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 is bringing new nightlife to the historic districts, but one-way streets can make navigation a bit tricky, especially when it's dark. 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 bayfront 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, and years later, recovery efforts continue. One example is at the southern terminus of Palafox Street—the $2.3 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.