Pensacola Travel Diary + My Summer Essentials
Alright peeps, grab some popcorn and get cozied up because this post is gonna be a long one! I feel like it’s been a while since I’ve got on here to really talk about what’s been going on in my life apart from simply letting y’all know what blouse is my “favorite top ever” right now. Btw, I realize I over use the word “favorite” waaay too much. I just have a lot of favorites you guys. If y’all have any tips of better word choice I can use…hmu in the comments below. Okay, side rant over.
So, for this Fourth of July four of my friends and I piled up in my boyfriends car to roadtrip to Pensacola, Florida! My college roommate lives in Pensacola for the summer working at a Sailing Dock (I know, she’s way cooler than I’ll ever be.) so we decided to crash her place for the holiday and hit up the beach.
If any of you are from Texas, you’ll understand how excited we were to see clear beaches. I mean, sure I maybeee used a VSCO filter on these photos, but let me tell you – no VSCO filter will make our beaches look any less like a mud bath. And don’t even get me started on the seaweed…it was so refreshing to see beautiful white sand!
We headed out for the 10 hour drive to Pensacola on July 3rd. Mind you, we left at 4am, with 5 people in a car along with all of our luggage, coolers, chairs, canopy…you get the picture. Nevertheless I always find road trips to be a good time! Nothing compares to my Spring Break road trip sophomore year of college to the Grand Canyon – let’s just say the van did not make it back with us. BUT, that’s a story for another time. (Leave a comment below if you want a backpacking through Grand Canyon Travel Diary!)
First things first, let’s get into my Beach Essentials.
One Piece Swimsuits
High-Waisted Bikinis
Bikini Tops
Straw Hats
Beach Totes
Sunglasses
What to do in Pensacola
Our first night in Pensacola, we headed out to Flounders Chowder House, which is probably one of the coolest beach bars I have ever been to! They have live music, sand volleyball courts, great food, (the nachos could feed a village) and overall just a great atmosphere. I highly recommend visiting if you ever find your way to Pensacola! Another really cool restaurant is Hemingway’s Island Grill. This restaurant has a great view overlooking the Santa Rosa Sound, and on Wednesday they have $1 Fish Tacos. Yes you heard me right, you can’t beat that price! (Also, they are actually really good!) Lastly, I highly recommend Papa’s Pizza located on the Boardwalk if you’re in need of a quick bite. The boardwalk is filled with eclectic bars, shops, and eateries you don’t want to miss!
As you can tell from my photos, there is practically no one in the background! You’re probably thinking what the heck because it was Fourth of July weekend, buuut my little secret is that we just drove about 10 miles down the beach to try and escape the crowds a little bit! My advice if you are going to do this is to pack food, because there weren’t any restaurants near this part of the beach! Also, just to keep in mind – the only fast food restaurant on the island is Subway. So if you are craving Chick-fil-a like we were, you’re out of luck.
If you want a little break from the beach – you can not pass up a visit to Fort Pickens located on Santa Rosa Island. It is a military fort from the 1830s and is way cool. You can even camp there if you are up for it! There are guided tours of the Fort available, or you can explore on your own!
We watched fireworks from the Pier on Fourth of July and it was one of the most impressive firework shows Iv’e ever seen! We also got to see the Blue Angels Air Show on our last day which was the perfect end to our trip.
Thank you for reading! Want more travel posts? Click here to check out my Destin Travel Guide. Also, follow my instagram @thekalonblog for more travel inspiration!
