Pensacola Vacation on a Budget with Kids
Find my tips, full itinerary, & more on how to make the most of your trip to Pensacola without breaking your budget. I spend LOTS of time planning for trips & love sharing what I’ve learned. Included you’ll find our trip itinerary for a budget-friendly, kid-friendly two-day trip to Pensacola along with suggestions if you only plan to spend a day there. Also included are our favorite children’s books & YouTube videos we used while preparing for our trip.
If You Only Have One Day…
If you only have one day in Pensacola, visit:
- the National Naval Aviation Museum
- the Historic Village & included historic trust museums (optional)
- the beach, such as one on Perdido Key
Pensacola: Day 1
National Naval Aviation Museum, Nearby Options, Tarklin Bayou Preserve State Park, Big Lagoon State Park, & Perdido Key State Park
National Naval Aviation Museum
One of over 150 planes you can see at the National Naval Aviation Museum
Numerous planes have open cockpits that your children can climb into
Definitely try to visit on a day when the Blue Angels are practicing.
What’s There: The National Naval Aviation Museum is definitely the top attraction in Pensacola. It’s the world’s largest naval aviation museum with over 150 planes along with numerous partial planes in which your children can climb into the cock-pit.
Time (Expect to Spend): About 2 hours, though some families spend an entire day here
Entrance Cost: Free
Tips:
- Free Tour: If you have older children, take a free guided tour. The docents are typically retired navy pilots & are filled with fascinating stories that you won’t get just from reading signs. If you have younger children, you can listen for a few minutes, coming & going as needed. (We made it about 20 minutes but still learned a lot in those 20 minutes.)
- Blue Angels: Try to visit on a day when the Blue Angels are training. You can find the schedule here. Seeing them zoom around the museum in formation was the highlight of the visit for almost all my children.
- Scavenger Hunt: Ask at the front counter for a scavenger hunt brochure. They have different levels of difficulty. Some of my kids love scavenger hunts, & I love that it keeps them engaged. The brochures also have interesting tidbits about each of the planes that are on the hunt.
- Touching is Okay: Most of the planes can be touched. The only ones that can’t are the ones that are roped off.
- Bring Your ID: The museum is on the naval base, so each adult will need to show a photo ID to enter the base. You don’t need your ID after that, though.
Nearby Options: Lighthouse & Fort Barrancas
Pensacola Lighthouse & Museum
Fort Barrancos
Also at the Naval Air Station are two options that we did not visit.
- The Pensacola Lighthouse & Maritime Museum is a nice option if you’ve never been in a lighthouse before. It’s much less expensive than the one in St. Augustine. Your children must at least be 44″ inches tall or age 7 in order to climb the lighthouse. If you have younger children, save this for when they’re all old enough to climb the lighthouse. Cost in 2024: $9.50/adult & $6.50 for 12 & under
2. Fort Barrancas is operated by the National Park Service & is a historically significant fort, particularly during the American Civil War. It was closed for repairs when we were there, so we didn’t visit it but would have had it been open. Cost in 2024: $25/vehicle or free if you have a National Park Pass
Tarkiln Bayou Preserve State Park
Tarkiln Bayou Preserve has a stroller-friendly boardwalk that’s about half a mile long.
What is unique about the area are the white-topped pitcher plants, which are carnivorous.
You can view them off one section of the boardwalk.
The end of the boardwalk opens up to Tarklin Bayou.
What’s There: White-topped pitcher plants and dew threads, which are both rare carnivorous plants. It has a stroller/wheelchair friendly boardwalk that is about half a mile straight out (so about 1 mile there & back) that goes through the bayou area which includes a small patch of the carnivorous plants. There is also a 7 mile loop trail, which we did not take.
Time: 20-30 minutes
Cost: $3/vehicle at unmanned station or free with a Florida State Park Pass
Tip: If you plan to also visit Yellow River Marsh Preserve State Park & have limited time, you can skip this as Yellow River Marsh Preserve has so many more pitcher plants and you can walk right up to them rather than simply view them from a boardwalk.
Big Lagoon State Park
Big Lagoon State Park
My kids loved seeing turtles & an alligator off the first boardwalk.
What’s There: Big Lagoon State Park is only a few miles from Tarklin Bayou Preserve but looks completely different, with white sand trails meandering through pine flatwoods & saltwater tidal marshes. It has a couple short stroller/wheelchair friendly boardwalks, one that crosses over a waterway with turtles and alligators & the other crossing over the lagoon. It also has 2 white sand trails, a 3 mile loop & a 1.25 mile trail, neither of which we went on.
