Last year in August, we took the kids and my mother-in-law for an end-of-summer beach vacation to Pensacola Beach. We stayed at a fantastic condo on Gulf Breeze Island and we had amazing views out every window. (If you want more info about the condo we rented, e-mail me for more details and I’ll send you the information). In reference to our kids, the apple sure doesn’t fall far from the tree. They both love the ocean just like we do. They’re still small enough (7, 5, 2) that there’s not many other vacation destinations that would appeal to them right now anyway so we’re beaching it every year for a while, looks like (which is just fine by me). We chose Pensacola Beach because 1) my niece and her family have been stationed there for the military and we figured getting to see them would be a nice bonus and 2) we’ve never been to Pensacola Beach and it’s one of the closer beach areas for us to drive to (even though that’s about 13 hours one-way). The whole family had an amazing time at Pensacola Beach. We spent 6 days there and the kids enjoyed every single minute of it. Keep reading to check out what we did and where we ate to get ideas for your next Pensacola vacay!
Things We Did:
The Beach
I mean, obviously. In my thirty-some years on God’s green Earth, I’ve managed to enjoy my fair share of beaches. Pensacola Beach, I can honestly say, is one of the best I’ve ever seen. The beach itself was well cared for, super clean, not too crowded and right across from our condo. We were there towards the end of August so school was already in session and therefore far less crowded than normal, I’m sure. For the most part, the waves were just enough to play in but not enough that we had to worry about it sweeping our tiny humans out into the far depths of the ocean. We were lucky enough to witness some sort of awesome weather pattern, too. On the fourth day, we noticed the waves being ever so gentle first thing in the morning. By the afternoon, the whole ocean looked like a fine sheet of glass. It was the calmest I have ever seen the sea. We could see the ocean floor and took in some great snorkeling, kids included. The next afternoon, the waves started kicking back up and within a short time, we suddenly started seeing lots of jellyfish. I say lots but really I think we saw 4 or 5. That’s a lot of jellyfish to me though! The beach was absolutely perfect for all our kids, jellyfish not included.
The Blue Angels
With my niece’s hubby in the military, he had suggested taking in a morning practice of The Blue Angels. For those who aren’t aware of who or what The Blue Angels are, they are the Navy’s ultimate supremo bad boys of the sky. They hold several scheduled practices each month that are open to the public and they put on quite the show. It’s like every other air show but not at all like any other air show you’ve seen. The stunts these guys do in the air at 200 mph will make your head spin. Old military airplanes are lined up in the parking lot for viewing before and after the show and you can walk over to the museum afterwards as well. This is free to the public and I would highly recommend going if you’re in the area. Quick tip: Buy some earplugs for the whole family. It gets LOUD.
Gulf Breeze Zoo
A short 20-minute drive from our condo sits the cutest little zoo. It may seem counterproductive to venture away from the beach when you’ve driven your family 13 hours to get to the beach in the first place however, we found that breaking up each day with a little something else besides beaching, tends to be good for the kids. And our skin. The Gulf Breeze Zoo is open each day from 9am to 5pm but was a great little getaway for the kids. It’s a small zoo and you can tour the whole grounds in 2 hours but if you had 3 hours, you could enjoy it at a little more relaxed pace. The kids can get a small bucket of food to feed the animals. The walking path through the grounds are easy for getting around and pushing strollers or rolling wagons (which they have for rent if you need). Our kiddos loved feeding the goats and giraffes. It’s not very often you can let a giraffe eat right out of your hand! We also got to witness a fresh batch of ostrich eggs having just been laid which was neat for the kids to see. I would recommend this small zoo if you’ve got kids 12 and under (although it’s just as fun for the big kids-and adults- too!).
Fort Pickens
Although I’ve been to more forts that one probably needs to visit in their lifetime, we heard that there were some pretty awesome views when you drive out to Fort Pickens. One morning, when we needed a little sun break, we decided to go check it out for ourselves. It was a short half hour drive from our condo but well worth it to check out the views, which were indeed, gorgeous. The fort is located at the very tip of the island and as you get closer, the island slowly becomes more narrow and you can see the ocean from both sides of your car windows. You have to pay the National Park Service a nominal fee to enter the fort but you can stay as long as you want. As far as forts go, I’ve seen many. I like forts. They’re great. The history is wonderful. I love learning about the history. But honestly, once you’ve seen one fort, you’ve kind of seen them all. Now, the climb up to the roof of Fort Pickens was something to see. From the top of that fort, you can see for miles and miles across the ocean and it is quite breathtaking. Our older kids asked lots of questions about the fort and even though it was a little difficult to explain things to their understanding, I love that traveling bolsters their inquisitive nature. I would recommend heading out to Fort Pickens if you love beautiful views or if you’ve never been to a fort before.
