NGKUR: fun stuff in Pensacola?

[spaceapple]

Hi guys! MH and I are going to Pensacola, FL, for a geography conference next week. I'm generally on my own for these things while he does conferency stuff, so I need something fun to do! I've asked tripadvisor, etc, of course, but I thought if any of you are from the area or have vacationed there you might have good suggestions. I reeeally want to go snorkeling but it's probably too cold for that right now.   We will have one free day to explore together before the conference starts. 

Thanks in advance for your ideas!

[akraus2015]

I was just in Pensacola last month to visit a friend. Will you have a car? If so, drive to a little town called Seaside. There's shopping, beaches, restaurants, etc.

[swivelchair5]

I've lived in Pensacola occasionally, although I haven't spent much time there in recent years.

Pensacola Beach isn't a great place for snorkeling. There isn't much to see except sand. You might see some little brown fish. The beaches there are known for super soft sand and calm, clear water. It's great for water sports/ jetskis/ parasailing/ SUP/ kayaking, but I'm not sure if any beach activities places are still open for the season. Pensacolans definitely think it is too cold for the beach now.

A fun local restaurant tradition is Maguire's, an Irish-themed steakhouse. You might want to look up when they have live entertainment and/or bagpipes.

If you like military and/or history stuff, the Naval Aviation museum or Fort Pickens are worth visiting.

Downtown Pensacola has some cute eclectic shops and maybe some art galleries, and could easily fill an afternoon for you.

Nightlife, check out Seville Quarter. It has something for everybody (basically 7 bars/nightclubs connected together) and locals go there, not just tourists.

[spaceapple]

akraus2015, that sounds cute! I'll have to look into it if we have time.

swivelchair5, thanks for all the ideas! The naval aviation museum sounds fun - we've been to both the Smithsonian air and space museums in Washington and loved them. I saw Maguire's on tripadvisor, but we actually have several similar pubs here in Knoxville. I LOVE trying local restaurants on trips, so if you have any other favorites I'm all ears. Also, the little rental house we're staying in is near downtown, so it's great to know that there's fun things to do within walking distance.

[swivelchair5]

Nov 15, 2015 22:46:00 GMT -5 spaceapple said:

akraus2015, that sounds cute! I'll have to look into it if we have time.

swivelchair5, thanks for all the ideas! The naval aviation museum sounds fun - we've been to both the Smithsonian air and space museums in Washington and loved them. I saw Maguire's on tripadvisor, but we actually have several similar pubs here in Knoxville. I LOVE trying local restaurants on trips, so if you have any other favorites I'm all ears. Also, the little rental house we're staying in is near downtown, so it's great to know that there's fun things to do within walking distance.

Honestly, when I have been in the past 5 years or so, I am most likely to eat at Zaxby's, since I don't have any of those where I live now. So I don't really have any recent reviews of restaurants.  Cactus Flower for Mexican was always pretty good, and I heard recently that they are opening an new location, so I would guess they are still pretty good.  On the beach, I think The Grand Marlin and Hemingway's were always pretty good.

[BabyStandish]

Nov 14, 2015 11:27:59 GMT -5 akraus2015 said:

I was just in Pensacola last month to visit a friend. Will you have a car? If so, drive to a little town called Seaside. There's shopping, beaches, restaurants, etc.

Seaside is also where they filmed The Truman Show. 

[None]

Cactus flower
fish House
Tin Cow
Mcguires
Those are my top food picks.

[rooskie]

My cousins live in Pensacola and they love Maguires. They do the St Pattys Day 5k every year.

[spaceapple]

swivelchair5, Ha! I totally understand...

None, Ooh, I'll have to check those out. Thanks!