Gulf Islands National Seashore

This past Valentine’s Day my friend Meris was married in Gulf Shores, Alabama and I had the privilege of serving as maid of honor. I had been eagerly anticipating the trip for months, obviously to celebrate such a joyous occasion, but also because it gave me the chance to visit a new state. I blocked off my entire week and had planned to drive up to Montgomery and check out some national park sites around there. Well my best laid plans were dashed when I came down with a 102 degree fever two days before departure. I was initially diagnosed with the flu but my test came back negative so it was just a shitty cold. I ended up canceling all my Montgomery plans and hanging out in Pensacola for a few days instead. Not to worry though, I was still able to cross a national park site off my list!

When I had gotten some rest, fluids and medication I decided to venture out to see what Pensacola had to offer. My first stop was at the Naval Live Oaks section of Gulf Islands National Seashore. It was on Santa Rosa Sound and I just did a leisurely .8 mile nature trail to acclimate myself. 

My next stop was all the way out at Fort Pickens. I was just expecting just a fort but as you drive into the national park area, there are several batteries along the way that you can check out. These concrete gun batteries were built from the 1890s through the 1940s, each a response to a particular threat. By the end of World War II, the Army abandoned the forts when atomic bombs, guided missiles, and long-range bombers made such forts obsolete. They offered nice vantage points of the surrounding area.

 Finally I arrived at Fort Pickens. It is the largest of four forts built to defend Pensacola Bay, Florida, and its navy yard. The fort was begun in 1829 and completed in 1834. It was one of only four forts in the South that was never occupied by Confederate forces during the Civil War. There is a self guided tour to follow along on and I really enjoyed it. This fort had lots more nooks and crannies to explore than other forts I had been to and I found myself looking around like “should I really be entering this 4 foot high tunnel?” 

Which way to go?

Tiny tunnels

Beautiful arches

I really enjoyed this fort because you could see how it had been modernized over the years to adapt to changing threats. There’s also a newly renovated museum on the grounds that has displays on the history and ecology of the area.

The day was getting long when I decided to head back and take in the sunset on Pensacola Pier. At 1,471 feet the Pensacola Beach Gulf Fishing Pier is the longest on the Gulf of Mexico. You have to pay $1 to walk out on it but it was well worth it for the view. The sunset was absolutely gorgeous and it was a nice relaxing way to end the day.