School is almost out for summer! If you’re looking for creative ways to keep the kids away from the screens, then make your way to Downtown Pensacola to experience these kid-friendly activities that will be sure to entertain and educate!

1. Ferry Boats in the Bay

If you are staying at the beach, don’t miss out on the opportunity to board one of the new Pensacola Bay Cruises to Downtown! The ferries dock at the beach boardwalk and Fort Pickens, so you have two opportunities to hop on the Pelican Perch or Turtle Runner. The ride between each landing location takes approximately 30-40 minutes, which is the perfect amount of time for the kids to remain enthralled by the beautiful scenery and the possibility of spotting a dolphin. Upon docking in Downtown Pensacola, grab a snack at one of our fabulous restaurants and spend the day exploring Downtown.

2. Play All Day at Maritime Park

Community Maritime Park is located off of Main Street and is the perfect place for kids to run around and release that summertime energy. The new playground features a padded surface that provides a safe play environment and the wide pathways that trail throughout the park make for a perfect waterfront bike ride. The grassy festival grounds provide an expansive area away from the road for numerous outdoor activities. Once a month during the summer, Community Maritime Park hosts a free movie night for the whole family to enjoy. Grab your lawn chairs, blankets and coolers and enjoy a movie under the stars!

3. Go Back in Time With Historic Pensacola

Downtown Pensacola has an extraordinary Historic Village full of interactive and educational activities for kids and adults alike. The living history exhibits depict life throughout the 1800s, and include activities like open hearth cooking, butter churning and candle making. Historic Pensacola also offers special events for children including StoryTyme with Grandma Jenkins, who has traveled all the way from England to share her tall tales and baked goods with her young, intrigued audience. 

4. Museum Musts

Your child will love the colorful exhibits of the Pensacola Children’s Museum. The Discovery Gallery recreates Pensacola colonial life, while the other exhibits highlight Pensacola’s military, maritime, Native American and Civil War history. The T.T. Wentworth, Jr. Museum has permanent and revolving exhibits that feature Pensacola’s changing history and extraordinary collections of artifacts. Museum Plaza, located behind the T.T. Wentworth, is a new interactive playground that educates on the industries vital to the development of Pensacola: timber, fishing, shipping, brick making and transportation. Ticket options for museum tours vary depending on age and group size, so be sure to plan ahead and take advantage of combo deals!

5. I Spy Downtown 

If your child has an interest in art and an eye for detail, transform your visit to Downtown Pensacola into a game of “I Spy”. There are dozens of eye-catching placemarks that the kids will surely remember from their trip to Pensacola. Get ready for an adventure around Downtown as you search for these landmarks!

Pelican Fly-By – How many of these colorfully themed pelicans can you find?

Five Flags • Blue Angels • Marine Corps • Air Force • Coast Guard • Army 

Local Landmarks: Can you find these beloved local landmarks?

Vintage fire truck • Plaza canons • Shimmering mermaid • Live Oak limb lifters • Palafoxtrot

Familiar Faces – Search for these statues throughout Downtown!  

Don Tristan de Luna • Bernardo de Galvez • Martin Luther King, Jr • President Andrew Jackson

Painted Trail – Paint by number in Downtown Pensacola by keeping a count of how many art installments you can find! 

Wish You Were Here • Painted Parking Meters • Horse Drawn Carriage • Four Colorful Cubes • Eclectic Electric Boxes • Ships on a Building • Jefferson Street Mural • Foo Foo Wings

Let us know what you find by tagging #DowntownPensacola in your photos. Now, get outside and spend the day in America’s oldest city! 

[PHOTO: VISIT PENSACOLA]