What to See in Pensacola - Top Sights and Attractions

Arena in Pensacola, Florida. Pensacola Bay Center is an indoor arena located in Pensacola, Florida. It is owned by Escambia County and operated by ASM Global. The Bay Center has a capacity of 8,049 for hockey games, and as much as 10,000 for non-hockey events. The arena contains 23,000 square feet of space and 10,000 square feet of meeting space.

The Escambia County Commission voted to rename the arena the Pensacola Bay Center on October 18, 2012 as part of a citywide rebranding effort begun by Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward.^[1]

Aircraft exhibits and flight simulator. The National Naval Aviation Museum, formerly known as the National Museum of Naval Aviation and the Naval Aviation Museum, is a military and aerospace museum located at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.

Founded in 1962 and moved to its current location in 1974, the museum has since 2019 been closed to the public and open only to holders of U.S. Defense Department identification cards.^[2]

The Pensacola Historic District is a U.S. historic district located in Pensacola, Florida.

The district is roughly bounded by Bayfront Parkway, Tarragona, Romana and Cevallos Streets. Within the district are the Historic Pensacola Village, the T.T. Wentworth Jr. Florida State Museumm and Seville Square. Seville Square and its twin Plaza Ferdinand VII were the parade grounds for the Fort of Pensacola established during British rule. In 1559, a site to the northeast of the Pensacola Historic District on the Pensacola Bay is the earliest known European settlement on the North American continent.^[3]

Lighthouse in Escambia County, Florida. The Pensacola Light is a lighthouse at Pensacola Bay, in Florida. It is the third iteration of what was originally a lightship, the Aurora Borealis, and remains an aid to navigation.^[4]

Historic military site with tours. Fort Pickens is a pentagonal historic United States military fort on Santa Rosa Island in the Pensacola, Florida, area. It is named after American Revolutionary War hero Andrew Pickens. The fort was completed in 1834 and was one of the few forts in the South that remained in Union hands throughout the American Civil War. It remained in use until 1947. Fort Pickens is included within the Gulf Islands National Seashore, and as such, is administered by the National Park Service.^[6]

Art museum in Pensacola, Florida. The Pensacola Museum of Art is the only art museum in the city of Pensacola, Florida. It was founded in 1954 by a group of women from the American Association of University Women. Since 2016, it is a University of West Florida Art Museum.^[7]

Theater in Pensacola, Florida. The Saenger Theatre, also known as the Saenger Theater, is a historic theater in Pensacola, Florida. It is located at 118 South Palafox Place. On July 19, 1976, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

In 1989, the Saenger Theater was listed in A Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture, published by the University of Florida Press.^[8]

Museum in Pensacola, Florida. The Pensacola Museum of History at the University of West Florida, formerly the T. T. Wentworth Jr. Florida State Museum, is a museum of history located at 330 Jefferson Street in the Plaza Ferdinand VII in Pensacola, Florida. It is part of the Historic Pensacola Village museum complex. The building, reminiscent of the Alamo mission style, was built in 1907 as the Pensacola City Hall and served as such until 1985 when the present city hall was built at 180 Governmental Center, also known as 222 West Main Street. In 1989, the building was listed as the Pensacola City Hall in A Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture, published by the University of Florida Press.^[9]

Park in Pensacola, Florida. The Plaza Ferdinand VII is an outdoor garden and park in the Historic Pensacola Village area of downtown Pensacola, Florida. It is located on Palafox Street between Government and Zaragoza Streets. It was named after Ferdinand VII of Spain, the King of Spain between 1813 and 1833. A National Historic Landmark, it is the site of the formal transfer of Florida to United States jurisdiction in 1821.^[10]

Catholic church in Pensacola, Florida. The Basilica of St. Michael the Archangel in Pensacola, Florida, United States is a minor basilica of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee. St. Michael's parish was established in 1781 and the present Gothic Revival-style church building was dedicated in 1886. In recognition of its historic significance the church was elevated to a Basilica in 2011 by Pope Benedict XVI.^[11]

Park in Pensacola, Florida. Fort George was a British fort built in 1778 for the protection of Pensacola, Florida. The Spanish captured it in Siege of Pensacola on May 10, 1781.

The fort no longer exists, though part of it was later recreated to mark its original location. This reconstruction is part of the Fort George Memorial Park, which is in the North Hill Preservation District. The park is located on La Rua and Palafox Streets.

The site was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on July 8, 1974.^[12]

Girder bridge in Santa Rosa County, Florida. The Pensacola Bay Bridge, also known locally as the Three-Mile Bridge, runs between downtown Pensacola, Florida, and Gulf Breeze, Florida. It carries two to four lanes of U.S. Highway 98 across Pensacola Bay.^[14]

Church in Pensacola, Florida. The Old Christ Church, also known as Christ Church, built in 1832 in Pensacola, Florida is a historic Episcopal church building. It is one of the oldest surviving church buildings in Florida. 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. Located at 405 South Adams Street, the old church is now part of Historic Pensacola Village and is shown as part of the daily tours.^[15]

Park, Relax in park

Museum in Pensacola, Florida. The Museum of Industry is part of the Historic Pensacola Village complex in the Pensacola Historic District. It describes in detail the main industries of early Pensacola: fishing/ice, clay/brickmaking, lumber, and transportation.^[16]

Universities and schools, Shopping, Scuba and snorkeling, Outdoor activities, Tours

Museum in Pensacola, Florida. The Clara Barkley Dorr House is an historic home in Pensacola, Florida. Built in 1871, it is located at 311 South Adams Street. On July 24, 1974, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places for its classical revival architecture.

In 1989, the house was listed in A Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture, published by the University of Florida Press.

The house is part of Historic Pensacola Village and is now a Victorian period museum house open to the public.^[17]

Building in Pensacola, Florida. The Crystal Ice Company Building is a historic building located at 2024 North Davis Street in Pensacola, Florida. Built in 1932, the building was used by the Crystal Ice Company to sell ice to travelers. The building, which resembles a block of ice, is one of the few surviving vernacular roadside buildings in Pensacola. On September 29, 1983, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.^[18]