Top 11 Things to Do on Pensacola Beach | Visit Pensacola (2024)

Stretching over 1,400 feet into the Gulf of Mexico, the Pensacola Beach Gulf Pier is a storm-tested icon with a majestic vista of our coast. After Hurricane Opal splintered the old pier in 1995, this pier rose out of the Gulf with a purpose. The hex-shaped concrete pilings deflect wave energy, and the 500-pound wooden panels are designed to blow out under hurricane storm surge to keep the pier’s structure intact.

You can fish without a fishing license, or you can just pay a few bucks for a 24-hour pass to walk the pier and take in the views. If you are looking to delve into the fishing scene on Pensacola Beach, be sure to check out Panhandle Salt Beach Fishing for all your fishing needs and you'll be set!

Along the pier, keep your eye out for dolphins, sea turtles, speedy gamefish, rays and the occasional shark from the comfort and safety of the pier deck.

Speaking of Fort Pickens, after nearly 200 years, the still-proud granite walls and massive cannon pose an imposing, majestic presence as they stand guard over Pensacola Pass. The sprawling fort, which once imprisoned the great Geronimo and where Union troops outgunned Confederate forces at Fort Barrancas, is nestled among the sand dunes with historic features like the fort itself, Battery Cooper and Battery Worth.

Fort Pickens is part of Gulf Islands National Seashore, where there’s plenty of beaches with designated parking, bike paths, a fishing pier and a campground. There’s also plenty of wildlife, including nesting sea turtles, osprey and colonies of least terns and black skimmers. You can ride your bike out to the fort — 9 miles from the fort entrance.

Pensacola loves its football teams and just because you’re chilling at the beach doesn’t mean you can’t get in some gridiron screen-time.

We have many home teams — the New Orleans Saints, due to proximity, are claimed by many of us. But so are the Tampa Bay Bucs and the Atlanta Falcons. Some folks even dig the Jags. College ball is our cathedral, however, and the home teams are whoever you want: Alabama, Auburn, Florida and Florida State —and even LSU and Georgia.

You can find many a spot to watch: try the massive outdoor screen at Laguna’s, or the many screens and tasty food at Whiskey Joes and Casino Beach Bar and Grill also have multiple screens and packages so you can get your game on!

IMPORTANT: Our local wildlife depends on our shores as well, so watch for signs and tread lightly. Sea turtles etch their nests into the Gulf sand from May through October — and the hatchlings need our protection to keep the natural cycles going. Least terns, plovers and black skimmers also nest on shore, so during the spring and summer nesting seasons, stay clear of the marked nest areas.

We even have an Eco Trail to guide you. Entertain and educate the kiddo’s (and adults too) with a stroll along the Pensacola Beach Eco Trail. Along this interactive trail you’ll find educational signs tell the wonderful story of our ecosystem and the plants and animals and habitat that are vital to our island.