Time: 20-30 minutes
Cost: $6/vehicle or free with a Florida State Park Pass
Tips:
- Don’t expect to swim here. It says it offers swimming but we didn’t see any place to swim.
- They offer the Junior Ranger Program at this park, so ask if you have interested children.
Perdido Key State Park
Perdido Key has white, sandy beaches & clear blue water.
What’s There: Perdido Key State Park has beautiful white quartz crystal sand beaches with crystal clear blue water. It also has some nice sand dollar pieces.
Time: 1-2 hours
Cost: $3/vehicle at unmanned station or free with a Florida State Park Pass
Tip: This looks like many of the other beaches in the area so if you don’t have a state park pass, you can just as easily go to a public access beach.
Pensacola: Day 2
Historic Pensacola & Fort Pickens Area
Big Tip:
The UWF Florida Historic Trust generously allows for you to get into all 21 historic trust sites by paying admission to only one museum. Also, your ticket is good for 7 days.
- You can find details here. Some sites require a guided tour (at no extra cost) for you to enter the site. The tours are offered Tuesday through Saturday at 11am & 1:30pm.
- Walking: Everything is within a few blocks of each other, so it’s easily walked.
- Parking: Free parking is available along Zaragoza Street in front of Plaza Ferdinand VII & the Discovery Green playground.
Plaza Ferdinand VII
Plaza Ferdinand VII
What’s There: Plaza Ferdinand VII was initially given to Don Manuel Gonzalez, a political representative of Spain, & then donated to the City of Pensacola. It’s been used as a parade ground for the British fort, the center of town during the Colonial era, the location of the official cession of Florida to the United States from Spain in 1821, & where Andrew Jackson was sworn in as first Territorial Governor. Take a few minutes to note what is there & what happened there.
Time: 5 minutes
Cost: Free
Parking: There is free street parking along Zaragoza Street in front of Plaza Ferdinand VII & continuing down the road.
Pensacola Museum of Art
Fiesta Pensacola clothing displayed at Pensacola Museum of Art
What’s There: Pensacola Museum of Art is part of the Historic Pensacola program. Your ticket is valid for 7 days; plus, it gets you into all the other historic trust buildings at no additional cost. The museum is small & was displaying local art and clothing when we visited. It’s a quick stop that could be skipped if you’re short on time.
Time: 15-20 minutes
Cost: $12/adult & $7/ages 3-14 or free with a NARM reciprocal membership. The Pensacola Museum of Art & other Historic Trust buildings are NARM participants, so you can get in free if you’re a member of a NARM Museum. I posted about museum memberships here.
Pensacola Museum of History
The Pensacola Museum of History covers the history of Pensacola from the initial explorations…
…to the late 20th century.
What’s There: Pensacola Museum of History covers the history of Pensacola with small rooms focusing on Native American history, explorers, the forts, colonial period, the port, death & dying, Trader Jon’s bar, museum of curiosities, & more. It’s included in the historic trust buildings.
Time: 45 minutes
Cost: $12/adult & $7/ages 3-14 or free with a NARM reciprocal membership. The Pensacola Museum of Art & other Historic Trust buildings are NARM participants, so you can get in free if you’re a member of a NARM Museum.
Pensacola Children’s Museum
Trading post at the Pensacola Children’s Museum
Fort at the Pensacola Children’s Museum
What’s There: The Pensacola Children’s Museum is for ages 10 & under and was a fun stop for my younger ones after the museum visits at which they had to be quiet. The first floor has a recreated fort, trading post, & ship along with a corral for babies. We didn’t know until later that it has a second floor with a one-room school house & recreated Publix. It’s included in the historic trust buildings.
Time: 10-15 minutes or more if you’re not limited by time
Cost: Included with the the historic trust buildings
Museum of Commerce
Buggies lined up along the “street” at the Pensacola Museum of Commerce
Sitting inside the historic trolley car at the Pensacola Museum of Commerce
What’s There: The Museum of Commerce lets you walk through the street as it would have looked in the 1890s complete with carriages, a street trolley (the you can enter), and a variety of shops (which you can view from the windows).
Time: 15 minutes
Cost: Included with the the historic trust buildings
Note: The Museum of Commerce, across the street, is also included but was under construction when we were visiting.
