Pensacola's Hidden Gems

Our condo vacation doesn't start until Saturday, so we planned a "layover" in Pensacola for one night.  Since we were a
Most in Florida, we decided to follow the beach east.  Glad we did.

A friend recommended a restaurant called Fisherman's Corner.  The road eventually crossed a huge Canal with working tugs going back and forth.  The restaurant is located under the bridge.  It is literally a hole in the wall.  An air vent on the wall of the kitchen was held open with a plastic fork!  They have their own seafood company next door, so all the fish is as fresh as the last catch.

Next time you are in Orange Beach, put it on your visit list.  Reservations are recommended at night, and ask for Rachael, awesome waitress!  And the bread pudding is to die for!

After pigging out, we left for our next stop, Pensacola.  For the last 25 years, I have been wanting to stop by and revisit the Naval Air Museum.  I now had my chance!

 The admission is totally free, but they do accept donations.  It is staffed by retired navy personnel, and they do walking tours.  Most of the exhibits are aircraft from WWII and prior.  There is also some astronaut exhibits and some from the Vietnam conflict.  The walking tours are excellent and full of insight.

They have an IMAX theater and several simulator rides.  If you are not in a hurry in your travels through Pensacola, I highly recommend stopping.  Its quite a history lesson.  Here are a few pictures from our visit:

The museum is a favorite place for retirement ceremonies of navy personnel.  The second picture is a retirement ceremony that was in progress upon our arrival.

This navy base is the home to the Blue Angels flying team.  Many of their practices do "flyby's" on the beach.  A definite must see.

Tomorrow is the beginning of a week long beach stay at Sandestin.  Stay tuned, blogging should be in full swing!