Pensacola

Historic Pensacola consists of three distinct districts—Seville, Palafox, and North Hill—though they are easy to explore as a unit. Stroll down streets mapped out by the British and renamed by the Spanish, such as Cervantes, Palafox, Intendencia, and Tarragona. An influx of restaurants and bars has brought new nightlife to the historic districts, but one-way streets can make navigation a bit tricky, especially when it's dark. In recent years, the biggest change in town came courtesy of Mother Nature. In late 2004, Hurricane Ivan blew through, downing many of the town's stately oak trees, severely damaging countless homes and commercial properties, washing out bay-front roadways and a stretch of Interstate 10, and scaring the heck out of residents. The Pensacola Bay area has made great strides rebuilding paradise after Ivan's hit-and-run, but to this day recovery efforts continue. One example of urban renewal is at the southern terminus of Palafox Street—the $2.9 million Plaza DeLuna, a 2-acre park with open grounds, interactive water fountains, and an amphitheater. A quiet place to sit and watch the bay, fish, or enjoy the city's Thursday-evening sunset celebration, the park occupies the former site of the Bayfront Auditorium, which was wrecked by Ivan and razed in July 2005.