The Navy Air Museum in Pensacola Florida is the largest Naval Aviation Museum in the world and Pensacola’s top visitor attractions. It’s exhibit space covers more than 350,000 square feet and includes over 150 restored Navy, Marine, and Coast Guard 150 aircraft plus numerous multi-media exhibits and exhibits from space exploration. Jo and I have visited the museum on two occasions and still there remains much more to see and experience.
Over 150 historical aircraft are on display at the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida
In addition to exhibiting the history of Naval Aviation, the museum does an impressive job in education on the history of war time combat from World Wars I and II to the Korean Conflict. Exhibits on the World War II era are particularly impressive and educational. Aviation and history buffs could spend hours and days here absorbing all that the Museum has to offer. And just about anyone will be fascinated by being able to get up close to inspect these fantastic flying machines. Kids, big and small, will enjoy the hands-on exhibits like sitting in the cockpit of one of the aviation cockpit trainers or engaging with one of the Flight Simulators to more fully experience what it is like flying one of these aircraft.
Diorama of Main Street USA, 1943. Oh for the good old days.
“Continuing the story of Naval Aviation, the Museum’s exhibits provide a closer look at the people and events that shaped our history. From vintage uniforms and historic documents displayed in brilliant mahogany display cases, to dioramas that transport visitors to the World War I Western Front, Main Street U.S.A. in 1943, and the depths of Lake Michigan, the exhibits of the National Naval Aviation Museum seek to capture the human element of the enduring history of Naval air power.” (Naval Aviation Museum website)
One of the special exhibits Jo and I enjoyed was the eVirtual Flight Deck, an intimate surround screen and sound theater that re-enacts the experience of being on board the US Stennis aircraft carrier during take-off and landings. Wind, vibration and and odors facilitate the experience of being there. In the past we’ve been too busy taking in all the various experiences to catch any of the performances in the museum’s huge IMAX theater complex. There are generally four to six different films shown throughout the day. So on my wish list for our next visit is to take in at least one of the IMAX films.
The F/A 18 Hornets flown by the famous Blue Angels Acrobatic Flight Team
Adjacent to the museum is Naval Air Station and Training Facility, covering 37 acres. So practically any day of the week, you can see sleek fighter jets streaking across the sky over Pensacola and Pensacola Beach. And on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, from March to November, from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm, you can see the famous Blue Angels Flight Team flying over the museum in their practice runs for their unique, acrobatic air shows. Kids and other aviation fans can also get signatures from the Blue Angels Flight Crew. Attending a Blue Angels performance is another item on our next visit wish list.
Other interesting attractions of the museum include the Blue Angels X4D Flight Theater, the Cubi Bar Café, Kidde Hawk Children’s Play Area, and the Flight Deck Museum Store.
Fokker D VII World War I biplane – Snoppy’s Red Baron aircraft!
Here’s a few slide shows of some of the exhibits and attractions.
Dining and Lodging at the Rittenhouse Inn
Bayfield, WI
The lobby of the Rittenhouse Inn with its 2 story Christmas Tree.
Few visitors to Bayfield escape noticing the historic Rittenhouse Inn on the main Highway 13 road into downtown (Rittenhouse Avenue). Perched high on the hill about five blocks up from the harbor, its size, beauty and Victorian architecture evokes “wows” and more erudite exclamations. In addition to being Bayfield’s only 4 star hotel, it is also known for its fine cusine. It has been on our “bucket list” to spend a night or two there for some time.
The opportunity to make good on our pledge came on a Thanksgiving weekend in 2015 with Jo’s sister Donna and her husband Dan. Previously we had done Thanksgiving weekends at four other historic hotels stretching along the Great River Road Scenic Drive from Galena, Illinois to Stillwater, Minnesota. The Rittenhouse Inn Thanksgiving Weekend will be the first of perhaps several historic hotel Thanksgivings we’ll have along the Lake Superior Circle Drive.
