Pensacola Mess Hall

The Pensacola Mess Hall is a new addition to Pensacola's fun places to go with kids! MESS stands for Mathematics Engineering Science & Stuff. It has great ideas and experiments for math, science and engineering. At $8 a person for admission, you will find a large room with hands on stations where you can build, design, explore, and be amazed at your results.

The Pensacola Mess Hall is located downtown at 116 N Tarragona St. 

Check out their website to plan your visit and see what experiments they have this week!

http://www.pensacolamesshall.org/

Plaza Ferdinand, Downtown Pensacola

Plaza Ferdinand 2013

Plaza Ferdinand 1911

Plaza Ferdinand is in the heart of Downtown Pensacola. A square surrounded by Jackson's Fine Dining, Quayside Art Gallery, Pensacola Museum of Art, The Pensacola Little Theater & Portobello Market, Pensacola Historical Museum & Children's Museum. Also, the park is just around the corner from Seville Quarter. Plaza Ferdinand has been a part of Pensacola for over 100 years and has memorials and historical plaques on site as well as cannons lining the sides of the park. 

As we walked from the Pensacola Historical Children's Museum to Plaza Ferdinand, we could see outdoor seating for restaurants and murals on the gallery wall to depict what used to be the original Fire House for Pensacola. The Pensacola Museum of Art is located in what was the City Jail House. It has kept the bars up to reflect the historical significance of the building and makes It a work of art in itself.

This is a great area to reflect on history, enjoy the outdoor air and dine in some of the finest restaurants in the area, take a tour the galleries or check out a local play at the Pensacola Little Theater.

Here are a few pics of the Park & Children's museum but there is so much more to see!

Gallery Night in Downtown Pensacola

Downtown comes alive on Gallery Night! The Main Street through downtown, Palafox St, is closed to traffic from Garden Street south to the end of Palafox Place at Pensacola Bay. The Galleries show their art & the businesses that are normally closed open their doors to the thousands who come to tour. Artists and musicians line the streets while you are able to dine or drink on the sidewalks and streets. It's fun for the whole family with a few activities and lots of people watching to keep everyone interested. 

Gallery Nights are scheduled through the Downtown Improvement Board and are usually on a Friday evening about 9x a year. See this link for more details:

http://www.downtownpensacola.com/things-to-do/gallery-night

Fourth of July

Pensacola is one proud city of Independence. Through history, it's been occupied by American Indians, Britain, France, Spain and both Confederate & Union forces. Also, the first landing on what is now known as America was right on Pensacola soil! Unfortunately, it took a few tries to have a successful settlement so St. Augustine won the title "first successful settlement in America." There's ALWAYS something to do on Independence day in Pensacola!

Downtown Pensacola:

http://pensacolafireworks.com/

Milton:

http://www.srcchamber.com/

Pensacola Beach:

http://www.visitpensacolabeach.com/events/calendar.php

Hurlburt Field:

http://navarrepress.com/news/60/3633-hurlburt-fields-sound-of-independence

Great places to start! Have fun!!!

Sunset pics

Beach pic

Beautiful day-Pensacola Beach/Opal Beach

Navarre Children's Park

Right alongside the Navarre Bridge leading to Navarre Beach; located on Hwy 98-the main strip connecting most of the areas to each other, is The Navarre Children's Park. This Park is not Just for Children!! Many festivities are planned here for the whole community! There's a fun playground for the kids, separated into two sections to keep the younger ones safe. The park has covered picnic areas, perfect for bringing a lunch and spending the day with the fam, or having gatherings such as birthday parties. 

There's a beach with calm waters, a pond stocked with wildlife, a basketball court and a SPLASH PAD!!! All of this is provided for free. I love to meet here for playdates with my kids. 

The Navarre Chamber of Commerce/Visitor's Center is beside the park over looking the water. A convenient location for visitor's to the area, especially for the businesses who want to become a member of the Chamber and advertise to those visitors!

During the spring/summer months, The Butterfly House is open. It's on the side of the pond & basket ball court and is open Thurs-Sat 10-3. Run by volunteers who are more than willing to talk about the species of Butterflies, their life cycle, & plants that attract butterflies. This is open to the public and run by donations only.. We always try to bring $1 per person each time we go, but donations of any amount are appreciated. (More on the Butterfly House is coming later this summer!)