Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Getting There & Around
days from 6am to 8pm.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Pensacola & Pensacola Beach
Neighbors with Alabama, Pensacola and its adjacent beach town welcome visitors driv-
ing in from the west. Its gorgeous snow-white beaches and tolerance of the annual spring
break bacchanal ensure Pensacola's popularity. There is also a thrumming military cul-
ture and a sultry, Spanish-style downtown. The
visitor bureau
(
800-874-1234,
850-434-1234;
www.visitpensacola.com
; 1401 E Gregory St;
8am-5pm Mon-Fri, 9am-4pm Sat,
10am-4pm Sun)
has maps.
The region has taken its licks in recent years. In 2004 Hurricane Ivan did its best to
smash the place, and in 2010 the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico tain-
ted beaches with tar balls. However, today, all Panhandle beaches are clean of oil, Pensa-
cola's buildings and roads are repaired, and the region is eager to welcome travelers
back.
GOODBYE, MULLET
Every April, locals gather along the Florida-Alabama state line on Perdido Key for a
time-honored tradition: the
Interstate Mullet Toss
. The idea - apart from a great
excuse for a party - is to see who can throw their (dead) mullet the furthest into
Alabama (we're talking fish, not the unfortunate '80s hairstyle). The event is organ-
Perdido Key Dr; 11am-3am)
, a legendary roadhouse that's worth visiting even when
the fish aren't flying.
Sights & Activities
National Museum of Naval Aviation
MUSEUM