Rittenhouse Inn Review
Thanksgiving Menu at the Rittenhouse Inn Bayfield, WI
The dinner itself was fantastic. The historic hotels we’ve previously stayed at offered a Thanksgiving Buffet. The Rittenhouse Inn meal was a five course extravaganza with a choice of two soups, two salads, four specialty entrees, and four desserts plus a Sorbet before the Entree. (See pictures and more details at our Rittenshouse Inn Dining Review here).
Staying overnight at the Rittenhouse was also a bit different than we had experienced at other historic inns. The Rittenhouse, being a mansion B&B versus a larger hotel, was more intimate and held truer to the theme of “stepping back in time” to staying at a Victorian Inn. The only piece of “modern technology” in the rooms were a small clock radio. No TV, no microwave, no fridge, no phone, no desk for our laptop, and no bar or lounge in the facility (but craft beers and bottles of wine were available from the kitchen or wait staff to take back to your room.) We were pleased to discover there was one concession to the 21st century – a strong wireless Internet connection. (See our slide show tour of Rittenhouse Inn Rooms here).
Jo and Donna relaxing in the second floor sitting room of the Rittenhouse Inn
Great food, unique and comfortable lodging, and great service made for a memorable and romantic weekend.
The military history of Pensacola began with a Spanish settlement and fort in 1698. Later to be named Fort San Carlos de Austria, its early military history involved defending the community against constant attacks from Indians. Later as both France and Spain competed for occupation of Pensacola Bay, the fort was destroyed and Spain moved the settlement and fort first to Santa Rosa Island and later to the present site of Pensacola. In 1763 Great Britain took control of the Florida and Pensacola and proceeded to build several forts and military installations between 1771 and 1781. In 1781 Spain re-captured Pensacola Bay and all the British military installations, some of which were re-built to Spanish Forts. One of these was Fort San Carlos de Barrancas and its water battery San Antonio built in 1789 on a bluff overlooking the entrance to Pensacola Bay.
In 1814, Fort San Carlos was blown up during the War of 1812, but the water battery San Antonio survives to this day and is located immediately below Fort Barrancas.
In 1821 Spain ceded Florida and the Pensacola area to the United States and the Pensacola area became an important US military location when it was selected as the site for the US Navy Yard, an operation that protected US interests in the Gulf of Mexico.
Between 1829 and 1859, the Army Corps of Engineers would build four forts around Pensacola Bay to protect the Navy Yard: Fort Barrancas and the Advanced Redoubt on the mainland, and Fort McRee and Fort Pickens on the barrier islands at the entrance to the bay.
Fort McRee was heavily damaged during the Civil War in 1861 and was not re-built. All that remains today of Fort McRee is the foundation of the one of the coastal batteries. But the other three installations continued to be used until mid-way through World War II and have been restored and preserved for present day tours.
Fort Barrancas & Advanced Redoubt
Constructed on the site of the old Fort San Carlos between 1839 and 1844, the only military action ever seen by Fort Barrancas was during the Civil War when it and the Advanced Redoubt was occupied by the Confederate Army. Union forces occupied Fort Pickens across the bay on Santa Rosa Island. Cannons were fired at one another across the bay and gunfire was exchanged with the Union ships Niagara and Richmond. Damaged during the Revolutionary War was repaired and the facility continued to be used for defense of the Naval Yard into World War II.
Slide Show Touring Fort Barrancas
Retired from active use after World War II, Fort Barrancas, the Advanced Redoubt, and the old Spanish Water Battery San Antonio are now part of the US National Park Service and are open for tours, both self-guided and guided.
There is also a visitor center with a bookstore and interesting multi-media exhibits on the fort’s history.
Fort Pickens, built on the western end of Santa Rosa Island, was the largest of the four forts built to protect the US Navy Yard. It was completed in 1834 and remained in active duty until 1947. Over its active duty period the fort and supportive military structures on the western end of the island underwent many changes and enhancements. Originally defended by cannons firing cannon balls, as military technology increased huge rifled gun batteries were added within the fort and in numerous concrete bunkers along the gulf-side shoreline. The fort facilities were also modified to support a network of defensive mines in Pensacola Bay during World War II. Here is a map and information on this extensive network of coastal artillery.
