Pensacola Hotel Guide

Located on Florida’s Panhandle, close to the Alabama border, Pensacola draws visitors looking for the ideal seaside vacation to play or relax on the sugar-white sand beaches next to the soothing Gulf of Mexico surf.

Visitors enjoy fun in the sun and all its inherent activities, from wind-surfing to fishing, to exploring a plethora of historic sites and taking in the show-stopping Navy Blue Angels precision flying team.

Pensacola’s history dates back more than 400 years as the first city settled by Europeans in America. The city has changed hands more than a dozen times in battles involving Spain, France, England, the Confederacy and the United States, thus coining its nickname, “City of Five Flags.”

The greater Pensacola area encompasses Perdido Key, Pensacola Beach, and the City of Pensacola, offering a choice of more than 8,000 guest accommodations.

With an area population of more than 400,000, this Central Time Zone region is easily accessible with more than 40 daily in and out flights. According to the Pensacola Area Chamber of Commerce, the Pensacola Regional Airport is the largest and most convenient airport to the main attractions in this region. The airport just recently completed a major expansion project, adding two gates and 24,000 square feet to the facility. Pensacola is accessible from most interstate freeways with direct access from Interstate 10, so whether you plan to arrive by plane, car or bus, timely and convenient access is assured.

With a mere 343 annual days of sunshine and an average temperature of 75 degrees, Pensacola is clearly a year-round destination.

With a 400-year past, Pensacola can’t help but offer visitors a rich and diverse culture. On the shortlist is the Naval Air Station Pensacola, better known as the “Cradle of Naval Aviation," offering self-guided tours on its 5,800-acre naval base. The National Museum of Naval Aviation allows visitors to relish “top gun” fun aboard Naval Air Station Pensacola. Known as not only one of the world’s largest but most enthralling air-and-space museums, it also provides visitors with its own IMAX Theater, leaving audiences breathless with its aviation films.

A walk through downtown in the Seville District provides visitors with more than 400 years of history and exposure to perhaps the oldest historic districts in the Southeast, including Historic Pensacola Village. If you choose, step back a spell and relish in the glorious collections at T.T. Wentworth Jr., Florida State Museum and to end your tour, take the Colonial Archeological Trail.

The Palofax Historic District was long ago popular for its entertainment, population and shelter for a diverse, thriving populace. Newly restored, it has become popular as the commercial heart of Old Pensacola and houses the Civil War Soldiers Museum, resplendent with memorabilia. The museum also houses one of the largest displays of medical items in the Civil War.

From the African-American Heritage Festival to the Hispanic Heritage Festival and annual Seafood Festival, Pensacola hosts many year-round events, suitable to all visitors.

Only a few of the most popular recreation sites must include: Big Lagoon State Park Recreation Area providing the quintessential haven for nature lovers and those who wish to be let alone. To really fly high, check out the observation tower and don’t miss the amphitheater, boardwalk and nature trails.

To keep that canoe afloat, don’t miss Blackwater River State Park, home to one of the purest sand bottom rivers in the world. Perdido Key State Recreation Area has a mere 247-acre barrier island right on the Gulf of Mexico. Wide sandy beaches and rolling sand dunes must be the reason it is known as one of the top 10 beaches in the United States. For landlubbers, don’t miss The Zoo and Botanical Gardens, Pensacola Greyhound Track or the seemingly infinite golf courses.

Nestled in the westernmost corner of Florida's panhandle, Pensacola's stunning beaches, Southern heritage, rich history, vibrant cultural events and potpourri of restaurants, shops and nightclubs provide all the ingredients for an ideal vacation.

The airport recently completed a major expansion project, which added two gates and 24,000 square feet to the airport. Also, the expansion's final phase...a $30 million project added the region's only airport parking garage with more than 700 spaces, expanding the ticketing, baggage claim area, and retail and restaurant space. With that, those travelers coming in from the airport, will find lodging facilities as close as across the street.

Pensacola, Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key offer accommodations for all visitors. From downtown, Pensacola Beach and a plethora of condos, B&Bs, R.V. Parks and outlying campgrounds, etc., all tourists are ensured suitable lodging. Of particular note: The Pensacola area offers off-season rates from September through May and statistics demonstrate that dollar-for-dollar, Pensacola provides year-round visitors more value than just about any other part of Florida.

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