This is the year to fall in love with Pensacola using our 25 for 25 list!
I’ve created 25 Pensacola bucket list items that will help you get to know your new city quickly or encourage you to fall in love with the place you’ve always known and loved.
1. LAISSEZ LES BON TEMPS ROULER Join a Mardi Gras krewe or catch beads at the Lafitte Night Parade! If joining a krewe is a little ambitious for you, you can always check out the other Mardi Gras activities that run all season long from 12th Night to Fat Tuesday! Visit Pensacola Mardi Gras for a list of official events and krewes. https://pensacolamardigras.com/
2. BEAT THE GLASS AT AN ICE FLYERS GAME I grew up in the deep South, so ice hockey was completely foreign to me until I went to my first Ice Flyers game right here in Pensacola. The atmosphere is electric, the activity is never stagnant, and you don’t have to know the rules to have a great time. https://iceflyers.com/
3. DEFINE DELUNA Go on a self-guided tour downtown, visit Historic Pensacola, and check out Fiesta Pensacola. It will take several days to take in all the historical hot spots, but I recommend starting with a tour of Ft. Pickens. https://historicpensacola.org/
4. MASCOT SELFIE Pensacola is home to the University of West Florida Argonauts, the Pensacola State College Pirates, the Blue Wahoos minor league baseball team, the Ice Flyers, and a host of high school sports teams! All year round there are opportunities to see some of the most talented athletes while having a fun time with friends and family. How many mascots have you selfie’d with?
5. BLUE ANGEL EVERYTHING Two Pensacola things never get old: spotting a dolphin and being surprised by a Blue Angel flyover! Most everyone in Pensacola makes time for a Blue Angel experience more than once each year! You can see them on Naval Air Station Pensacola at a regularly scheduled practice or stake your claim on a spot during Red, White, & Blues or in November at their Homecoming Air Show. While you’re on base, check out the Naval Air Museum and the Pensacola Lighthouse & Maritime Museum. For all the details on the Blue Angels, click here: https://www.blueangels.navy.mil/
6. KEEP IT CLEAN In Pensacola, we care deeply about the environment. The beauty and health of our coastal habitat is a priority for us for many reasons. There are Ocean Hour cleanups and neighborhood-specific cleanups. Be on the lookout for something and make it a priority this year to keep Pensacola pretty.
7. WATER WAYS There are a ton of wonderful classes for watersports and safety. This is the year to learn your way around the water! Waterboyz and Innerlight both offer surfing lessons (not just for kids). There are kayak rentals, lessons, and guided tours. Check out Bayview Park’s Outdoor Pursuits Center, and the National Park Service.
8. ATTEND A FESTIVAL It is safe to say that we are the City of Festivals. There are the major annual festivals like the Crawfish Festival, the Great Gulf Coast Arts Festival, and the Seafood Festival, but there are also festivals like the Greek and Japanese Festivals, Eggfest, and more cook-offs than Julia Child’s oven! In the fall, check out the calendar of the Foo Foo Festival!
9. CRAWFISH BOIL/OYSTER ROAST/GRILL THE FISH This may be harder for the newcomers, but there’s nothing like jumping in the deep end! Buying a plate of crawfish at the Crawfish Festival is a safe bet, but can you cook your own? It’s true – figuring out how to cook seafood seems intimidating, but once you know the basics, there’s not much to it. Here’s a link on boiling crawfish. Pensacola Hardware has great tools for cooking crawfish and shucking oysters and Escambia Electric Company has everything under the sun for grilling and smoking on a Big Green Egg. Pick up a pound or six of some Gulf Coast Shrimp, Snapper or Grouper, or just about any seafood you like at Joe Patti’s or Maria’s Seafood Market!
10. PAINT THE GRAFFITI BRIDGE The Grafitti Bridge even has its own social media pages, sells mementos, has dedicated professional artists, and unfortunately a list of those it’s opened like a tuna can. It’s one of the fun parts of Pensacola that makes it unique. This year, open a can of spray paint and leave your initials or something more grand! Be careful and stay out of the street!!
11. EAT LIKE A LOCAL AT AN ORIGINAL In recent years, Pensacola has been fortunate to see new restaurant additions, but don’t forget to circle back to some of the originals like McGuires, Elbow Room, Jerry’s Drive-In, Coffee Cup, or Blue Dot to name a few)
12. IMPROVE YOUR FITNESS One of the great things about this town are all the beautiful places to get fit! There are 5k fun runs every month and serious training for marathons and triathlons through groups like Pensacola Runners Association, Tri Gulf Coast, etc. You can also join in with a group at Running Wild or on Facebook! There are also classes at the YMCA and Bayview Senior Center, to name a couple.