Slide Show: Historic Fort Pickens
Visitors will be impressed with size and extent of military preparedness of the Fort and its related installations. Interestingly, the only actual armed conflict experienced at the fort was in 1861 during the Civil War. While the Confederate Army occupied Fort McRee and Fort Barrancas, the Union Army held Fort Pickens. Guns from the Fort, along with those from the Union warships Niagara and Richmond, bombarded Forts McRee and Barrancas as well as the Navy Yard occupied by the Confederates. An attempted night attack and invasion on Fort Pickens by Confederate Troops led to an extensive battle that involved over 1800 men and 150 casualties.
The main fort and all of the 10 associated gun batteries are able to be toured. Guided tours are also available at certain times. A few of the original cannon ball cannons and some rifled guns remain. The largest of the rifled guns were capable of firing shells over 8 miles. Many of the gun batteries have educational exhibits showing how the particular battery was used. Hiking trails or park roads connect most all of the gun batteries surrounding the fort.
Gulf Islands Seashore Museum on the grounds of the Fort Pickens encampment
Also on the grounds of the former military installation is the Gulf Islands National Seashore Museum.
See our Google Map for locations of these historic forts.
References:
Pensacola Bay, A Military History, Dale Manuel, 2004 Arcadia Publishing Co, Chicago, IL
See Links to golf course websites at the end of the article.
During our stays in Pensacola Florida in March, it has been my intention to sample number of Pensacola golf courses – but on our visits rain and cooler weather restricted our opportunities. I did manage to golf two 18 hole rounds at Perdido Bay Golf Club, 9 holes on the west course of Tiger Point Golf Club. On a later February trip we played 9 holes at Osceola Municipal Golf Course.
The other 3 golf courses in this review we visited but did not play the course
Golfing at Tiger Point Golf Club.
The West Course. The staff at Tiger Bay call the west course a “practice course” due to its fairways and greens being somewhat sub-par in terms of condition. But for me not having golfed all winter it was a good opportunity to swing the club on a course (vs a golf range) to work out the kinks in a leisurely manner since there wasn’t much pressure behind me. I was usually able to hit two balls and take some extra shots working on my short game. And the price was right: $20 for greens fee and a cart to golf all day long if you wish. However in 2015, the west course is closed and no present plans to remodel or upgrade it.
The Championship Course. While I didn’t play it, the regular Tiger Point 18 looked to be in good condition for early March. Fairways greened up pretty good and the greens were in very good shape. Tiger Point is an open, links style course with some water and a modest amount of elevation change. Since the city of Gulf Breeze has taken over the Tiger Bay course the conditions and maintenance have improved so just about all of the recent golf reviews I read of Tiger Point are positive and it is a popular course, especially on days when there is a discount for senior golfers.
Golfing at Perdido Bay Golf Course
I very much enjoyed my two rounds of golf at Perdido Bay Golf Course. It is also an open links style course with a few pines and some palm or palmetto trees here and there. But the monotony I’ve found in some links-style courses is broken up by several fingers of mature residential areas protruding into the course layout. Some of these units are cottages that are available for vacationers. From the air the course would look like a hand with outstretched fingers.
The Bermuda grass in the fairways of Perdido Bay golf club hadn’t fully greened up, but the tee boxes and greens were in excellent condition
That dark shape near the water is an alligator sunning himself!
There is water on almost every hole, either on one or both sides of the fairway and at times stretching across across the fairway requiring you to hit over water to the green. One gentleman I talked with said a buddy of his lost 22 balls on one outing! I was a bit luckier than that. I found that the water hazards were quite fair, almost always giving you an “out” if you wanted to play it safe.
Only one time did I feel the course “robbed” me of a decent score. I didn’t look close enough at the scorecard to see that on number 16 a creek ran in front of the green. So after a halfway decent tee shot, I followed with a good 3 wood over the top of a bunker that I thought would be well-positioned in the center of the fairway in front of the green. But when I arrived the ball was nowhere to be seen and concluded it must have rolled into the creek in front of the green! On my second outing, I was in a similar position and opted for a 6 iron but again hit it too well and it also ended up in the drink.
