Pensacola Tourist Attractions

Pensacola is one of America’s most popular destinations. It has so much to offer visitors from around the world, including beaches, waterparks, museums, historic sites, and more.

Pensacola Lighthouse & Maritime Museum

Address: 2081 Radford Blvd, Pensacola, FL 32508, United States

Climb 177 steps up the historic Pensacola Lighthouse for one of the most beautiful views on the Gulf Coast. Built in 1859, the lighthouse is located onboard NAS Pensacola, right across from the National Naval Aviation Museum.

It was moved to Pensacola in 1823 from its previous post at the mouth of the Mississippi River after a lighthouse had been completed there. Because of frequent rough seas, the lightship had to be anchored inside the bay entrance, behind Santa Rosa Island, and could not reliably be seen from ships outside the bay.

In 1825, a 12-meter tower was built on a 12-meter bluff at the south entrance to Pensacola Bay. This light was also partially obscured by trees close to the tower and on Santa Rosa Island.

In 1858, a new tower was built on the north side of the bay entrance and was lit on January 1, 1859. The new tower is 46 meters and also sits on a 12-meter bluff located on the Pensacola Naval Air Station, placing the light 58 meters above sea level.

The Pensacola Lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The lighthouse remains an active aid to navigation until today.

Big Lagoon State Park

Address: 12301 Gulf Beach Highway, Pensacola, FL 32507

The Big Lagoon State Park is a 705-acre natural reserve on the northwestern Florida coast, approximately 16 kilometers from Pensacola on Gulf Beach Highway. It encompasses the northern boundary of Big Lagoon as it snakes toward Pensacola Bay to the east.

The area has several archeological sites. Park development in the 1980s partially disturbed a midden from the Woodland period. This and other evidence points to the historical use of this maritime habitat to forage on abundant shellfish.

The park has beaches along the shoreline of Big Lagoon, and other recreational activities such as bicycling trails, boating, canoeing, fishing, hiking, kayaking in Grande Lagoon.

There is also a wildlife viewing from a four-story observation tower and footbridge overlooks Long Pond and Grande Lagoon. Picnic areas are also available.

Arcadia Mill Archaeological Site

Address: 5709 Mill Pond Lane, Milton, FL 32583

Arcadia Mill Archaeological Site in Milton, Florida, represents the first and largest 19th-century water-powered industrial complex in northwest Florida. It is a historic site a mile southwest of Milton, Florida, United States.

The remains of the early 19th-century industrial water-powered mill complex are now part of the Arcadia Mill Archaeological Site, which is managed by the West Florida Historic Preservation.

Its museum has exhibits about the site. On August 3, 1987, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

Pensacola Museum of Art

407 South Jefferson Street, Pensacola, FL 32502

The Pensacola Museum of Art presents engaging cross-disciplinary exhibitions, educational programming, and stewards a growing collection of modern and contemporary art of the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries.

The establishment of the Museum’s permanent collection began soon after incorporation in 1954. It has a massive collection of art pieces by artists such as Alexander Calder, Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, Leonard Baskin, Salvador Dalí, Thomas Hart Benton, Louis Comfort Tiffany, and Käthe Kollwitz.

The museum's permanent collections focus on the 20th century, modern and contemporary art, including painting, sculpture, and works on paper, including works from John Marin, Salvador Dalí, Miriam Schapiro, Fairfield Porter, Hunt Slonem, Thomas Hart Benton, Alex Katz, Lynda Benglis, Milton Avery and Alexander Calder.

Lagunas Adventure Park

Address: 460 Pensacola Beach Blvd, Pensacola Beach, FL 32561

Lagunas offers a variety of things to do, beautiful views, live entertainment every weekend in the summer, the only brick-over pizza kitchen, the largest screen on the island, perfect for game days.

The park offers many family-friendly activities like go-karts, a 3 story ropes course, splash pad, four 30ft tall clip n’ climb climbing structures, zip rail, parasailing, jet ski rentals, and beaches.

Sam's Fun City & Surf City

Address: 6709 Pensacola Blvd, Pensacola, FL 32505, United States

This family-friendly recreational park offers more than 50 arcade games plus a 1,600 square-foot laser tag arena. It has one of the largest arcade games on display, redemption games, and it offers lots of prizes for the kids.

Sam's Fun City & Surf City is Pensacola's only amusement and water park with over 20 rides and attractions for kids of every age.

The waterpark also has some of the best selection of food in town.