13. CATCH A WAHOOS GAME The Blue Wahoos Stadium is one of the prettiest minor league stadiums in the country and it’s in our backyard! There is plenty of parking and the theme nights keep things exciting and fun. Plan a night or a season watching America’s pastime.
14. SUPPORT A FARMER OR COTTAGE INDUSTRY VENDOR AT PALAFOX MARKET A short drive from Pensacola gives way to beautiful farmland. Farmers show up every Saturday at Palafox Market, with fresh vegetables, eggs, and other homemade goodies. In addition to the farm and garden-raised goodness, there are wonderful cottage industry selections of baked goods, sauces, and more! Grab a fabric tote and shop the market!
15. TAKE A CLASS Every week, I spot classes when searching for the Weekend Top 10. There are art classes at places like Quayside Art Gallery and cooking classes at Bodacious or with friends like Chef Laura at The Italian Wooden Spoon. Check out their websites for more information.
16. BUY ONE THING (OR ALL THE THINGS) FROM A LOCAL ARTIST Pensacola is home to some beautiful art galleries and Artel. There are several art markets throughout the year and local festivals often host Pensacola artists. Make it a point to buy one thing from an artist this year (or every quarter!) And don’t forget the authors! Many local stores like Rusted Arrow, Artesana, and Pizzaz often carry items created by local artists.
17. SUPPORT THE ARTS – OPERA, BALLET, SYMPHONY, THEATRE, VISUAL – We are incredibly fortunate to have the diversity of art for our size of town. There are often free or affordable opportunities to experience the arts, so take advantage of them!
18. WANDER DOWNTOWN AT GALLERY NIGHT Every month, Gallery Night Pensacola hosts a fun, themed experience when Palafox is blocked from traffic. Galleries remain open late and live music and demonstrations entertain. For more information, check out Gallery Night Pensacola. While you’re down there, check out our friends at The Dog House!
19. FIND FRED Bird presence and behavior are often a harbinger of weather pattern changes and the health of any habitat. Pensacola is teeming with all kinds of bird life. Check out the FM Weston Audubon Society. I’ve also had lots of fun with the Merlin Bird ID app, which identifies birds based on their calls.
20. GO FISH You can charter a deep-sea fishing boat, have an inshore experience, or take a free class by the National Park Service. But this is your challenge to learn to fish! Stop by Outcast Tackle & Marine (Outcast Bait & Tackle) and ask them to set you up and give you the ends and outs of fishing locally. I’m also challenging experienced fishermen/women to teach others! Here’s a great website that offers the basics!
21. SAVE SOMETHING There are so many things that make our city magical. Have you ever seen a turtle from the Pensacola Beach Pier? Grab an acai bowl from Bear Fruit and check it out! Or have you heard when a manatee entered our waters this far north? Do you know about the habitats that make our area unique? Ensure you’re doing all you can to keep our coastline intact and home to as many species as possible for as long as possible. Check out organizations like Gulf Coast Turtle Watch, Inc.
22. SAVOR A SUNSET It’s free and it happens every day. Check the weather forecast for good weather and make it a point to find a deck, pier, restaurant, or beach to sit and watch that big ball of fire melt into the horizon. The sunsets here are pretty magnificent – don’t take them for granted.
23. GIVE BACK The heart of any city is the people. Pensacola is filled with wonderful people who care about others through justice and service. So many charitable organizations make this community great, from Manna Food Bank to Children’s Home Society to JUST Pensacola and so many more. Even the businesses here give endlessly to local charities. Giving truly is better than receiving.
24. LISTEN TO LIVE MUSIC Every week, we try to give at least one live music recommendation at places like Vinyl Music Hall, Five Sisters Blues Cafe, Seville Quarter, Hub Stacey’s, Calverts in the Heights, and places up and down the beach. There’s also the Pensacola Beach Songwriter’s Festival in the fall for a full week of great live music.
25. EAT FROM A TRUCK Are you a Pensacolian if you haven’t eaten a Taco at a gas station? IYKYK. El Asador is tops for food truck food, but there are a ton of others permanent and moving for your 2025 food truck bingo card. You can find everything in a food truck, like chicken fingers and burgers from Brown Bagger and some good tea from 3-D Eats.
Have a great year, Pensacola!
Dana