Perdido Bay also has an excellent practice facility: two chipping/pitching greens (one with a sand bunker), one putting-only green, and a driving range with numerous pins at varying distances in addition to the usual distance markers. Previously my favorite golf course practice facility was at Nemadji Golf Course in Superior, Wisconsin; Perdido Bay is even better.
The food at the course restaurant is pretty decent, good selection of breakfast items and sandwiches and wraps for lunch or dinner.
Google and golf review websites generally give good marks to Perdido Bay Golf Course. Particularly for golfing in the afternoon (when rates drop), it is an excellent golfing value.
Lost Keys Golf Club
We drove by the Lost Keys Golf Club. It is in a gated community and like Perdido Bay surrounded by residences and condo complexes, but with a little different look to the community. The Lost Keys area is a more recent development and has some high rise units while Perdido Bays surrounding neighborhood is mainly more mature with lushly landscaped private homes. The Lost Keys course looks to have a good deal of water lining the fairways and the fairways appear elevated or domed so that an errant ball will easily roll into the water. The course looked quite lush. The reviews I read of the course are generally positive. The green fees are generally a little higher than Perdido Bay and I suspect that may be due to them being in a gated community and courting a more “exclusive” clientele.
Marcus Point Golf Club
Another Pensacola Golf Course that gets good reviews and has decent rates is Marcus Pointe Golf Club. Unfortunately it was 24 miles from our Fort Pickens campground and with three days of rainy weather occurring during the time I planned to make the trek out to this course I couldn’t work it into our activities. However, I did stop by late one afternoon and had time to hit some balls on their driving range. Their practice facility is quite complete with chipping and putting greens, as well as a practice sand bunker.
Unlike the Perdido Bay and Lost Keys, Marcus Pointe’s fairways are wooded and the holes include a fair amount of elevation change. Many fairways are undulating and for mid-March the grass was in decent condition.
Marcus Pointe is the kind of course I am used to playing and aesthetically one that I find more pleasing than the links style courses. Their rate structure is attractive, offering discounts for tee times after 10 am, after 1 pm and on special days. The golf carts are electric and look to be in very good condition. It generally gets good reviews on the web.
I definitely would enjoy playing Marcus Pointe the next time I am in Pensacola.
Osceola Municipal Golf Course
The Osceola Municipal Golf Course gets good marks for decent rates and generally good condition. Like Marcus Pointe its fairways are tree-lined and it is located on higher ground than the courses closer to the ocean or gulf bays or lagoons.
Teeing off on the first hole at Osceola
I’ve been waiting over three years to play Osceola Golf Course every spring when we visit Pensacola and Pensacola Beach. I finally worked it into our itinerary. What lured me to try Osceola were decent prices with or without a cart. Jo and I often like to walk the course to get in our daily walking exercise while enjoying the game. We did only 9 holes on this visit as it was early in the season and we weren’t sure we yet had the stamina for walking 18.
Osceola Golf Course
Oceola is a mature and nicely landscaped course, liberally sprinkled with Pines, Palmettos, and Live Oak Trees, helping to define the fairways. It is a mostly level course, but gentle mounds in the fairways relieve the monotony of a flatter landscape.
The greens and tee boxes were in good shape and offered a set of 5 tees to accommodate a range of playing abilities. The fairways were somewhat dry, the grass somewhat sparse and some creek beds were dry.
It was late February so most courses in Pensacola hadn’t finished greening up. And I believe prior to our visit they have had less than normal winter rainfall. So with some rain and a little later in the season I’d expect the fairways to perk up nicely.
Osceola Golf Course
Overall a very playable and walkable course with fair prices. For me, a senior and middling golfer, it had sufficient challenge so I look forward to playing 18 the next time we visit Pensacola. However, lower handicap golfers may find it less interesting even playing from the longest tees. But for your money, you definitely get value.
Scenic Hills Country Club
The Scenic Hills Country Club has been recently purchased by the University West Florida. Not many reviews available online for it but one I found from the summer of 2013 indicated that the university had yet to make much needed improvements to the course. The rate structure looked good so may be worth a look-see. In 2015 I continued to have difficulty getting good information online about the course, so that concerns me. It also is quite a drive from downtown Pensacola and Pensacola Beach.