Manuel Barrios Cottage
Dancing in the Manuel Barrios Cottage
Not believing that’s a phone in the Manuel Barrios Cottage
What’s There: The Manuel Barrios Cottage is a recreated 1940s USO with music playing & dance steps on the floor, a desk with 1940s furnishings, & a victory garden out front.
Time: 5 minutes
Cost: Included with the the historic trust buildings
Recreated 1805 Kitchen House & Julee Cottage
Playing chess on the handmade chess board at the Recreated 1805 Kitchen House
The Recreated 1805 Kitchen House has so many fun historic wooden games for the kids to play.
The wooden stocks were also popular at the Recreated 1805 Kitchen House.
The Julee Cottage is on the same property as the Recreated 1805 Kitchen House.
What’s There: In the same fenced in area are 3 buildings:
- The Recreated 1805 Kitchen House, which has a garden, working kitchen, and lots of wooden toys for the children to play with
- The Lavalle House is roped off & can only be entered when taking a tours but you can still see inside to view the frontier furniture
- The Julee Cottage focuses on African-American heritage with a recreated home of a working class woman during the Reconstruction Era.
Time: 45 – 60 minutes
Cost: Included with the the historic trust buildings
Old Christ Church, Seville Square, & Fountain Park
Old Christ Church can be viewed inside only by tour, which we didn’t do.
What’s There: Old Christ Church (1832) can be viewed inside if you go by tour, which is included in your fee. Nearby is Seville Square & Fountain Park, with a fountain fashioned after a historic one in Seville, Spain.
Time: 5 minutes
Cost: Included with the the historic trust buildings
Discovery Square Playground
Discovery Square Playground
Discovery Square Playground
What’s There: Discovery Green is a fenced-in playground near the historic area. It also has a green space perfect for a picnic.
Time: 5-20 minutes
Cost: Free
St. Michael’s Cemetary
St. Michael’s Cemetary
What’s There: On the drive into or out of Historic Pensacola, be sure to drive by St. Michael’s Cemetery, which is the second oldest cemetery in Florida, & has been used since the 1700s. (The oldest cemetery is in St. Augustine.) We just drove by it, but if you’d like to visit, you can search for the 4 unique headstones shaped like tree trunks.
Time: 5 minutes
Cost: Free
Fort Pickens
Outside Fort Pickens
One of the many cannons at Fort Pickens
A prison cell at Fort Pickens
What’s There: Fort Pickens was built after the War of 1812 & was of historical importance during the American Civil War. It also held Geronimo & his men who were imprisoned there to attract “a great many visitors” before they were moved with their families to a reservation in Oklahoma.
Time: 1 hour
Cost: $25/vehicle or free if you have a National Park Pass, which is free if you have a 4th grader
Tips:
- Be sure to pick up a Gulf Islands National Seashore: Fort Pickens Area booklet at the front (just outside the gift shop) as it includes self-guided tour information.
- If your children enjoy collecting Junior Ranger badges, you can download a booklet ahead of time & fill it out or get one at the fort.
- Bring flashlights so you can explore some of the many dark tunnels.
- Look up in the trees for bald eagles on your drive to & from Fort Pickens.
Langdon Beach
Langdon Beach with clear water
Langdon Beach with white sand
Spotting dolphins in the water at Langdon Beach
What’s There: Langdon Beach is just down the road from Fort Pickens, so it’s a great beach to visit if you’re already in the National Seashore area. It has beautiful white sand beaches with crystal blue water. It also has some nice sand dollar pieces, though the highlight was watching a pond of dolphins leaping through the water just off the beach. Everyone liked this beach better than the one at Perdido Key. I think the dolphins helped tip the scales.
Time: 1-2 hours
Cost: Included with your National Park entry fee or pass for Fort Pickens
Yellow River Marsh Preserve State Park
Yellow River Marsh Preserve has the largest community of pitcher plants in the state.
Here you can get close to them.
The park also has a short trail that leads to a pond with additional pitcher plants & other carnivorous plants.
What’s There: On our way out of town, we stopped by Yellow River Marsh Preserve State Park, which is on the east side of Pensacola in Milton. It has the largest community of pitcher plants in the state (as in hundreds of them) & you can get close to them. It also has a short stroller-friendly path, maybe 100 feet, that leads to a pond surrounded by plants including pitcher plants & dew threads, which are both rare carnivorous plants.
