blondeviolin Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 My husband has a class in Pensacola in the beginning of January. The military is paying his way down, so we are tagging along. He will be in class all day and available nights. The last time I was in that area we had no kids...now we have 4. We'll be on a fairly tight budget since it's so close to Christmas, but we still will want to do a few fun things. Ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annandatje Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 I was there for three days once visiting a friend who was temporarily residing there. The air force base has an interesting aviation museum. Although I am not especially interested in aircraft, the tie-ins with history were appealing to me. Best of all, it is free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myeightkiddies Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 (edited) The Naval Aviation Museum is really nice. Just west of Pensacola on the outskirts of Mobile, there is the USS Alabama Battleship, which is open for visiting. Also, there's Fort Pickens, which is the remnants of an old fort (or it use to be; haven't been there in years). There are some smaller art and historical museums, including Pensacola Village. Japanese Cultural Day is Jan 7. To the east in Fort Walton Beach, there's the Gulfarium (dolphins, sea lions, etc.). It isn't cheap, though. The beach is the nicest thing about Pensacola; however, it will be too cold to appreciate it. This rules out many activities such as canoeing, deepsea fishing, waverunners, boat tours, etc. While some are still possible, it is much colder when out on the water due to the wind, and some of the businesses do not operate in the winter. Just Google Pensacola tourism. There's a site called Visit Pensacola which lists the activities and historical places. Many will be inexpensive or free. There really isn't much to do in this area that isn't water-related. This is one reason, after nearly 50 years, that I am looking forward to moving. Edited November 14, 2011 by Myeightkiddies Because I wrote: "related to water or water-related activities"...lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 We were just in the Pensacola area a month ago. If you have a car, I highly recommend Gulf Islands National Seashore. There is a civil war fort there that was held by the north (Fort Pickens). Kids can do a national park jr. ranger program there. The beaches are gorgeous. The aviation museum was great too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skissugar Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 :iagree: most of what Myeightkiddies posted is all the things we like to do when we we go visit my MIL who lives right outside Pensacola. My kids LOVE the Naval Aviation Museum!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondeviolin Posted November 14, 2011 Author Share Posted November 14, 2011 Awesome! We'll look into those things. We don't necessarily mind not swimming. I'm sure we'll make at least one trip to the beach just to play in the sand, freeze though we may! I think the aviation museum would be fun to go to. We'll look into the gulfarium, we went there six years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 We used to live in Pcola. We went to the beach in Nov/Dec. It is chilly and sometimes windy, but the beach is wonderful! The naval air station has the best aviation museum (IMHO) outside of the Smithsonian. Enjoy a relaxing week!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myeightkiddies Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 Awesome! We'll look into those things. We don't necessarily mind not swimming. I'm sure we'll make at least one trip to the beach just to play in the sand, freeze though we may! I think the aviation museum would be fun to go to. We'll look into the gulfarium, we went there six years ago. Even on warmer days, which we often have in January, it is really too cold to swim - especially for your children's ages (just my opinion and not a rule). However, grab some buckets and shovels, bundle those babies up, and have fun. There are some shells, but most of the ones that are easily found are tiny. The children may be able to catch some tiny fish or a hermit crab (easier to catch on the beaches of the intercoastal waterways). It'll be a good time even without swimming (no rip currents, jellyfish, sharks, etc.). Editing to add: You may want to Google activities and events in Navarre, Fort Walton Beach, and Destin. Those are fairly close to Pensacola. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondeviolin Posted November 14, 2011 Author Share Posted November 14, 2011 Thanks for the ideas! I gotta start our search and prep soon because the class just got moved up to the beginning of Dec! I need to check at which base The Husband's class is so I can really plan! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dansamy Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 Naval Air Museum Pensacola Lighthouse USS Alabama Dauphin Island Sea Lab Fort Gaines That should get you started! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 If you don't mind driving a little. Ft Morgan is a great place to visit. Also, there is the USS Alabama battleship to explore. My boys loved both of these. I think we did the fort and the battleship all in the same day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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