AC Read Golf Course
Another Pensacola course I had trouble getting info online was the AC Read Golf Course on the grounds of the Naval Air Station. I couldn’t find their rates nor a lot of reviews. I did stop in the pro shop and did a drive by it on our way to the National Naval Air Museum. While the course is on the naval base, it is open to the public. The rates are attractive, although the facility appears to be showing its age and may not be as well maintained as the semi-private courses like Perdido Bay.
It is a wooded course and looks quite mature. There are no residences surrounding the course – only woods. The fairways weren’t quite as green as the other courses I visited. From what I could see the layout was fairly flat with not a lot of elevation change so it could be a good course to walk.
They offer 27 holes on their championship course and one of the nine borders the lagoon and looks like it could be quite scenic. There is also an 18 hole executive course that would be ideal for walking.
During our drive-by and visit to the pro shop, it did not look overly busy so there shouldn’t be a problem getting a tee time. You’ll need to call for rates and times because the website is very sparse and dated.
PS. You’ll also need photo id’s, driver’s license, and proof of vehicle insurance to get admission to the base and have to register at the Naval Base Gate office.
Pensacola offers several good and affordable public golf course that offer a variety of experiences. If you are staying on the Gulf (versus Pensacola Bay) in Pensacola Beach as we were, the only disadvantage is drive-time. From the Fort Pickens Campground & RV park on Santa Rosa Island, the closest course was Tiger Point Golf Club at 16 miles.
Tourist and Travel Interests in Historic Pensacola
In the early spring we like to escape the cold Wisconsin winters by traveling to Northern Florida and the Florida Panhandle.
One of our favorite places to spend some time is in Pensacola and Pensacola Beach. Since we travel by motorhome, we stay at RV parks and prefer state and national parks for their wilderness settings and hiking trails.
On our first visit to the area we stayed at the Fort Pickens Gulf Islands National Seashore Park campground on the far western end of Santa Rosa island. The island is a gulf barrier island that is mostly within the Gulf Islands National Seashore but also includes the resort town of Pensacola Beach. The Fort Pickens campground and recreation area is about 6 miles west of the busy resort town and is a quiet and low-key contrast to the resort atmosphere.
The Spanish architecture of the Florida State Museum is fitting since it is built on the site of the old Spanish fort
US Customs House & Post Office – 1887 – is now the Escambia County Courthouse. One of many historic government and commercial buildings in the downtown Palafox Historic District.
While Pensacola has many beaches that face Pensacola Bay and has beaches on protected lagoons, only Pensacola Beach and Santa Rosa island have beaches that are actually on the Gulf of Mexico. So when Pensacola residents say they are “going to the beach” they are talking about Santa Rosa island’s lengthy and un-crowded beaches facing the Gulf. Many of these beaches, since they are part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore Park, are quite secluded because they have no hotels or structures fronting the beaches.
Things to See and Do in Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola, home of America’s first new world settlement (1859), is known for its military and cultural history, its southern cuisine, and its sparkling sugar-sand beaches. We sampled some of the Pensacola’s military history at the National Naval Air Museum, Fort Barrancas, and at Fort Pickens on Santa Rosa island. The Naval Air Museum (with over 150 planes on exhibit) and the Blue Angels Flying Squadron is by far the most popular Pensacola attraction. We spent several hours there on several return trips and there is still more to see. The actual restored Fort Pickens (the “fort” itself vs the park with the same name) is also a top Pensacola attraction. In 2020 there will be a ferry service from the mainland to the fort which if you are staying in Pensacola itself will save about 50 miles round trip you would normally take by auto to visit the Fort.
Pensacola Historic District Walks
There are two historic districts in the downtown area. Closest to and technically a part of downtown is the Palafox Historic District. The center-piece of this district is Florida’s State Museum which is built on the site of the former Spanish Fort San Miquel, Pensacola’s first settlement. Palafox street itself contains many historic buildings as well as interesting pubs, restaurants and entertainment venues, many with sidewalk cafes. This area has a New Orleans Bourbon Street feel to it. Nearby downtown is the Seville residential neighborhood, also a historic district, with a number of carefully restored and cared-for homes from the 1800s and some from earlier eras.
