Pensacola

2009 marked the 450th birthday for Pensacola and the area celebrated with a year-long event highlighted by a visit from the King and Queen of Spain.
Known as the “City of Five Flags”, Pensacola and its surrounding communities each have their own personalities.
The west side of town is home to the cradle of Naval Aviation – Naval Air Station Pensacola. On base you can explore the area’s deep history at the National Museum of Naval Aviation.
Many of the area’s retirees first discovered the area during officer’s training early in their careers and they never forgot the sugar white beaches and the community that helped shape their lives.
Most Snowbirds stay in nearby beach communities – Perdido Key to the west, Pensacola Beach and Navarre Beach, both located on Santa Rosa Island.
Hurricanes doomed that first settlement 450 years ago and have helped reshape area beach communities several times in the interim years including as recently as 2004 and 2005 when Ivan and Dennis paid unwelcome visits.
It took several years to get area beach communities back in shape but today they are back better than ever.
Pensacola’s thriving medical community is often a draw to winter visitors who want to have access to advanced services. The arts, theatre and cultural communities are a surprise to many for a community of this size.
Snowbirds in these communities haven’t yet formed the large clubs of those in Alabama and Destin but they often blend seamlessly into the landscape.
Accommodations range from beach homes and condos to RV parks and wooded cabins found in the expansive Blackwater River State Forest known as “Florida’s Canoe Capital.”