While charting Pensacola Bay in 1693, winds blew Spanish cartographer Carlos de Sigüenza y Góngora was blown off course. A native Indian chief helped the lost sailors find land – which they named Perdido Key or ‘lost’ key.
Perdido Key is an offshore barrier island community between Pensacola, Florida, and Orange Beach, Alabama. Part of Escambia County, the 16-mile-long beach is connected to the mainland by several bridges.
Perdido Key offers visitors sugar-white sand, wildlife refuges, and numerous outdoor activities to escape from the daily grind for a weekend getaway.
Florabama
Straddling the Alabama and Florida state lines, the Flora-Bama is a Gulf Coast cultural icon — celebrated as America’s “Last Great Roadhouse.” The Flora-Bama Lounge, Package & Oyster Bar is a world-famous honky-tonk beach bar located on Perdido Key.
The Flora-Bama boasts five live music stages. There are numerous beachfront bars where you can sit and sip on the house specialty, the Bushwacker, while you watch the Flora-Bama sunset. There are three restaurants at the Flora-Bama, the Oyster Bar, the Ole River Grill, and the Yacht Club. Each offers distinctly Floridian cuisine in a unique setting. Fresh oysters, burgers, and seafood are staples at the Bar and Grill, while seafood and filet pairings are available at the Yacht Club.
Come by the beach or by boat; the Flora-Bama family welcomes all. Once you leave, take Flora-Bama radio with you to re-live your Perdido Key memories.
Gulf Islands National Seashore
Gulf Islands National Seashore’s pristine windswept beaches combine marine refuges and public beaches, including Rosamond Johnson Beach. Over 60 % of Perdido Key is considered Federal refuge land. These protected areas are home to blue herons, sea turtles, loggerhead turtles, gopher tortoises, Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, starfish, crabs, and rayfish. Keep a weathered eye out for jellyfish, sharks, and over 300 species of birds too. Visitors to Rosamond Johnson Beach may tour the salt marsh and the maritime forest via a half-mile, wheelchair-accessible, self-guided nature trail.
If you are visiting the area by boat, boat-in backcountry camping is also allowed throughout Perdido Key, and shallow spots to anchor for the night are easy to find. Camping permits are not usually needed, but check with the Ranger Station.
Fort McRee
Fort McRee is a historic military fort on the eastern end of Perdido Key. It is near Johnson Beach and only accessible by boat or by foot. Soldiers initially constructed Fort McRee to defend Pensacola Bay and its natural harbor.
The Battery Center within Fort McRee is an 1899 coastal artillery battery named after Lieutenant John P. Center. Lt. Center died in defense of Florida in the battle of Okeechobee on 25th December 1837 during the Second Seminole War.
The Fort ruins and the Battery Center are open to visitors offering a fascinating insight into coastal island history.
Pensacola Greyhound Track
Located on the mainland off of Perdido Bay, Pensacola Greyhound Track is an exciting canine race track that doubles as an onsite Poker Room. The Track is open to the public daily. There is always a poker game in play, with poker table seats available for single-hand or daily poker tournaments. If racing is preferred, place a bet on the greyhound races or watch the Simulcasts of both local and national horse races.
A favorite local pastime, Pensacola Greyhound Track is a great place to watch the Kentucky Derby or Preakness in the spring.
The Center Bar offers simple fare, including grilled entrees, hot dogs, pizzas, and deli sandwiches. Or, for an upscale flair, try the Kennel Club Diner.
National Naval Aviation Museum
The National Naval Aviation Museum is just over the bridge on the mainland, about 30 minutes from Perdido Key. Spread over 300,000 square feet, this is one of the world’s largest space and air aviation museums. It sits on the Pensacola National Air Base, sharing hangers with the internationally famous performing Naval Air Squadron, The Blue Angels.
One of Florida’s most famous museums, the Naval Aviation Museum, houses 4,000 artifacts. There are also 150 restored aircraft from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Coast Guard Aviation. In addition to antiques, the onsite IMAX theater, interactive cockpits, and flight simulators offer visitors an authentic flight experience. Admission is free, but this active military base requires visitor identification.
Pensacola Lighthouse and Maritime Museum
Technically also on the Pensacola Naval Air Station grounds, the Lighthouse was initially built in 1859. The Pensacola Lighthouse tower stands 159 feet tall just off Pensacola Beach and is painted white to reflect light out to sea. The 177-step climb offers panoramic scenic views of the Gulf Coast and sits within the Naval Air Station Pensacola, on the mainland across from Fort McRee and Fort Pickens.
In addition to the Lighthouse tower, there is a museum and lighthouse keeper’s home. The museum holds artifacts and exhibits from area maritime activities, including a presentation about women lighthouse keepers throughout history.
Open most days, the Lighthouse is a year-round activity for the whole family, although some rules apply. Lighthouse climbers must be at least seven years old and accompanied by an adult. An ID is required to gain access to the Pensacola Naval Air Station. The Lighthouse Shuttle provides access for all civilians and must be booked online.
