We spent the week just outside of Pensacola and I must say I found the city very, very.. unremarkable.
Given that it was founded in 1555, and followed the same historical pathway as St. Augustine, it seems to be a city with no history, and no distinct personality. While we found it clean and easy to get around, it had none of the "Spanish" flare and flavor we expected. And although there are signs pointing to a "Historic District", the oldest buildings we found were from the late 1800's. There are no forts, old government buildings, or the thriving vibrant downtown touristy district we had anticipated. It is one giant suburb.
But, Pensacola does have some positive attributes:
Beautiful beaches: We had many pleasant strolls along the shoreline with its sugary-white sand so pristine it squeaks (scientifically proven).
And here are a few pictures I took while at the various beaches in the area:
Naval Air Museum: Really cool museum with lots of WW1 and WW2 airplanes. The museum is very well laid out with lots of movie clips and other informative documentation. We both enjoyed our time here.
We also drove over to the world famous honky-tonk bar Flora-Bama. This bar straddles the Florida / Alabama line. Over the past 50 years it has been named either the #1 Beach Bar in the U.S. or the World and has been mentioned by countless others including John Grisham (The Pelican Brief), The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Jimmy Buffett (Riddles in the Sand), etc.. Having heard so much about it our expectations were quite high but we were rather disappointed. It didn't help that we went on a rainy afternoon. Looks like a fun place to go if you're in your twenties and with a group of friends (and go at night to watch one of four different stages) .
