Pensacola

A white-sand bay city at the western tip of the Florida Panhandle, where you can watch the Blue Angels practice at the National Naval Aviation Museum and the sand at Pensacola Beach and Gulf Islands National Seashore is as fine and white as snow.

Pensacola sits at the far western end of the Florida Panhandle, right next to Alabama, with a population of about 50,000 and nearly 500,000 in the metro area. It bills itself as "America's First Settlement": the Spanish landed here in 1559, and the city was later ruled by Spain, France, Britain, the Confederacy, and the United States—hence the nickname "City of Five Flags." The city divides into three areas: downtown (Palafox Street, Historic Pensacola Village, Seville Square, and the waterfront ballpark); Naval Air Station Pensacola to the southwest (the National Naval Aviation Museum, the lighthouse, Fort Barrancas, and the home base of the Blue Angels flight demonstration squadron); and Santa Rosa Island across the bay bridge (Pensacola Beach, Fort Pickens, and the white dunes of Gulf Islands National Seashore), with quieter Navarre Beach about 40 km to the east. Seasons: April–October is beach season, with May–June and September–October the most comfortable thanks to warm water and fewer crowds; June–November is hurricane season, so keep an eye on forecasts; winters are mild but the water is cool. Getting there: Pensacola International Airport (PNS) is about a 10-minute drive from downtown; attractions are spread out, so renting a car is recommended. Entering the naval base requires a passport or REAL ID, and the rules change from time to time. Plan to stay 2–4 days.

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