Pensacola has much to make it unique as a meeting destination and a place for family fun, says Kaya Man, director, sales and services at Visit Pensacola. “We are home to the Navy Flight Squadron Blue Angels that practice twice a week from March through November and can be viewed in many spots, including at the National Naval Aviation Museum, the largest naval museum in the country, with more than 600 aircraft, interactive simulators, a 325-seat theater, and 10,000 square feet of meeting and event space,” Man says. “Also, we are home to the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, where you can learn about breakthrough robotic technology.”
A new activity for groups is the Seville Savories Food Tour, where guests can explore and taste the culinary history of America’s oldest settlement while strolling downtown streets. The First Settlement Trail features 20 stops on a three-mile path through downtown and the historic district. Other popular area attractions include Pensacola Beach, the barrier island of Perdido Key, historic Fort Pickens, and Gulf Islands National Seashore.
Pensacola has approximately 14,000 hotel rooms, plus beachfront condos and cottages. New or renovated developments include Hilton Garden Inn Downtown, with 102 guest rooms and 2,240 square feet of meeting space; Pensacola Beach Resort, with 161 guest rooms on the Gulf and 1,670 square feet of function space; Lily Hall, a 15-room boutique property; and House Boats of Seville, four fully furnished floating accommodations.
Hotels with major event space include the 272-room Hilton Pensacola Beach, with 30,000 square feet of function space; the 206-room Holiday Inn Resort Pensacola Beach, with 6,515 square feet of meeting space; the 137-room Hilton Garden Inn, with 4,389 square feet of event space; and the 210-room Springhill Suites on Pensacola Beach, with 3,876 square feet of meeting space.
In downtown, Pensacola Bay Center has 22,000 total square feet of meeting and exhibit space, and Blue Wahoos Stadium and Amphitheater at Maritime Park seats 5,038 people and features 20,000 square feet of flexible function space.
