The Beaches of THE EMERALD COAST of Florida!

Jimmy Buffett's mythical Margaritaville has become a

reality on Pensacola Beach.   Margaritaville has launched

the first Margaritaville Beach Hotel in a $50 million, 162-

room Gulf-front hotel and has opened this past summer

of 2010.

The Quietwater Beach Boardwalk on Pensacola Beach

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 seagulls, 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 is

located on Pensacola Beach and visitors can have access to the

Gulf Islands National Seashore.  Fort Pickens is a massive brick

fortress built before the Civil War.  Fort Pickens was completed

in 1834 and used until WWII.    Fort Pickens has changed over

the years, so be sure to 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.  To

view Pensacola Beach's history, click on Pensacola Beach

History for a connection to the Beach's historical Society!

The Fort itself is only part of the National Seashore's

attractions: the boundary stretches back seven miles (11 km).

(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.

Interesting Novelty houses seen

on HGTV Extreme Homes Channel

Dome of a Home, Pensacola Beach, Florida

THIS HOME SHOWN IN THE BEGINNING

OF EXTREME HOMES ON HGTV usually has

Alien Head looking out the window.  It  has

a sense of fun.  MUFON's yearly convention

has been held on Pensacola Beach.

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 "Alien

Saucer" or "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.  Both homes have been featured on

HGTV's extreme homes.