SUPs
For those not in with the hip lingo (I wasn’t either, don’t feel bad), we rented Stand Up Paddleboards one afternoon. Now, this is something that has been on my list for several years, since they’ve grown in popularity. The problem with the paddleboards, is that we are kayakers. And when you are a kayaker, you would just rather paddle in a kayak that than stand up on a small platform and paddle. One afternoon my mother-in-law kept the kiddos for naps (Thank you, Grandma!!) and we set out for the sea. The stand we rented from delivered the paddleboards down the road and met us at the public beach. We were so lucky that we chose this day for paddleboarding because it was the day that the water turned to glass (see paragraph #1 above). I saw the most amazingly large jellyfish swim right under my paddleboard and although Robby was dying for me to paddle away from it, I couldn’t. It was Right. There! Just beside by board and it was so big and I have never seen one in the wild (aka it’s natural habitat) and the ocean was so calm I could easily watch his every move. It was amazing. I’m glad we rented the paddleboards so that I could cross that off my list but I think we’ll just stick with the kayaks next time. However, if you’re wanting to rent SUPs, you can call Horizon Beach Service at 850-232-5282 or 850-426-6155. The prices were reasonable and they delivered and picked up when we were done, making it really easy for our quick, afternoon paddle.
Yummy Places We Ate:
Peg Leg Pete’s
Come on! Even the name of this place sounds awesome. We were pretty darn lucky, as Peg Leg Pete’s was next door to our vacation rental property, thus making it the most popular eatery during our week in Pensacola. Peg Leg’s has this awesome atmosphere that pretty well caters to anybody and everybody. The top level is your standard dining area where the host or hostess seats you at your table. There is also an outdoor area of the top level that accommodates those that want to continue basking in the glorious Florida temps even into the evening. The lower level is comprised of a bar area, a small stage for live music (YES! We love live music during dinner!) and the best part……. The playground in the sand just for the kids. Right beside the bar area. There’s picnic tables close by so Mom and Dad can sit and enjoy the music while the kids get out their energy on the jungle gym. The food was great-your typical seafood fare which is always my fav when I’m at the beach- and we all agreed that this was our favorite dinner spot of the week!
Red Fish Blue Fish
We jumped aboard the free trolley on our second evening in Pensacola. It stopped right in front of Red Fish Blue Fish, which we had been told was a must-do. The best part about dining at Red Fish Blue Fish is that you are right on the water. What better way to unwind and relax into the evening, than spending time sea side? They have numerous outdoor games for kids (or honestly, for the adults) like monster-size Connect 4. Had our children been a little older, this likely would have been their favorite spot. Robby wasn’t impressed with their food but I ordered the fish and chips and would rate it somewhere between pretty good and really good. The atmosphere is the highlight of this joint.
Hemingway’s
If you know me at all, or have read any number of stories on my blog, you’ll know that Key West is my FAVORITE place in the whole world. Ernest Hemingway made a huge imprint in Key West and I’ve toured his home there 5 times, at least. My friend, Danielle, shares this same obsession with this iconic Key West figure after touring his home with me years ago. So, when Robby and I saw a restaurant paying homage to the great Ernest, we knew we had to go. We were lucky enough to have a Grandma willing to watch the kids for a night in while Mom and Dad had a night out. We chose Hemingway’s for our dining option and were so pleased we did. Not only was the atmosphere a mix of casual and elegant but we chose to dine out on the back deck, which sat next to the gentle waves of the bay. We are suckers for a great atmosphere and Hemingway’s was spot on! We ordered the fried shrimp for an app, I had an absolutely positively delicious strawberry mango mojito, the blackened grouper, and to finish it off…. The. Bread. Pudding. I never order dessert when I go to a restaurant because I’d rather drink those calories if I’m out to dinner but I had my heart set on a dish of bread pudding and when I saw it on the menu, I knew I would be divulging. Guys and gals, this bread pudding was to die for. It was so warm and perfect, with that dollop of ice cream on top. I would have eaten the entire plate, had it not been for Robby’s help and my already overly stuffed stomach from the rest of my incredible meal. After the meal, we stopped at the bar to listen to some live music and have a cocktail or three. The atmosphere is classy but not pompous. Polished but relaxing. Hemingway’s is a must on your Pensacola trip and is even better if you can turn it into a date night.
Flounder’s
The last evening of our trip, we stopped in to Flounder’s (per recommendation) for our evening meal. We had a very short wait but as we did, the kids occupied themselves on the gigantic beach equipped with a massive playground, water area, sand volleyball, fire pits and games. Flounder’s playground area was like Peg Leg Pete’s on steroids. Of course, because it was so much larger, it obviously accommodated so many more people and therefore, there were so many more people. We tried to get there fairly early but apparently so did everyone else. The amount of kids on that playground was unreal, but our kiddos had a blast anyway. The wait wasn’t long and we were ushered to a picnic table outside. We asked to be moved to a table that had chairs with backs and therefore, were moved inside. Which was a bit of a bummer but the inside is decked out in vintage ocean-type relics which will keep your eyes occupied until the food arrives. Our food at Flounder’s was all excellent including the adult and kids meals.
The thing I loved most about the Pensacola Beach family vacation:
The beaches were amazing but aside from that, there were so many options of other things to do, if your family is itching for something besides sandy toes. Not all beach destinations offer so many other activities.
If I missed something awesome about Pensacola, let me know in the comments so I can check it out next time!
Happy Travels, Pan
