Levy-Hallmark Company and the Pensacola-Lurton Company, which leased it to the county for a surplus warehouse. It was acquired by the city in 1968 and is now an integral part of the Historic Pensacola Village.

Lear-Rocheblave House

The Old Christ Church, also known as Christ Church, built in 1832 in Pensacola, Florida is a historic Episcopal church building. On May 3, 1974, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. In 1989, the building was listed in A Guide to Florida’s Historic Architecture, published by the University of Florida Press.

Built in 1805 the Charles Lavalle House features a French Creole period style. Tours focus on Pensacola’s history as a Spanish colony.

Seville Square in Pensacola, Florida is the center of the old settlement of Pensacola by the Spanish after several unsuccessful attempts beginning in 1559. This was the earliest known attempt at settlement on the North American continent. Seville Square and its twin, Plaza Ferdinand VII, were the parade grounds for the Fort of Pensacola established during British rule. In the 1960s a young group of local preservationists decided to work to restore the older parts of Pensacola. They formed the Pensacola Heritage Foundation, joined the National Trust, created the Seville Square Historic District, registered the district on the National Register of Historic Places, bought and restored with their own labor the historic Clara Barkley Dorr House on the square and convinced the city to restore Seville Square.The Seville Historic District is a place where settlers built homes along the bay. The settlers were Spanish, French and British. Pensacola was a seaport town – fishing, shipping, and naval stores were the backbone of community. The homes in the district date from the early and late 19th Century. These homes are some of the oldest in Florida. Established in 1752 by a group of Spanish hurricane survivors from Santa Rosa Island. The British took West Florida after the French and Indian War of 1763. British surveyors mapped the existing streets. In 1781 the Spanish captured Pensacola and changed the street names to Spanish. These names remain the same today. Seville Square is full of live oak trees. These trees give shade to visitors for picnics in the park. The trees are identified by their broad spreading crown, evergreen leaves and long acorns.

The tour around the houses took us about an hour. The village is a mix of Spanish, French, Great Britain and American influence and it’s easy to see from where it takes it’s nickname “The City of Five Flags”.

We really enjoyed the Seville Square which reminded us of the French Quarter in New Orleans which actually brought us to our next stop: the Pensacola Bay Brewery where we enjoyed the rest of the afternoon.

As Always Don’t Lose Your Travel Bug!