PENSACOLA

Within close driving or bicycling distance of Pensacola Beach, Pensacola is the largest Florida city in the area, and provides a very active night life as well as great daytime attractions.

DAYTIME FUN

Downtown Pensacola's Palafox Street is filled with nice antique shops, small unique restaurants, and great specialty stores. Try having a Tex-Mex lunch at the Screaming Coyote, and stroll up the tree-lined streets to the small museums, the historic town square, and the upscale stores. Visit Pensacola Village for a taste of history, or walk down to the wharf to see the boats coming in and out. And during the summer, you can find jazz music events outdoors almost every weekend.

If you're here with the family or if you just love airplanes, take a two-mile drive over to the Naval Air Station, home of the National Museum of Naval Aviation and the Blue Angels flying team. Museum admission is free, and during the spring and early summer, the Blue Angels practice every day over the city and NAS.

If you love seafood, visit Joe Patti's on the ocean. Trawlers and fishing boats come right up to the dock to offload their catch every day, and most restaurants in the area buy their seafood here.

NIGHT TIME PARTIES

If you're more into city nightlife, Pensacola has great restaurants and bars, too, especially downtown around Palafox Street. Check out the classy Copeland's restaurant and bar for a New Orleans experience outside New Orleans, admire the hundreds of thousands of $1 bills decorating the walls and ceilings at McGuire's while having one of their great steaks or burger's, or watch the sun set while dining on the deck at Landry's Seafood. Later, try the dueling piano bar at Seville Quarter, or drive across the bridge to Pensacola Beach's vibrant boardwalk.