PENSACOLA BEACH, Fla. -- At 6 o’clock on a Friday, it’s jamming at Peg Leg Pete’s. I squeeze onto the last available seat at the bar and order a dozen oysters.
On my left, a birthday gal opens gifts, shouting “Thank you!’’ as colored wrapping paper flutters to the floor. At the far end of the bar, two beefy oyster shuckers hustle to keep pace with the orders. “Another day in paradise,’’ the guy on my right says, clinking beer glasses with his buddy over the din of ’70s rock ’n’ roll hits.
Paradise? Well, pretty close. If heaven has a beach, I assume it would be as brightly white as the sand along this stretch of the Gulf of Mexico that is composed, I’m told, of pure quartz crystal, polished and bleached during its million-year journey downriver from the Appalachian Mountains.
The community of Pensacola Beach is on Santa Rosa Island, a 40-mile-long barrier island. Its heart is Casino Beach, where a giant beach ball sculpture hovers in the sky like a second sun.
In this commercial part of the island, the Gulfside Pavilion hosts free concerts; a 1,471-foot pier is ideal for fishing, bird-watching, and strolling; and opportunities abound for shopping, eating, sailing, and kayaking. If you prefer a commerce-free beach, it’s an easy drive east to Opal Beach, or west to Fort Pickens, both federally protected as part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore.
One worries that these pristine beaches were defiled by the oil spill. Although some tar balls washed up over the summer, the beaches are open, thriving, and welcoming visitors.
“Our beaches are beautiful, our water is clear, and our seafood is safe to eat,’’ Laura Lee, director of communications for Visit Pensacola said recently.
The Pensacola Bay area is more than just a beach getaway. Across a 3-mile-long bridge, the lively city of Pensacola, population 56,000, is the westernmost tip of the Florida panhandle on the border with Alabama. The first European settlement in the United States, Pensacola is known as the “City of Five Flags.’’ Since 1559 Spain, France, England, the Confederacy, and the United States have each ruled there.
It’s an easy place to navigate. The historic district, 40 square blocks of parks and plazas, tells the story of the city’s diversity through its art and history museums, cultural centers, architecture, and tasty local cuisine. Pack your sneakers and take your pick: There’s an African-American Heritage trail, a Colonial Archeological trail, the Navy Point walking trail, the Edward Ball nature trail, and Historic Pensacola Village home tours.