Within the Seville neighborhood is the Pensacola Historic Village, a complex of unique museums, with restored pioneer homesteads, structures, and artifacts. There are self-guided and directed tours. During some hours the village is populated by costumed interpreters recreating artisan crafts from the 18th and 19th centuries.
See the Slide Show below of historic homes
One of the many restored historic register homes in the Pensacola Palofax-Seville Park neighborhood.
Pensacola's Moreno House 1879
Hendrix House - 1879 - is an example of a southern style of house popular in the 1800s named for its narrow profile and alignment of one room after another without any hallways.
Tuttle House - 1850 - is an example of a "double-barrel" shotgun house, two shotgun houses sharing a common wall between them.
Lear-Rocheblave House 1890 is one of the community of homes and structures in the Pensacola Historic Village museum that can be toured.
Pensacola Dining
Carmens Restaurant, Pensacola
Within the Pensacola historic districts are a number of interesting pubs and dining places.
One of the observation decks along the boardwalk at Pensacola’s Bluff Park
We took a drive along the Pensacola Scenic Bluffs Highway that was advertised in a brochure we picked up. We expected to see quaint cottages, unique restaurants, secluded picnic areas, and bluff-top vistas of Escambia Bay. These bluffs are reputed to be the highest points along Florida’s entire oceon coastline. The scenic drive begins near the Pensacola Visitor & Welcome center (take 17th avenue to East Cervantes Street – also US 90) and ends 11 miles later when US 90 crosses the Escambia River. Bay Bluffs park has an interesting boardwalk trail with some good views of the bay but after that the drive offers little to be called a scenic drive. Unfortunately for us the actual experience fell short of the promotion.
Camping & RVing in Pensacola
In addition to some private parks and campgrounds, campers and RVers can chose from a Florida State Park Campground and a National Park Campground. Both offer beaches on the gulf, some decent hiking/biking trails, modern campgrounds with electric hookups, canoeing and kayaking and in the case of Fort Pickens some impressive historical exhibits.
One of your first stops in visiting Pensacola should be at the Pensacola Visitor Center, conveniently located at the mouth of the Bayou Texar and at the base of the Pensacola Bay Bridge. Convenient parking, helpful staff, lots of maps and brochures, and hot coffee or chocolate. include map on location.
US Naval Aviation Museum. The largest naval aviation museum in the world! Just about anyone, including those interested in naval aviation history, will enjoy. You can spend days there.
Below are our reviews of some of the top places to eat in Pensacola: Fish House Restaurant, Hub Staceys, McGuire’s Irish Pub, and Jo Patti’s Seafood. Below those reviews are links to our reviews of five more Best Restaurants in Pensacola. But first a slide show of some of these famous places to dine.
Slide Show of featured Pensacola restaurants
Top Places to eat in Pensacola: Joe Patti’s Fish Market, Hub Stacey’s Tavern, McGuire’s Pub, The Fish House Restaurant, Carmen’s Lunch Box Cafe
The Fish House Restaurant is on Pensacola Bay. A huge aquarium separates the two dining rooms.
Joe Patti's Fish Market busy fresh seafood service counter stretches for about a hundred feet. In the far right side of the picture is their Sushi Bar.
Joe Patti's Deli Market. In addition to Joe Patti's huge seafood Market they also have a large deli area with meats, sausages, cheeses, and loads of special condiments.
The popular Hub Staceys Tavern is across the street from the Seville Square Park. In addition to inside dining, they have a covered sidewalk dining area.
McGuires Pub is one Pensacola's most popular places to eat and drink. Fun atmosphere and good service.
The Money Ceiling at McGuire's Pub. Many thousands of dollars, some say a million, hang from the ceiling.
Carmen's Lunch Bar Restaurant also has a sidewalk cafe that is the perfect place for dining on a nice day.
