Historic Downtown Pensacola.

History

Established in 1558, Pensacola is "America's First Settlement." Pensacola's downtown encompasses Historic Pensacola Village, the T.T. Wentworth, Jr. Florida State Museum, the Museum of Commerce, Museum of Industry, The Pensacola Children's Museum and the Pensacola Historical Society.

Just a short drive from downtown on Naval Air Station Pensacola, visit the National Naval Aviation Museum, the Pensacola Lighthouse and Museum and historic Fort Barrancas.

On Pensacola Beach, at the western end of Santa Rosa Island is Fort Pickens, the largest of four forts built in 1834 to defend Pensacola Bay and the navy yard.

Ft. Walton Beach has an ages old history as a prehistoric Indian settlement. The Fort Walton Temple Mound and the adjoining museum showcase this amazing history. The site's prime strateic location made it an ideal Civil War era encampment, Camp Walton, although a fort was never constructed at the site. Remnants of the camp can be seen alongside the Temple Mound at Heritage Park and Cultural Museum. By the 1930s, the city was a thriving tourist destination.

Known as the World's Luckiest Fishing Village, Destin got its start as just that – a small town that made its fortune harvesting the Gulf's bounty - and it still claims the largest fishing vessel fleet in Florida more than 160 years after its founding. Visitors can learn about the area's marine-centered culture at the Destin History and Fishing Museum.

• Historic Pensacola Village
• National Naval Aviation Museum
• Pensacola Lighthouse and Museum
• Fort Barrancas
• Fort Pickens
• Fort Walton Heritage Park and Cultural Museum
• Destin History and Fishing Museum