Historically ridden place. In the best way. There's a fort…read morehere. Actually. Unlike some other places the ruins here exist with old cannons and beautiful arched brick. We've not explored them and mainly visit for the beaches. Military can receive a free lifetime pass for national parks so the entry fee is waived here. I greatly appreciate. My husband loves to bike here. I love to come and see the Inlet. You can go to the Bayside or you can go to the Oceanside. There's also some older probably early 1900 homes scattered about the property from another iteration of its use. There's also I believe World War I one or World War II bunkers present here so this state Park has had many different lives and leaves quite a legacy. We've driven through the campgrounds which look really nice. And the stretch of golf here is substantial. You could definitely find a place to be all on your own if you were willing to walk. The facilities are nice. There are restrooms but parking can be limited at the beach lots on the gulf side when driving in. It's an extensive park and a very long stretch. The water is incredible. It's turquoise jello on the right days.

This area of the Gulf Islands National Seashore is called "Fort Pickens Beach area" it is located…read morebetween Pensacola beach & ends at the Fort. It is a beautiful stretch of beach there isn't much out there once you pass Peg Leg Pete's, but some designated areas to park for beach access, on the Gulf of Mexico side. You can see some remnants of the old Fort areas on the sound side, they are restricted areas, it's kinda of eerie, like time has stood still. Not a lot of people use this end of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, there is a unspoiled beauty about it. Untouched beautiful beachside paradise. There is a overnight camp/campground area, within the park, at the end near the Fort. It's a great place to camp while exploring the Gulf Islands National Seashore "Fort Pickens area." Highest Recommendations.

Well kept with quite a few shops, restaurants and photo ops of course. All the shop and restaurant…read moreemployees we interacted with were friendly. Plenty of parking as well.

The area was OK has a few bars and some food. The only negative side was that a smell very bad…read morestrong odor coming from the water.

Amazing views with so many restaurants and other fun things to do. You can chill at the beach, walk…read morethe pier or even the surfers nearby, tons of parking nearby, though it may be a bit harder to find spots in the summer. We were here first week of October and everything was great.

Pensacola Beach Gulf Pier is the pinnacle of Pensacola. If you want the real Gulf Coast experience,…read morethis is the spot. The pier stretches about 1,471 feet out into the Gulf, and the water is so clear you can see straight down like you're looking through glass. Schools of fish cruise by, anglers line the rails pulling up mackerel and pompano, and every once in a while you'll see something bigger glide through the blue. I've seen rays, sharks, and more fish than I could count swimming right below my feet. It feels like standing above a living aquarium. The original pier here dates back to the 1930s, but the modern one was rebuilt stronger in 1998 after storms took the earlier versions. Today it draws hundreds of thousands of visitors every year, and it's easy to see why. The beach is bright white, the water is emerald green, and the whole place has that laid-back Gulf magic. Walk the boards, feel the breeze, Watch the Gulf roll with ease, Fish below and sky above, Simple place you can't help but love. For me, this pier wasn't just a stop it was the highlight of the whole trip.

Super easy to find via GPS and plenty of (free) parking in their own lot (situated with a bunch of…read morerestaurants). Came during down time so the beach was empty but oh so beautiful with clean white sand and clear water!

Easy to get to with a great boardwalk and shopping. There are also a few restaurants nearby to…read moreenjoy. Employees we encountered were kind. Beach is beautiful of course. This time of year there is plenty of parking and spots to enjoy.

(May 22, 2024) I highly recommend this 2 hours dolphin and…read morebay cruise excursion. If you're staying on Pensacola Beach, it's a super easy drive and park situation. Park near Felix's restaurant and enter downstairs under Felix's. There is a little ramp that takes you to the bay side where you catch the boat. No signs mark the area, but you will see others waiting in the area. These are most likely your fellow boaters. They suggest you arrive 45 minutes prior to departure. Our tour was scheduled for 10:00 AM; we arrived at 9:20 AM. The wait is easy with the beautiful scenery are lovely breeze. There are tables and chairs to sit at while waiting. The boat came out of the bay to get us, so don't be surprised if you don't see a boat when you first arrive. You will walk in the sand for a short distance before taking the pier to get onto the boat. A gentleman will take your last name that you made the reservations under, so you don't need tickets to show the reservation. The guys can help you on the boat if needed. The boat is a double decker. The lower area is shaded with large 3-3-1/2' port type widows which are open for a great breeze and maximum viewing. The captain will briefly go over safety instructions and what to do in case of an emergency. This is standard procedure on any chartered vessel. Don't be late! We had a group of 4 board at the last minute so all the instructions they missed had to be restated. Very annoying and rude, so don't be THAT person/group. You must stay seated while leaving the pier, but after you leave, you are free to roam the vessel. All seats are around the perimeter of the boat and each side of the boat has 7 windows. There's plenty of room for viewing. The captain does a great job of turning the boat so everyone gets to see the dolphins no matter which side you are seated. They sell canned sodas, bottles water and chips; no alcohol. There are plenty of grab bars to steady yourself once the boat gets going. It was a very smooth ride. Even when fishing boats went by us and created wake, we didn't feel much at all. I don't think anyone would have trouble with sea sickness. There is plenty of room for strollers, adult walkers, etc. No restrictions on purses. Several people had diaper bags for the kids and backpacks. There is a restroom onboard. We saw several pods of dolphin. It was a so neat how they come very close to the boat. Dylan/Dillion, of the boat hands, was so good at engaging with our group. Though he is young (born in 2001), he has been in Pensacola all his life and is very knowledgeable about the dolphins and the history of Pensacola. He was a pleasure to meet. After the dolphin viewing we took a cruise around the entire bay. We saw Ft. Pickens, the haunted lighthouse, million dollar homes, the military base area and so much more. I wasn't expecting the cruise to be as much fun as the dolphin viewing. They played reggae music while we cruised. I'm so glad we decided to do this tour! We were returned to the same area we left originally. For only $30 (plus taxes/fees and not including cancellation insurance you can add), this was a great deal! The vessel staff work for tips, so please remember to take care of them.

