In the faded photograph, my dad leans his long frame against the airplane, one arm resting on the open cockpit. A long white silk scarf is wound once around his neck with the ends hanging down all the way to his waist. Aviator glasses are pushed up on his forehead. Maybe this is the day he soloed? It was long before my time.
Like many naval aviators my dad learned to fly at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola. All I have of that piece of history is the faded sepia photograph. Dad looks right at the camera and he looks happy.
Pensacola is home to the National Naval Aviation Museum
So you can imagine my excitement to finally visit the National Naval Aviation Museum. Yes, I know the museum wasn’t there when Dad was training but still, I’m walking the same ground.
National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, FL
What a great museum! So many airplanes, on the floor, suspended in the air, everywhere! And get this – admission is free, parking is free, tours are free. The museum is inside the Naval Air Station. You do need valid identification (your driver’s license) to enter the air station.
Well-behaved, leashed dogs are welcome to walk around outside the museum but not during Blue Angel practice shows.
Speaking of dogs, Obi came with me on a recent trip to Pensacola. I was pretty impressed with Plaza Ferdinand in historic downtown Pensacola. It was here that General Andrew Jackson received West Florida from the Spanish on July 17, 1821. And there is a statue to mark the spot. Obi agreed to pose for a photo to mark the occasion.
Pensacola things to do – with and without your dog
So here we go, some things to do in Pensacola with and without your dog:
With your dog:
Go a few blocks from Plaza Ferdinand over to Seville Square, a very old plaza graced with ancient live oak trees. Their drooping branches are held up by unique carved logs.
The Fleming Fountain across the street from the park has inlaid panels depicting early Pensacola including mockingbirds, dogwood blossoms and red snapper. Did you know that for many years Pensacola was called “the Red Snapper Capital of the World”?
Some old houses alongside the square now house restaurants. At Dharma Blue, located in one of those old houses, dogs are welcome to sit outside with their owners at the sidewalk tables.
If your dog likes to get wet, head for Bayview Park Dog Park and Beach on Bayou Texar, close to downtown. Here we met Jethro, a large brown dog who was busy watching Bailey dig frantically in the sand at the water’s edge. Bailey’s owner said every time they come to the park he starts digging in the same place. Hummm, is there buried treasure here?
We both enjoyed walking the Brackenridge Nature Trail at Naval Live Oaks, Golf Island National Seashore. This is in Gulf Breeze, just over the bridge from Pensacola. There is no cost to come here. Three-tenths of a mile is boardwalk with a half mile of dirt path. Reading the trail signs, I learned that this area was the first federal tree farm in the United States and it was started in 1828.
It took up to 2,000 live oak trees to build the hull of a naval ship. Yep, they needed a lot of trees. And the U.S. Navy was important (my Dad, a career naval officer would agree). Back then President John Adams called the U.S. Navy “wooden walls”. The oaks were valued because they resisted disease and the wood was dense. But the tree farm didn’t last long. A political squabble shut it down. Sound familiar?
Without your dog:
Visit Pensacola Beach, no dogs allowed on the beach.
Check out the Palafox Market with crafts and local produce on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. No dogs allowed.
Explore shopping opportunities along Palafox Street and adjoining streets where the old buildings have a New Orleans feel.
Sign up for the historic Pensacola Village tour where the guide will open up period homes and the Old Christ Church. Taking this living history walk is a chapter in my book 50 Great Walks in Florida.
Wander through the T.T. Wentworth Jr. Florida Museum located in the old City Hall, a magnificent building, just across the street from Plaza Ferdinand.
Before visiting, check out Visit Pensacola for upcoming events – in April the 2013 Reggae Festival happens in the Seville Quarter in Pensacola April 12-14. At the same time Pensacola Beach has the 2013 Annual Crawfish Festival at Bamboo Willie’s.
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