All programs are advertised on the website calendar upper right-hand corner or on the mobile app calendar per National Park guidance these are the primary locations programs are supposed to be advertised. Programs are also advertised on the park’s Facebook page.

Programs are subject to change due to manning or weather. Visitors can also verify the daily schedule in person at the visitor center or at the fort’s entrances. All programs are provided free of charge, entrance station fees may apply.

The Discovery Center in Florida is staffed from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and the William M. Colmer Visitor Center in Mississippi is staffed from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for questions. Passport Stamps can be collected at visitor centers and the park bookstore located inside Fort Pickens open daily 9 a.m. to 4 PM.

Special Events:

  • January 14– Park Cleanup event at Naval Live Oaks Area beginning at 9 a.m. in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. To volunteer visit Volunteer Opportunity Detail.
  • January 14– Park Cleanup event at the Perdido Key Area beginning at 9 a.m. in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Materials will be provided.
  • January 14 – Park Cleanup at the Davis Bayou Campground beginning at 10 a.m. in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Wear closed-toed shoes and gloves.
  • January 16 – Fee Free Day

FLORIDA SCHEDULE 

Fort Pickens Living History Weekend

  • Date: January 14 and 15
  • Scheduled presentations and demonstrations will be offered on the 14th and 15th, weather permitting. Visit the park Facebook page for details.

Living History Camp 

  • Time: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
  • Duration: 7 hours 
  • Program Type: Drop-in 
  • Description: Travel back in time to Civil War Fort Pickens and experience how US soldiers lived, what they ate, and how they spent their free time in camp. Meet at the Fort Pickens Parade. 

The Civil War Soldier (Musket Demonstration) 

  • Time: 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m.
  • Duration: 30 minutes Talk, Demonstration 
  • Description: Explore the lives of Civil War soldiers stationed on Pensacola Bay and the weapons they carried on battlefields. This program includes a musket firing demonstration. Meet at the Fort Pickens Parade.

Freedom’s Fortress

  • Time: 12 p.m.
  • Duration: 30 minutes Talk
  • Description: The Civil War changed in 1863. Join a guide to learn about President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and how Fort Pickens became freedom’s fortress. Meet at the Fort Pickens Sally Port.

The Guns of Fort Pickens

  • Time: 2 p.m.
  • Duration: 30 minutes Talk
  • Description: Join a guide to learn about seacoast cannon and how soldiers fired the big guns from Fort Pickens. Meet at the Fort Pickens Sally Port.

MISSISSIPPI SCHEDULE

Nature’s Pharmacy: Historical Medicinal Plants of the Northern Gulf Coast (meet in the William M. Colmer Visitor Center Lobby)

  • Time: Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 1 p.m.
  • Duration: 45 minutes
  • Type of Event – Talk/Walk

Amazing Bayou Adventure: Exploring the Natural and Historical Wonders of Davis Bayou (meet in the William M. Colmer Visitor Center Lobby)

  • Time: Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays at 1 p.m. and Saturdays, Sundays at 3 PM
  • Duration: 30 minutes
  • Type of Event = Talk/Walk

B.A.R.K. Ranger Program

  • Time: Sundays 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
  • Duration: 2 hours
  • Type of Event: Talk

Campfire with a Ranger Program (meet at Davis Bayou Campground)

  • Time: Fridays at sunset (will start when campground opens back up. For registered campers only.)
  • Duration: 30 minutes
  • Type of Event: Talk