Great Experience. Little confusing finding the dock where we board. Had a great time. Saw plenty of…read moredolphins. Crew were super laid back and chil. I would recommend.

This is the best place to rent all your beach toys and necessities. Larry is the best, he'll set up…read moreyour umbrellas and chairs, also take them down at the end of the day. Will recommend his services to everyone visiting in this area.

Communication could be better…read more We paid for 3 days of a set, 2 chairs and an umbrella, for $120 plus the extra 20% fee since we paid with card. No problems with set up our first or third day. Look ahead at the weather because there is a no refund policy, even if it storms and they have no plan to set up that day. We didn't know that there was no plan to setup our second day until we called Larry that afternoon since our chairs and umbrella were still chained up vs set up. He said he isn't setting up, nor refunding for the day that we had paid for already. We had expected it setup by the time we came back from the NAS, but we still went out and enjoyed the beach as best as we could that day with no chairs and just used our kids umbrella. It was stormy early the second day and windy the rest of the day, but the 3rd day was also extremely windy with no problems with set up.

We had a great experience on our sunset dolphin cruise. It took us a bit to find them but when we…read moredid it was worth it. The boat crew were great!! They were funny and made sure everyone onboard had a good time. I would use them again!

Very disappointed, boarded the boat that I was reserved with, then was told that it was a private…read moreBooking. The Thompson's . They went out but we did not on the back up boat. We went upstairs to have dinner at Shaggy's and that was even more disappointing. Skies cleared and it was obvious that the private boat was more important . Stopped here on purpose for the great revues. Makes me so sad. Please do better! We live close enough and are asked for recommendations . I understand that safety is imperative. But when other ships sailed and we didn't.......

On time, safe and responsible crews, and fun ride. Cool area to hang out, overall a fun little…read moreenvironment. Staff isn't difficult to look at either

Super nice and chill guys working here. Great experience and…read morethe jet skis are really nice. Had a blast and went so fast on those things. They make sure you know the important safety stuff and you can get a temporary license there to be able to do it.

We had such a good time with Capt. Bruce playing with dolphins, exploring a deserted island,…read moreclimbing white sand dunes, swimming in a turquoise lagoon, and discovering tiny shrimp and pipe fishes in the sea grass. All of this in a 4-hour morning cruise limited to 6 passengers. The dolphins were out and about, frolicking, playing, and jumping. There were mamma dolphins and their babies swimming along with our boat, even swimming upside down. I highly recommend Capt. Bruce. We couldn't have had a better time.

The most personalized dolphin tour I've taken. We had a very up close encounter with several…read moredolphin that came right up to the boat. Highly recommend Captain Bruce as a tour guide for this area.

*Review from stay 4/23/25 - 4/27/25*…read more We had a really nice stay at Emerald Dolphin! The location is great because you're close to the restaurants and shopping without being right in the action. We had an awesome view of the beach and the pool area from our 5th floor balcony. Though we didn't go down, it seemed like a really nice and clean area. I did see a staff member go and reset the chairs in the area and clean every morning before 8 AM when it opened. I like that when you stay here you get access to both the pool and fitness center. Our unit was pretty clean. There were a few things we didn't love but that's more about the property management company that maintained our rental than it was the actual condo itself. The only downside (though it didn't bother us) is that this is supposed to be a more secure property with a gated parking lot. The gate wasn't working and stayed wide open throughout our entire stay. It's very easy for anyone to just walk off the street and come up to your floor. There are no security measures in place, so if that's really important to you then definitely keep this in mind. Otherwise, the property was great and I would absolutely stay here again!

This place is so comfortable. Rental units are the bomb…read more I Love it here friend bought a rental unit here. Its great coming to a fully furnished 2 bedroom apartment and set on a balcony and enjoy the crash of the waves. The sand has been cleaned down to 16 inches and it was decided to redo it down to 24 inches so the machines are working. you can still easily walk the beech and see no tar bars. The pool and hot tub at the condo makes it difficult to want to walk to the beech. There are a few for sale in this building (my friend is pissed cuz it's significantly lower from his cost) Stays full though with rentals right around the year. He uses Southern Resorts and this is unit 620 (he allows smoking)