The charm of old Pensacola
Updated: Feb 22, 2020
Imagine our surprise when my spouse recently discovered that he had new, previously unknown relatives! We were intrigued and delighted and relationships quickly started to form over the phone and through social media. We had the great pleasure to meet these new relatives in person recently in Pensacola, Florida. It was a whirlwind trip (really less than 24 hours) but everyone was so nice and we all enjoyed getting to know each other better. I am looking forward to having them in our lives.
Pensacola had not been on my list of places to visit and I really did not know anything about it – other than the beaches and military bases. The city itself is fairly small, about 50,000 residents, and the metro region has a total of about half a million. All of our time was spent primarily in the downtown area and we did not even see the beaches. The downtown was small and it was very manageable to see some of the historic sites (at least the outside) and have a few good meals. The city has done a nice job of preserving some of the interesting historical and architectural features and there’s enough here for a good day’s worth of visiting. The food scene was good and the people warm and hospitable.
It was interesting to learn that Pensacola was the site of the first Spanish settlement in the United States, founded by Tristan de Luna. Unfortunately, a hurricane devastated the settlement and it was abandoned only after a few short years. The city is known as the “City of Five Flags” due to the various nations who once ruled here – Spain, France, Great Britain, the US, and the Confederate States of America. Each has left it’s mark and there’s a nicely done Colonial Archaeological Trail which highlights key buildings from these various time periods.
Most of downtown centers around Seville Square and Plaza Ferdinand VII. Our hotel was the charming boutique Lee House right off of Fountain Park and facing Pensacola Bay. It’s modeled after an 1866-home that had been on this site – but it’s a new building with all the modern touches that a traveler wants. The hotel is somewhat like a bed and breakfast in that there is a common lounge area and kitchen – you are welcome to enjoy in-house baked goods, fruits and yogurts, various drinks, and coffee whenever you would like – and there is a water and coffee station on the second floor as well. Each large room also has access to a sweeping covered porch that wraps around the building. The architecture very much reflects this region and the staff were extremely helpful and gracious. Highly recommended.
I enjoyed lunch and some drinks on my own at Lucy’s in the Square, a nice, casual spot right off of Seville Square. Their tacos were recommended so I had an assortment of three – pulled pork, shrimp and chorizo, and “cali” chicken. Great meal and a good start to my experience in downtown. I walked around downtown a bit, checking out some of the Pelicans in Paradise public art, and picked up a few souvenirs at the Mole Hole shop on Zaragoza Street. Quick nap and then the entire group of us had dinner together at the Atlas Oyster House, right across from the hotel. It was a great meal of course featuring lots of oysters and other local favorites. I tried the house specialty – Grits a Ya-Ya – and it did not disappoint. Shrimp and Gouda grits with a whole medley of creamy toppings – it was indeed “Bon eats, y’all”!
The next morning, we rounded out our visit with another short walk around the Plaza Ferdinand VII and Seville sections of downtown. It was an early Sunday so most things were closed and it was pretty quiet. Brunch was at Dharma Blue which describes itself as Coastal American cuisine. Funky building with folk art covering every inch of the walls. The food and drinks were amazing – my chicken and waffles was among the best I’ve ever had. This was a great meal to end on and digest the short weekends events.
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