Dining Review: the Fish House Restaurant – Pensacola
Offering, in our experience, some of the best dining in Pensacola, the Fish House Restaurant is on an inlet of Pensacola Bay and is walking distance from the downtown historic district. There is an outside dining and entertainment deck (The Deck Bar) overlooking the docks but the weather was too chilly for that so we ate indoors. It is a comfortable dining atmosphere with skilled and friendly wait and service staff. The beer was served in ice cold steins, a touch I appreciate. For me one mark of an attentive wait staff is having my water glass refilled without asking, this happened three times.
The food was excellent. We ordered the crab and lobster cake appetizer, which at first I thought was a modest size for the price ($13) but we were surprised how filling it was, and it was tasty – worth the 13 bucks. Both Jo and I ordered the Grilled Salmon. While not from the local Pensacola fishery, it must be flown in daily because it is advertised as “fresh.” It certainly tasted fresh, moist and served hot. Our sides were a grilled medley of veggies, plus cole slaw and black-eyed peas. All very tasty and good portion sizes.
I’d rate the pricing structure as mid-size yet a very good value considering the quality of food, service, and comfortable ambience of the restaurant. We will certainly dine here again.
While walking around Pensacola’s Historic District, we happened to stumble upon a neighborhood pub called Hub Staceys , which is across the street from Seville Square. That day the park was hosting the annual “Smokin in the Square” BBQ competition and festival. Wonderful aromas were wafting in the air as competitors were beginning to smoke their entries. Unfortunately we were a day early to sample the “contestants” but Hubs sidewalk signboard advertised BBQ pork sandwich on a pretzel bun. So that plus the aroma’s from the Square was enough to bring us in. Hubs is an old wood-sided corner building that looks like it has been a neighborhood bar for a long time. Inside it has a funky and friendly atmosphere befitting its neighborhood bar location. The BBQ sandwich was good but on our visit Hubs won’t win awards for attentive service. Staff was friendly but they are content to wait for you to flag them down to place your order or get a refill. In their defense, the place was reasonably busy due to the festival in the park, but I suspect that local tradition is that you speak up when you want something!
McGuires is routinely voted one of the top 10 Florida restaurants. It is noted for its steaks and burgers as well as a few Irish specialties. The pub atmosphere is olde english, dark oak paneling and pictures, plaques, and memorbilia covering all the walls. The pub is large but broken up into several small, intimate dining areas. But its ceiling (and some walls) is most distinctive. Hanging from the ceiling (and pinned to some walls) are dollar bills, an estimated 1 million of them! Rumor is the practice was started by the first waitress who celebrated the opening of McGuires by pinning her first dollar tip to the ceiling. Jo had her usual mushroom and swiss burger; I had the Reuben on Rye recommended by our waitress. Both were top notch, served hot and moist in a reasonable amount of time. The portion sizes were extremely generous, so much that we took half our sandwiches home with us. Host and wait service was prompt, friendly, and attentive. The parking lot was quite full for a Thursday afternoon about 3pm, testifying to the quality of their food and service. Bonus – McGuires brews their own line of ales. After doing the sampler I chose their stout. Four and half stars.
Jo Patti’s Fish Market is Pensacola’s large and busy ocean-side fish market carrying an amazing variety and quantity of seafood as well as a decent selection of condiments to accompany a seafood dinner. If you have never been to a large busy fish market before, it is worth a stop just for the experience – even if you aren’t shopping. If you are shopping, you take a number and get served when your number is called. In addition to seafood, they have a decent sized deli area with a good selection of cheeses and sausage. Next door is Anna’s Wine Shop. The Fish Market did offer a Sushi Bar, but neither Jo nor I are fans of raw fish, so this wasn’t an option.
We stopped at Joe Patti’s Fish Market with the intention of having lunch there as we had heard good things about their seafood offering. The Fish Market is a large building along the water front and hard to miss. What we didn’t know at the time and did not discover until we got home was that Joey’s Restaurant is not in the extensive Fish Market complex, but located a block and half away west of the Fish Market among several nondescript industrial-commercial buildings. So Joey’s Restaurant is another review we have to do in the future.
