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Top 10 Activities for Seniors in the Pensacola Bay Area

Exploring the Pensacola Bay Area is fun at any age.

Whether visiting the area for a few days or as a permanent or seasonal resident, mature adults can find unlimited activities to enjoy. From the white sand beaches and vibrant city life to its historic charms, Pensacola offers a variety of things to do year-round. Here are 10 ideas especially for seniors:

1. Experience the great outdoors

Perdido Key is a hotbed for natural beauty and coastal wildlife observation. Try fishing, bird watching or crabbing at Big Lagoon State Park. The Observation Tower at Big Lagoon boasts beautiful views of nature and is a favorite! Lost Key and Perdido Bay Golf Club also are nearby.

2. Learn about the area’s rich history

If you didn’t already know Pensacola was America's first multi-year settlement, you will after you visit the Pensacola Museum of History. Exhibits chronicle life in the area from its earliest inhabitants - Native Americans and 16th-century Spanish explorers - to present day. Nearby, Historic Pensacola Village offers tours of Colonial and Victorian-era homes and buildings. Living history exhibits are offered periodically, and artifacts and photographs are displayed throughout the buildings that make up the village.

Also in Downtown Pensacola, lies the America's First Settlement Trail. This trail boasts twenty designated stops and more than seventy captivating points of attraction. As you journey along this path, you'll encounter historical sites dating back to 1756, when the Spanish erected Fort San Miguel in what is currently downtown Pensacola. Immerse yourself in over 260 years of history and uncover the intriguing narrative of Pensacola's evolution.

3. Investigate your own history

The West Florida Genealogical Society offers monthly educational programs to assist and connect those with an interest in researching family history. Sessions on making family trees and how to use the Internet and library resources are two examples. The West Florida Public Library has a dedicated Genealogy Branch on 9th Avenue. With its many books and resources from multiple regions across the United States and countries around the world, one reviewer calls it “a must-visit venue for genealogists.”

4. Go out and play

Senior centers throughout the Pensacola Bay Area provide fitness classes, dances, and Bunco and bingo games, among other activities to help seniors stay active. The Bayview Senior Center has several upcoming events, including dance events, exercise classes, and arts and crafts. Click here for their monthly happenings. Some gyms and recreation centers in the area offer programs for Silver Sneakers members.

5. Brush up on a favorite hobby or learn a new skill

Pensacola State College’s Recreation and Leisure Courses for the Community program has courses for adults with wide-ranging interests. Choose from water aerobics and aquatics (with options for seniors and short-term visitors), art classes, foreign languages, meditation, birding, crafts, quilting, music and more. Computers for Seniors, designed for novice computer owners, and healthcare advocacy are two classes of note. Class locations vary, with most taking place at PSC’s Pensacola Main campus or South Santa Rosa County campus. Access the course catalog online or call 850-484-1797 for details.

There are several other skills to brush up on - while having fun of course. Check out the spots below to get in touch with your creative side!

6. Stir it up

Taking a cooking class can be educational, fun and delicious. Bodacious Shops in Downtown Pensacola, offers evening courses teaching participants how to prepare local favorites as well as international cuisines. Shorter, daytime Lunch & Learn classes are also available. Ever’man Cooperative Grocery & Café has a dedicated cooking classroom at its downtown location, where numerous free food preparation, lifestyle and health-focused topics fill the robust class schedule. In West Pensacola, Pensacola Cooks Kitchen offers monthly couples cooking classes.

7. Winner, winner…seafood dinner?

Bingo is big at the Flora-Bama Lounge, Package & Oyster Bar in Perdido Key. Grab a bushwacker and a bingo card any Monday-Friday, 1-4 p.m. Prizes include free food and drinks, gift cards, t-shirts, books and more.

Pictured | Flora-Bama Yacht Club

8. Cruise or lose

Don’t miss the chance to see Pensacola Bay aboard one of the area’s charters or tour boats. Dolphin cruises, sunset cruises, fishing charters and sailing tours are offered throughout the area. Pensacola Bay City Ferry is also a great way to explore Pensacola Bay. They offer Sunset Cruises, Blue Angels Practice Cruises, and Private Charters. Click here for up to date ticket pricing and services. Those wanting to fish from dry land may prefer visiting the Pensacola Beach Gulf Pier.

9. Serve others

Have a skill or talent you want to put to good use in Pensacola? Pensacola Historic Trust offers opportunities to volunteer, such as serving as a docent at the Pensacola Museum of Art. The Pensacola Lighthouse and Museum recruits volunteers for four-hour docent shifts to answer questions from guests and help direct visitors.

United Way of West Florida sponsors the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), a free, federal program to support volunteers age 55 and better. RSVP pairs local nonprofit organizations with volunteers in search of opportunities that match their skills and experience. Whether you have an hour to give or want to make an ongoing commitment, you can make a difference.

10. Enjoy the beautiful beaches.

Beach

Regardless of age, most visitors are attracted to the Pensacola Bay Area for its 60 miles of coastline. Take a walk along the water’s edge, look for seashells, watch the shorebirds in flight or catch a spectacular sunset.

At Pensacola Beach, non-slip mats have been placed over the sand, providing easy access for wheelchairs, strollers, and pedestrians who might otherwise find beach sand too unstable to navigate. You can find the mats at Casino Beach, Park West, Park East, and Quietwater Beach. Beach wheelchairs are available for rent from several local vendors.

Seniors may enjoy camping and fishing among the unspoiled scenery at Gulf Islands National Seashore, a protected area with sites in Perdido Key and Pensacola Beach. At Fort Pickens, tour the remains of a Civil War-era fort.

With so much to do, what are you waiting for? Enjoy the best years of your life in Pensacola.

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Amy Minchin

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Amy Minchin

Amy Minchin has vacationed in Northwest Florida since she was a young child. Despite a few sunburns and freckles picked up along the way, she’s been proud to call the Pensacola area home for the last seven years. She and her husband enjoy sharing Pensacola’s natural beauty, history and culture with their three daughters. An award-winning writer, Amy left a career in corporate communications and marketing to pursue freelance writing and consulting opportunities. Her writing has been published in the Pensacola News Journal, Pensacola Today, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Birmingham Magazine, Lakeland Ledger, UAB Magazine and UWF Connection. Amy shares her family’s adventures and helps others discover ways to enjoy all that the Gulf Coast has to offer on Instagram. Follow her at @sandinmyminivan.

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