Pensacola was the site of Spain's first attempt to establish a colony in Florida, but a hurricane ended that soon after the colonists landed in 1559.

Almost 140 years later, the Spanish tried again. Pensacola changed hands between Spain, France and Great Britain many times before it finally became part of the United States in 1821. Its early history is recaptured at the Pensacola Historical Museum (115 E. Zaragoza St.; 850-433-1559). Housed in the 1880s-era Arbona Building, the museum's collections include Native American artifacts, military and maritime objects dating to the Spanish occupation, as well as recorded accounts of multi-ethnic groups that have contributed to the city's cultural variety. The T.T. Wentworth Jr. Florida State Museum (320 S. Jefferson St.; 850-595-5985) includes collections of prehistoric pottery, antique photos and artifacts from a 16th-century Spanish galleon and more.

The Presidio Santa Maria de Galve (Pensacola Naval Air Station grounds; 850-452-3604), a Spanish fort built in 1698, marks the spot of Spain's second attempt to found a settlement in Pensacola. Downtown Pensacola offers the Colonial Archaeological Trail with displays of archaeological remains of a 1752 Spanish fort, a British fort begun in 1763 and Fort George, an outpost of the larger British fort.

Plaza Ferdinand VII is a landscaped area between Government and Zaragoza Streets at the foot of Palafox Street. It is a remnant of the city square platted c. 1810 during the Second Spanish Period, and it was here in 1821 that Andrew Jackson formally accepted Florida as U.S. territory from Spain.

St. Michael's Cemetery (corner of Garden and Alcaniz Sts.) is located on property deeded to the Catholic Church by the King of Spain in the 18th century. Historic Pensacola Village (205 E. Zaragoza St.; 850-595-5985), a living-history museum complex in the Seville Historic District, contains a diverse mix of historic houses and museums. Not to be missed on Zaragoza Street are the 1805 Tivoli House, The Museum of Commerce, and The Museum of Industry.

 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  Next