Party Time on Pensacola Beach

Party time on Pensacola Beach.

This being a holiday weekend and all, it's party time on Pensacola Beach. The weather is gorgeous, in the mid 80s to low 90s with a light gulf breeze, warm emerald waters and gentle surf.




The west end of Pensacola Beach looking east.

Yesterday was my husband's birthday, so we spent a few hours on the beach. We prefer the far west end of Pensacola Beach where there are fewer people.

However, for those who want to party, there are always groups of beach goers near the Pensacola Beach pier and near the lifeguard tower on the west end beach near the pavilions.

The west end of Pensacola Beach looking west.

Yesterday there were only a few puffy clouds way off to the west. This afternoon the clouds are building up, but there's still plenty of sun shining through.

I'm not much into crowds, so I prefer a spot where's there are almost no people.

I took these photos yesterday, one showing a party crowd and the other two photos taken from my favorite part of the beach with only a scattering of people. Even on a holiday weekend like this one, there are wide open spaces on Pensacola Beach.

Thanks again for stopping by. I hope y'all have a wonderful holiday weekend.

Blue Angels Air Show at Pensacola Beach

 Blue Angels Air Show over Pensacola Beach on July 12th.

Today was the practice run for the Blue Angels Air Show at Pensacola Beach.   As always, it was an incredible show. Simply breathtaking!


Yesterday at 8:00 am was the first practice run for some of the maneuvers over the beach. Today it was a full practice run for the Blues at 2:00 pm. Tomorrow, Friday the 13th, is a full dress-rehearsal at 2:00 pm.


The big Air Show is Saturday, starting with the pre-show at noon followed by the Blues, with the show ending around 2:00 pm. If you have any plans to attend the air show on Saturday, be sure to get there early in the morning. Otherwise you could be stuck on one of the bridges for hours in bumper to bumper traffic.


My husband and I never go to the Saturday show.  Too many people, too much traffic. Today, on the other hand, was just perfect. The parking lots were full. We had to park in the sand, which is okay when you have 4WD. Some people made the mistake of parking their cars in the sand and the vehicles were buried up to the axles. Pensacola Beach is huge, so in spite of the crowds there was plenty of room to spread out.

Fat Albert heading for the clouds.

Well, it couldn't have been a prettier day for a beach air show. Cerulean blue skies dotted with white puffy clouds. Off to the north dark clouds were building for a storm, but over the beach it was perfect.


The show opened with Fat Albert, a C-130 Hercules, flying just over the top of the pier. Awesome! After a couple passes, Fat Albert climbed almost straight up toward the clouds.


The Blue Angels, F/A-18 Hornets, came screaming in minutes later. They did more complicated aerobatic maneuvers than I've ever seen before. A full hour of jets going every direction, including straight up and straight down and then pulling out at the last second.

Blue Angels performing the cobra.

Unfortunately, my digital camera isn't the best when it comes to taking pics of the Blue Angels. The shutter speed isn't quite fast enough, but I still managed to get a few good pics. When two Angels did the cobra, they were going slow enough that my pic turned out great.


My husband took much better pictures with his digital movie camera. He plans to put some of the clips on YouTube. In the meantime, my pics will have to do.

The Blue Angels were awesome!

If you're within driving distance of Pensacola Beach, then you ought to head on down to see the air show on Friday or Saturday.  The traffic shouldn't be too bad for Friday's show, but be sure get there early in the morning for the Saturday show.


I've seen the Blue Angels fly over Pensacola Beach more times than I can remember. But I still head to the beach to see them perform every chance I get. I have to say, today's show was awesome.

A beautiful day for an air show.

The Gulf couldn't be more beautiful today. Gentle surf at the perfect temp. Lots of people, but plenty of room to spread out.


No swimming was allowed while the show was going on, but the minute it ended nearly everyone headed for the water.


Note: Yes, I did swim today. No, I don't wear a bikini, heaven forbid at my age (old, but not too old).  No, my husband and I are not in any of these pictures.

Welcome to Pensacola Beach!



Welcome to Pensacola Beach! 

I happen to live just a couple miles away from one of the most beautiful beaches in all of Florida, Pensacola Beach. Imagine miles of sugar-white sand and turquoise waters, a bright summer sun, a smattering of puffy white clouds, a nice ocean breeze blowing in from the Gulf, the smell of salt air, sand between your toes, a cold drink in your hands and hunky lifeguards. Hey, I had to include the lifeguards.

This being a holiday, Memorial Day, weekend, I thought it might be the perfect time to give you all a quick guided tour of our beautiful beach.

This is more of a family beach as opposed to a party beach. Though you'll find a little of everything here. Parts of the beach are alcohol free, for those who so desire. Other parts you can actually drink on the beach, but bottles are not allowed. Smoking is also not allowed on the beach, though there are places where you can smoke.

A few colorful beach bars can be found just steps from the sand. Some yummy restaurants too. If you're looking for a quiet spot, just drive a mile or more to the east or west of the water tower and you'll find that perfect spot to laze away the day. Don't forget beach umbrellas, sunscreen and boogie boards.


Sometimes the waves are big enough to surf.

 Surf is usually non-existent on Pensacola Beach, which is known for it's flat, tranquil waters. On the other hand, some days the surf is up and actual surfer hunks grace our beach. Ah, those are great days to people watch, uh, I mean, hunk watch.

I prefer the west end of Pensacola Beach. That's the quieter part of the beach, more family oriented. There are picnic tables, barbecues and covered areas, available for free on a first come first serve basis. Don't worry, you'll still find hunky lifeguards on this end of the beach. Sometimes you'll even find a cute little bikini-clad lifeguard too. Hey, we don't want you guys to feel left out.



The west end of Pensacola Beach.

As for me, I prefer beach umbrellas, a comfy beach chair, a good book and some music. Jimmy Buffett, Bob Marley and Kenny Chesney are pretty much my beach favorites.

If you pick a weekday as opposed to a weekend, there are parts of the beach you can have all to yourself. No hunks. No cute beach babes.

This being a holiday weekend, our beach is crowded. So if you really want to see some beach hunks and babes, then now is the time to visit Pensacola Beach. If you're like me, I'll wait until the holiday weekend is over.