Welcome to Pensacola Beach, Florida, located on the western end of Santa Rosa Island. Residents and vacationers alike are drawn to the areas mild climate as well as the many local waterfront attractions that include fishing, shopping, boating, diving, golfing, sailing and snorkeling!

Emerald green water and sugar white sand has been Pensacola Beach's welcome mat since it was first discovered in 1559. Four centuries later, visitors are still amazed that the beauty surpasses the descriptions they've heard.

Tourists take samples back home in zip-lock bags and officials bring buckets full of our sand to conventions. A Mason jar full of the famous surf was even shown on "Good Morning America", but it looked like a Mason jar full of any other water...which proves there's just no substitute for standing ankle deep in the breaking surf to fully experience the colors, textures, and sounds that make Pensacola Beach astounding.

Located on Santa Rosa Island, Pensacola Beach is known for its rolling sand dunes that look solid but are in a constant state of change. They are made of lighter grains of sand blown onto the barrier island by offshore winds.

Typical of Pensacola Beach are pristine white beaches, teal green waters, sea oats swaying in the breeze, and breathtaking sunsets.

Pensacola Beach is an unincorporated community located on Santa Rosa Island, a barrier island, in Escambia County, Florida, United States. It is situated south of Pensacola, connected via bridges spanning to the Fairpoint Peninsula and then to the island, on the Gulf of Mexico. As of the 2000 census, the community had a total population of 2,738.

Pensacola Beach occupies land bound by a 1947 deed from the United States Department of Interior that it be administered in the public interest by the county or leased, but never "disposed"; its businesses and residents are thus long-term leaseholders and not property owners.

History
Francisco Maldonado, a lieutenant under Conquistador Hernando de Soto, visited the area during the early Spanish exploration of North America. He anchored in Pensacola Bay for the winter of 1539–1540.

In 1559, Don Tristan de Luna y Arellano led the first settlement of the region. His 11 ships, with 1500 settlers, anchored in the bay and established its colony on the site of today's Naval Air Station Pensacola. A hurricane decimated the colony a few weeks later, killing hundreds and sinking 5 ships. Suffering long-term famine and fighting, this first settlement was finally abandoned in 1561. A presidio was constructed on Santa Rosa Island in 1722 near the location of the more recent Fort Pickens. Hurricanes in 1741 and 1752 forced its relocation to the mainland.

Geography
Pensacola Beach at sunsetPensacola Beach is located at 30°20'00?N 87°08'15 W / 30.333333, -87.1375, on the barrier island of Santa Rosa. It is bordered to the south by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Santa Rosa Sound and Pensacola Bay, and to the east and west by the Gulf Islands National Seashore.

Attractions
The Quietwater Beach Boardwalk
The Boardwalk is on the Santa Rosa Sound side of the island, directly across from Casino Beach. Retail shops, restaurants, nightclubs, street musicians and sidewalk artists line it. The Boardwalk has a large sea shell stage where concerts are held several times a year. Behind it, there is a beach silent except for the sounds of sea gulls, and children making sand castles. Most events are held here, including The Lobster Fest, Bushwacker Fest, and the Independence Day fireworks. Behind the beach there is a boat dock where anyone can park their boats free of charge.

Fort Pickens
Fort Pickens was completed in 1834 and used until WWII, when modern weapons made traditional coastal defense obsolete. Fort Pickens has changed over the years, so take the self-guided tour and peel back the layers of history. You'll see the plaster-lined rooms that were intended as officers' quarters, and later used to house Apache prisoners. The most famous resident, Geronimo, lived in identical rooms along the south wall, which have since collapsed. Fort Pickens now houses an auditorium, a museum, and a visitors center offering information about the area.

The Fort itself is only part of the National Seashore's attractions: the boundary stretches back seven miles. (Fodor's rates Ft. Pickens' beaches the best in Florida.) So whether you take the bike trail or the highway, you'll find campgrounds, nature trails, and miles and miles of protected beaches perfect for sand dollar and sea shell hunting, and for picking through flotsam washed ashore from the high seas and exotic foreign ports. The highway to the Fort has been blocked since hurricane Ivan caused significant damage to the surrounding areas and the Fort itself. The Fort is still accessible by hiking or biking, but the structure itself is very weak due to storm damage, and considered a safety hazard.

Novelty Houses
Pensacola Beach is home to several "novelty houses", including a house with a UFO-shaped Futuro attached as a second story. This Futuro house is sometimes called the "Spaceship House."

Another novelty house is the "Dome of a Home", a home in the form of a large concrete dome, designed to structurally withstand hurricane-force winds and storm surge.