AL Fresco Outdoor Cafe
The Al Fresco outdoor dining patio, is pictured at the top of this page. Unfortunately, we can’t tell you about the food quality or service since we came upon it between meal times . . . but the ambiance is really cool. An outdoor cafe with umbrellas, palm trees, potted plants, and surrounded by 4 vintage Airstream Travel Trailers turned into Restaurant-Food Carts. Each of the Airstream Restaurants offers a different style menu. A fifth restaurant, the Shux Oyster Bar, also offers indoor dining options. Located at the intersection of Palafox and Main Streets, Al Fresco is near the waterfront, on the way to the Plaza De Luna pier. It is only a few blocks from the Historic Pensacola Village, and near downtown Pensacola as well. Next time we are in Pensacola on a nice afternoon, we have to catch a bite to eat here.
On March 7th we caught the 6th annual Smokin’ on the Square BBQ Cook-off Festival held at Pensacola’s Seville Square park in Pensacola’s Historic District.
The main event is a Kansas City Barbeque Society National BBQ Cook Teams Contest, part of a series of BBQ cookoff contests held throughout the country to determine the Grand Champion. The KCBS series is sort of like the FedEx Cup in golf where points are earned in each contest based on where you finish, first place on down. Points accumulate during the entire season and the team with the highest # of points becomes the Grand Champion. The society boasts over 19,000 members world-wide. Thousands of professional BBQ teams compete in this series so only a fraction of that were present at the Pensacola event, which was billed as the Florida State Championship. KCBS supplies certified judges who taste and rate every submission, converting the ratings to an overall score. Highest score wins, next highest is second place, and so on. Iowa’s Smokey D’s BBQ, out of Des Moines, Iowa took top honors. Currently they are sitting in fourth place (out 1145 competitors) in the Sam’s Club National BBQ competition.
In addition to the pros cooking, there is also sort of a semi-pro or amateur division for Backyard BBQ chefs. Not all in this division are really amateurs as some of them do own BBQ restaurants but are not on the KCBS circuit. The Backyard chefs are graded on the same criteria as the pros. This year’s winner was Slade BBQ of Searcy, Arkansas.
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Backyard Chefs also compete in a charity fund-raising competition offering small samples of their BBQ for a dollar charity contribution. The largest fundraiser is then crowned “Taste for Tips” champion. This year’s winner was Who Dat Smokin’.
There are also several regular food vendors offering up a variety of food items, in addition to BBQ specialties. Jo and I had some excellent pork ribs from Sonny’s BBQ, who is a co-sponsor of the event. Lucky for us, the Pensacola Bay Brewery is located right next door to Seville Park, so we took our sandwiches to the brewery’s outdoor patio and had their signature Porter to go along with our meal. Great ambience, enjoying a good beer, superb BBQ, and listening to musical entertainment coming from the park’s gazebo. BTW Pensacola Brewery has no food service, just a small tap room with about eight to ten stools and a fairly large outdoor deck. Nice variety of beer though and some of their brews are available on tap at some Pensacola dining establishments. You can take home their beer in gallon or 32 ounce growlers.
Later we discovered we left the cook-off too early, because later in the afternoon, the main music headliner was Chloe Channell, a twelve year old country music entertainer who was a quarter finalist in the 2013 America’s Got Talent TV show. I remember her from the TV show. Would have loved to see her live. http://www.chloechannell.com/
In addition to the food and entertainment, there were a smattering of arts and crafts vendors displaying their wares and art for sale. And another contest, that also has a “pro” and “amateur” event, is the “Smokin’ Cornhole” Tournament. Cornhole is sort of like a bean-bag toss game, with points scored similar to horseshoes. The master division teams were actually competing in the Gulf Coast Cornhole Series.
Lots of fun; hope to be back there again next year (2016) for the 7th Annual “Smokin in the Square” held again at Seville Square only about a week later on March 18th- 19th.
Some other major Pensacola Festivals you might enjoy: Mardi-Gras in February, Beulah Sausage Festival in March, Pensacola JazzFest in April, and the Pensacola Crawfish Festival in April or early May. See more listings of popular Pensacola events here.
Lotta Bull BBQ
Marietta, Oklahoma
Mike and Debbie Davis
Finished #17 overall at the 2015 Pensacola Championship, but came in #2 for their ribs. Mike and Debbie were the Jack Daniels World Champion in 2010.
