How to Plan a Date in Pensacola, FL - 12 Ideas
After living in Pensacola for over a year, these are some of our favorite couples activities. This list includes some day dates and some date night ideas too. I plan to keep posting additional places as I discover new things to do.
1. Have Afternoon Tea at the Olde English Creamery
This charming little cottage is a true Pensacola gem. We opted for the full afternoon tea which consisted of a pot of tea for each person (it seemed to be unlimited refills) and allowed you to choose a new tea when you finished your adorable pot. As for food, there were scones, finger sandwiches, sausage rolls, meringues, English pastries, and chocolate mousse. The full afternoon tea starts at $35/person, so it’s a bit of a splurge, but definitely a unique experience! They are only open Thursday-Sunday, so you will have to call and reserve a spot ahead of time. Ideally, a week early if possible. However, sometimes you can get on the wait list last minute and get a spot, that’s what we did. I believe they mostly use Facebook to communicate updates, so check out their page.
2. Visit the National Aviation Museum
The National Aviation Museum is a great date for those interested in history and aviation and also for those who know nothing about it. The sheer number of planes and helicopters in this museum (which has multiple buildings) is mind-blowing. What’s nice is this can be a full day activity or a short visit depending on what you need it to be. I have been multiple times for multiple hours and still have not seen everything, so you can rest assured there is a lot of good info here. Side note: do not let the top right picture deceive you, there’s no need to dress up to visit! We were only dressed up for the Marine Birthday Ball :).
Lastly, I would NOT recommend getting a guided tour. Although the tour guides have plenty of good info, the exhibits have excellent signs, and doing a self-tour will allow you to go at your own pace and jump around to what interests you. Note: Verify that it is open to the public before going, unless you are military.
3. Visit the Pensacola Lighthouse & Maritime Museum
This was intentionally right after the National Aviation Museum because they are right next to each other, so you could easily do both in the same day. This is more of a quick date idea or something you could do before you go get food because it only takes an hour or two to explore the lighthouse and museum. I really enjoyed the view at the top and the history facts in the museum.
4. Stroll the Palafox Outdoor Market ~Saturday Only~
When the weather is nice head down to Palafox on a Saturday between 9am – 2pm and explore the market. You never know what you might stumble upon here. There are a ton of local vendors selling art, smoothies, coffee, hand-made jewelry, and you may find the occasional hand-baked Chinese mooncake. Some of the vendors come every week, but often, there are new vendors. We really enjoyed the local East Hill honey we got here, pictured above, bottom right.
5. Go Scuba Diving/Take a Class
This idea is for the more adventurous couple. If you already have a scuba certification then there are multiple ship wrecks at varying depths for you to explore. One spot I have not explored, but is on my list is the sunken aircraft carrier, the USS Oriskany. If you are not yet scuba certified, a fun challenge to take on could be getting scuba certified together! We did ours through Dive Pros and were able to rent most of the gear and buy whatever else we needed from the shop. We bought snorkels and goggles, which can be a good investment simply for snorkeling if you end up not liking scuba. Plus, if you go through the training at Dive Pros you can get discounts on rentals from the shop! The certification was over $300/person, but check the website for specifics.
6. Get Tacos and Snow Cones at Perdidolicious
We LOVE this food truck. I believe it lives in this one location, but I’ve linked the Perdidolicious Facebook page in case they post any updates. The tacos are delicious and you can get a snow cone for dessert. If the weather is nice there are a few picnic tables to sit at while you eat. Otherwise, I would recommend getting it to-go. Side note: another intentional placement, this food truck normally lives right next to an area where some scuba charter boats launch from. Another opportunity to combine date ideas and really maximize the foam :).
7. Trivia at Gary’s Brewery
Gary’s is a cozy brewery, perfect for a low-key date night. They have trivia on Thursday nights at 7pm and cornhole boards too. For beverages, you can expect fun beer flavors and wines. Normally when we go to trivia there is a food truck, as Gary’s only has snacks for food. We found out that outside food is not allowed, but on the bright side, this place is dog-friendly if you want to bring a third wheel :).
8. Go to a Blue Wahoos Game
Minor league baseball games have that intimate charm, making them perfect for date nights. However, with a smaller stadium comes pros and cons. Pro: you may be able to sit closer to the field for cheaper. Con: the bull pen is right next to the spectators, so you may or may not get showered with what looks a lot like brownie bits and ends up being turf from the practicing pitcher. It took us about 10 minutes and the guy in front of us explaining it before we realized it was not someone throwing brownies at us from behind. But, back to the review…
The food is pricey and the lines are long, so perhaps go out to dinner before and then just get dessert at the stadium. As for food, we only tried food from Fish and Hits Pub, and thought that the burger and hot dog were mediocre and the dole whip and pretzel were slightly better. But would it be a baseball game if the food were not overpriced? I think not. Anyway, we paid $25 ish each on opening night to sit right next to the field, but we were on the visitor side. Also, get there early, otherwise you may end up paying at least $5 to park across the street.
9. Get Fun Lattes at Jitterbug
Another cozy spot for a morning date is Jitterbug Beverage Co.. It’s in East Hill, away from the bustle of downtown. They have coffee, snacks, and some food. Also, much of what they make is gluten-free if that is a factor for you. What I absolutely LOVE about this place is their fun lattes. Some drinks are constant but many of the lattes change with the season. Some of the ingredient combos sound wacky, but I really enjoyed the iced Grey Havens and iced Lost Language.
The lattes are a little too sweet for my liking, so they can make them less sweet. I do 50% sweetness, which is perfect. I tried a gluten-free blueberry muffin and actually really enjoyed it. So, if you are new to gluten-free food, this place could be a good starting spot.
10. Have a Takeout Pizza Picnic
Pizza from anywhere + beach/water & cliff view = good date. We did Tuscan Oven Pizzeria at a picnic table on Scenic Highway.
11. Go to a Festival Downtown
There seems to always be something going on downtown and most of the time, it’s free to check out. These pictures are from the Pensacola Jazz Festival that took place in Seville Square downtown. I would recommend bringing a blanket or chairs if you don’t want to sit on the ground. For food and drinks, there were some great food trucks, but you can also bring your own food and drinks. We liked the Wrighteous Eats and Waffle Boutique food trucks.
I did not love the tacos from Lone Star Tex-Mex Grill food truck, so if you go there, maybe get something other than the chicken tacos. The staff at this truck however, were very friendly, so that was nice.
12. Visit an Alligator Farm
If you enjoy animals, a date to an alligator farm could be fun. We went to an Alligator Alley in Summerdale, AL, about 50 minutes away from Pensacola, FL. There were an alarming number of alligators and there are raised boardwalks throughout the swamp so you can see them more or less in a natural habitat. This facility also has shows/feedings, food you can buy to throw to the alligators, and a house with other smaller animals. I can’t say I very much enjoyed holding this alligator, but the option to do so is there if that interests you.
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