Outdoor opportunities stretch from the shimmering Gulf of Mexico to the rustic woodlands and creeks of the �Canoe Capital of Florida� in Milton. The Gulf Islands National Seashore showcases 52 miles of protected beaches in Northwest Florida (the largest tract of protected shoreline in the state), wild natural vegetation, breathtaking vistas, and historic sites. The park is one of the five most visited national parks in the United States. Pensacola is in the heart of the national seashore, which flanks the city with barrier islands�Perdido Key (Spanish for �Lost Island�) to the west and Santa Rosa Island, better known as Pensacola Beach, to the east.

Consistently ranked among the best beaches in the nation, Perdido Key Beach, nearly 70 percent of which is protected parkland, wins high marks from geographers and coastal experts for water quality, sand, and cleanliness. More protected shoreline stretches into the Perdido Key State Recreation Area�totaling 282 acres with 1.4 miles of beautiful, white sand. The park provides habitat for shore birds and other coastal animals. Picnic shelters are located between the Gulf of Mexico and Old River. Nearby, Big Lagoon State Recreation Area offers fishing, boating, crabbing, castnetting, camping, hiking trails, and a 40-foot observation tower that overlooks the surrounding marshlands, pine forests, and beaches.

Santa Rosa Island has two tracts in the national seashore, each with two sides. On one side, rolling dunes and the Gulf of Mexico beckon. On the other side, Santa Rosa Sound offers generally smooth sailing and a sandy landscape dotted with vegetation. The Sound provides perfect conditions for enjoying the array of water sports available�sailing, windsurfing, and parasailing, to name a few. Lessons and rentals are readily available on the island.

Historic Fort Pickens, located within the Gulf Islands National Seashore on the island�s western end, housed Apache leader Geronimo when he was imprisoned there during the 1880s. It is now a popular area for fishing, diving, and camping. The park also provides many hiking and biking trails. To the east, the preserved seashore extends for nearly 16 miles of spectacular coastline, the longest continuous stretch of protected beach in Northwest Florida. For a closer look at the marine life in the area, especially dolphins, contact one of the charter boat rentals on Perdido Key Beach or Pensacola Beach.

Bikers, walkers, joggers, and in-line skaters can enjoy a 40-mile loop that varies between separated path and paved shoulder, including 25 miles of nearly unbroken path, winding around the Santa Rosa Sound, through Pensacola Beach and Gulf Breeze. The path also accommodates wheelchairs.

Just east of Gulf Breeze, 1,400 acres of gnarled live oak trees in the protected Naval Live Oaks Area provide a historic look at the nation�s first timber preserve and a peaceful setting for hikes through the dense woods. The oaks� �naval� name stems from its use to build the hulls of Navy ships, including USS Constitution (�Old Ironsides�) and USS Constellation in the 1790s. Wood from this area became legendary because of its strength and ability to resist and repel cannonballs.

Continuing the heritage of protection and preservation, Pensacola has been named a Tree City USA every year since 1990 and boasts nearly 100 city parks. For a spectacular view of the area, visit either the tower at Big Lagoon State Recreation Area or the Pensacola Lighthouse, built in 1859 and still in use today at Naval Air Station Pensacola. At 160 feet tall, it is the fourth tallest brick lighthouse in the nation. The lighthouse is open to the public for free tours on Sundays from noon to 3:30 p.m. from May through October or by appointment. For additional information, call (850) 492-5363.

Photographers will have a field day at The Bluffs. This city park on Scenic Highway offers a stunning view of Escambia Bay from its observation decks on the only natural bluffs in the state. In fact, Scenic Highway itself is one of only two highways in the state designated as a Florida Scenic Highway.

Birdwatchers will enjoy the abundant opportunities for spotting protected and seasonal species. In fact, one of the golf courses in the area, Lost Key, has been designated by the Audubon Society as a �signature cooperative sanctuary,� voluntarily adhering to specific ecologically sensitive guidelines in the development and maintenance of its 250 acres that include wetland features. Hawks, snakes, alligators, fox, deer, rabbits, raccoons, beavers, osprey, and great blue herons populate the area.

The Edward Ball Nature Walk, nestled in the University of West Florida campus, meanders through a tree-shaded bayou filled with fish and turtles. Visitors may even spot Captain Thunder, a 10-foot-long, three-legged alligator that calls the bayou home. The tranquil campus also contains several hiking and jogging trails and self-guided nature walks among its 1,000 acres of nature preservation. The university�s biology department also provides an online database of the flora and fauna that can be found in the area, from wetland marshes to upland forests.

On the outskirts of downtown Pensacola (www.VisitPensacola.com) motorists headed for the beach can�t help but notice the Project GreenShores, a habitat restoration project in Pensacola Bay. More than 400 local and migratory birds are often found taking turns wheeling in the air on their quest for food or basking placidly in the Florida sun atop 10,000 tons of the limestone rock that is part of a man-made oyster reef. In addition, 10,000 emergent saltmarsh grasses, planted by volunteers, have been placed shoreward of the reef in an attempt to return a portion of Pensacola Bay to the way it was decades ago.

Not only will the Project benefit fish, crabs, shrimp, and other marine life that is dependent on oyster reefs and seagrass beds for feeding grounds and nursery areas, but it will greatly enhance the water quality. More than one million oysters that call this reef home, will be able to filter 30�50 gallons of water per day. In addition the seagrasses and saltmarsh plants act as �kidneys� to the estuary, therefore continuously cleaning the water in Pensacola Bay.

During the school year, the American Star cruise vessel is often seen taking a classroom out into the sparkling waters of the Bay to teach students about Project GreenShores through a variety of hands-on activities involving marine life and water quality.

Perfect for spotting cormorants, pelicans, great blue herons, and other birds near Project GreenShores is a quarter-mile inlet serving as the site of Hawkshaw Lagoon Memorial Park. A pedestrian bridge spanning the lagoon is used as an observation deck and serves as a platform for the bronze memorial sculpture, �The Sanctuary,� the National Memorial to Missing Children. Plans are in progress for the construction of a gazebo to be used as an open-air classroom for local students, which will give them an up-close view of the lagoon�s ecosystem, as well as the fascinating history of Pensacola�s Bayfront area.

To explore woods and fresh water, look no further than nearby Milton, where canoe liveries offer all the accommodations you might need for a day or a week away. Shallow rivers offer safety for small children and sandbars make great sites for picnics. Canoes, tubes and kayaks co-exist on the spring-fed rivers that wind through the Blackwater River State Forest. Campers, hikers and canoeists enjoy plenty of room to roam among the 200,000 acres teeming with rare plants and endangered wildlife.

Pensacola is Florida the way it used to be, according to many longtime residents who maintain that Pensacola had �ecotourism� before the word was even invented.

To request a free Visitors Guide, view a complete calendar of events as well as travel packages and hot deals currently offered in the area, log on to www.VisitPensacola.com, or for more information on the Pensacola Bay Area, call the Pensacola Bay Area Convention and Visitors Bureau at (800) 874-1234 or (850) 434-1234.
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Contacts:
Stacy Garrett Hopper
Pensacola Bay Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
(800) 874-1234 / (850) 434-1234
or
Ashley Chisholm
EW Bullock Associates
(850) 438-4015
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