Many think that the Pensacola Lighthouse is haunted – calling it one of the most haunted lighthouses in America. The Ghost Hunt is a popular tour to try while at the Naval Air Station Pensacola. This one-and-a-half-hour ghost tour of the 1869 Keeper’s Quarters is available for pre-booking.
Perdido Key Discovery Trail
The Perdido Key Discovery Trail is one of many trails across the Key area and arcs through the Gulf Islands National Seashore on Perdido Key. This .6-mile trail outlines the eastern half of Perdido Key and offers visitors well-maintained hiking and biking trails while providing interpretation stops of coastal habitats. The quiet and isolation of the path is a perfect place for birdwatching. Florida’s fishing eagles, the osprey, are known to inhabit the marshes and estuaries within the trail.
There are separate entrance fees for pedestrians and vehicles and two entrances to the boardwalk. The Perdido Key Discovery Trail will take about two hours to complete, but the region’s beauty is unmistakable. Once parked, the trailhead closest to the lagoon provides an easy incline – slowly introducing the habitats of Perdido Key. A short side boardwalk leads out to an expansive marsh at the trail junction. There are several benches along the path, and the trail ends at a kiosk along the road to Big Lagoon. With Rosamond Johnson Beach within walking distance to the right.
Big Lagoon State Park
Big Lagoon State Park sits on over 704 acres and offers visitors access to swimming, boating, fishing, camping, and hiking. The park is also a mecca for paddlers who are adventurous enough to try their hand at the 1,515-mile sea kayaking journey known as the Florida Circumnavigational Saltwater Paddling Trail. The 26-segment trail circumvents the entire state of Florida. Beginning at Big Lagoon State Park in Perdido Key, the CT extends around the Florida peninsula and Keys and ends at Fort Clinch State Park near the Georgia state line in Fernandina Beach. Commonly referred to at the CT, the trailhead is marked by a kayak embedded in the sand.
Big Lagoon State Park is also a transition for the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail. A known stopover for dozens of bird species, including 23 species of wood warbler, a variety of ducks, sandpipers, and black-bellied plovers.
Geocaching is also popular at Big Lagoon. This hide-and-seek game for outdoor enthusiasts uses hand-held global positioning systems (GPS). Supported by most parks, Geocaching is an inexpensive, interactive, high-tech treasure hunt that’s a great way to learn the region’s flora, fauna, and geography.
South of Big Lagoon State Park, towards the tip of Perdido Key Drive, is Perdido Key State Park. The park is a popular spot for anglers. It is also home to several threatened and endangered species, such as the Perdido Key beach mouse. It is easy to spot this field mice relative. They are gray and white and grow to 5 inches long. The beach mouse habitat has come under increasing threat from beachside development and natural disasters.
Dolphin Cruises
Dolphins love to play in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico and are often seen in Perdido Bay and around Perdido Key. The most common type of dolphin is, without a doubt, the bottlenose dolphin. There are two types of bottlenose – Atlantic, and Pacific. Common to the Florida shores, Atlantic bottlenoses range from six to twelve feet and sport a robust, blue-gray body and a short, stubby rostrum. Atlantic bottlenose swims at 18 miles per hour. While they usually surface to breathe two or three times a minute, Atlantic dolphins can hold their breath for 5 – 7 minutes.
Sunbathers can spot these beautiful sea mammals from the shore or under the pier but for a day of dolphin and sea turtle watching, deeper waters just offshore are best. Luckily, numerous Perdido Key eco-tours are available for rental, specifically dolphin watching. These affordable tours provide an exciting opportunity for the entire family to cruise alongside the dolphins.
There are plenty of things for visitors to do on Perdido Key. A quick morning boat tour is an excellent way to get acquainted with Perdido Key, Florida. Once there, grab a jet ski or go parasailing. Another shore-based activity is snorkeling in Perdido Key Snorkeling Reef just off of Perdido Key Beach. These easy-day activities will keep everyone close to shore.
But suppose you are looking to head out to deeper waters. In that case, fishing charters are quickly booked from Perdido Bay and offer a unique opportunity to fish in open warmer waters for redfish, snapper, or spotted seatrout.
Lost Key Golf Club
Finding a top-rated course in the Perdido Key-Gulf Shores area is easy. Known to golf enthusiasts as the “Golf Coast,” Perdido Key, Pensacola, and Gulf Shores are home to over a dozen private, resort, and public golf courses.
Lost Key Golf Club is an Arnold Palmer, 18-hole public golf course just off of Perdido Key Drive. Each golf hole includes five tee sets to accommodate players of all skill levels. The Audubon International’s first “Silver Signature Sanctuary” award, Lost Key Golf Culb, boasts natural coquina shell paths amidst complementing lush vegetation.
And one for good measure.
The Wharf at Orange Beach
The Wharf District and Amphitheater are located in Orange Beach, Alabama. While not located on Perdido Key itself, The Wharf is a kid-friendly entertainment and shopping district with plenty of options to keep the family busy. This indoor amusement park includes a 15-screen cineplex, indoor arena laser tag, and Sharky’s Family Adventure Center arcade. The Wharf offers kids’ nights with live animals and events during the summer.