Time: 10 minutes
Cost: Free
Our Favorite Children’s Books Related to Pensacola
Being a Blue Angel: Every Kid’s Guide to the Blue Angels by Mark I. Sutherland – Book images are from amazon.com
1 / 7
- Being a Blue Angel: Every Kid’s Guide to the Blue Angels by Mark I. Sutherland is part of a 4 part book series for children on what it takes to become a Blue Angel.
- The Airplane Alphabet Book by Jerry Pallotta goes through 26 airplanes, some of which children will see in the Naval National Aviation Museum. The book has nice illustrations & interesting information about each plane. It’s great for elementary aged children. Also look for The Jet Alphabet Book by the same author.
- Hungry Plants (Step-into-Reading, Step 4) by Mary Batten is my favorite picture book on carnivorous plants in general.
- Pitcher Plants of North America – A Carnivorous Plant Story by Kathleen J. Honda discusses the science of pitcher plants found in American including the pitcher plants found in Pensacola. It has lots of colorful photographs.
- Civil War and Reconstruction in Florida by Kelly Rodgers includes the importance of Pensacola during this time period. It reads kind of like a textbook but is the best one we could find.
- Apache Chief Geronimo (Native American Chiefs and Warriors) by William R. Sanford is a long picture book. It’s not the most engaging children’s book but is the best one I’ve found on Geronimo. You could instead read Geronimo (Childhood of Famous Americans) by George E. Stanley, which is much more interesting but is a shorter chapter book that focuses mainly on what Geronimo’s childhood might have been like.
- Historical Sketches of Colonial Florida by Richard L Campbell is a longer chapter book, best for teens or for reading aloud sections from it. It was originally published in 1892 & includes quite a bit of the history of Pensacola that you won’t find other places. This book is in the public domain, so you can also read it free online.
Our Favorite YouTube Videos
If you don’t think your kids will make it through the Naval Aviation Museum tour, watch this guided tour instead.
I couldn’t find great videos on the history of Pensacola. This was the best one I found.
Since a few varities of carnivorous plants grow in the Pensacola area, this is one of a few videos to watch on them.
Looking for More Travel Tips to Other Destinations?
- New Orleans: Find my tips, full itinerary, & more on how to make the most of your trip to New Orleans without breaking your budget at New Orleans on a Budget with Kids. Included you’ll find our trip itinerary for a budget-friendly, kid-friendly one day in New Orleans. Also included are our favorite children’s books and YouTube videos we used while preparing for our trip, where we stayed, where to park, other places to visit if you have extra time, and more!
- Houston, Texas: Want to spend one fun-filled day in Houston, visiting some of the nation’s best museums and gardens all for FREE (including parking)? Here is our itinerary for our one-day trip to Houston. I also included more free worthwhile events as well if you’ll be there for more than a day. Houston on a Budget with Kids is focused on traveling with children but the itinerary will be equally enjoyed even if you don’t have little ones.
- Washington, D.C.: Find out our full 5 day itinerary and tips on food, parking, and more at Washington, D.C. on a Budget with Kids. I also included our favorite children’s books, guide books, and YouTube videos we used while preparing for our trip.
- Grand Canyon: Find my “I wish I had known ahead of time…” tips, full itinerary, & more at my page Grand Canyon on a Budget with Kids. I’ve included our schedule for our trip and all the helpful tips I found out ahead of time or learned afterward! Also included are our favorite children’s books, guide books, and YouTube videos we used while preparing for our trip.
- Niagara Falls: Find my “I wish I had known ahead of time…” tips, full itinerary, & more at my page Niagara Falls on Budget with Kids (U.S. Side Only). I spent LOTS of time planning for our trip to Niagara Falls & want to share everything I learned. I’ve included our schedule for our trip and all the helpful tips I found out ahead of time or learned afterward! Also included are our favorite children’s books, guide books, and YouTube videos we used while preparing for our trip.
- Helen, Georgia: From multiple waterfalls to a miniature German village to freshly-churned ice cream, find our schedule for our one-day trip to Helen, Georgia along with all the helpful tips we discovered along the way at my page What to See and Do in Helen, Georgia. This is focused on traveling with children and on a budget. I also included where we visited on the way back from Helen, Georgia to Florida.
- North Florida: To find our favorite fun, free (or inexpensive) activities and events in Jacksonville, Tallahassee, & Gainesville, go to my post Family Fun & Activities for Kids in North Florida. I included my favorite links to find out about local events and our favorite spots to visit and to take visitors from out of town.
© 2024 Shannon
Leave a Reply