Indoor parks, splash pads, zip lines and more: Fun things to with your kids in Pensacola
Finding new things to do with the kids can be a truly daunting task. How many trips to the beach or park adventures can you have before the idea is met with the dreaded, "We always go to the beach!"
Rest assured, there is plenty to do in Pensacola to keep the fun flowing this summer. Looking for something wet? Splash Center Adventures, splash pads and OWA have you covered. Looking to do something inside to escape the heat? The Sky Zone Trampoline Park and Kid's Place have just what you need.
Keep reading to find ways to keep your kids entertained.
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Fast Eddie’s Fun Center
Where: 505 W. Michigan Ave.
Fast Eddies Fun Center is a local amusement park that has go-karts, mini golf, an arcade, batting cages and water wars. There are four go-kart tracks — each with its own, unique flavor. The Crazy 8 features a lot of wild turns, Spinnin' & Grinnin' is full of slip-n-slide fun, Junior Racers is for the little ones and the SuperKart Speedway is for adults.
For more info: https://www.fasteddiesfuncenter.com/
Splash Center Adventures
Where: 6709 Pensacola Blvd.
If you're looking for an adventure that's a little more wet, then Splash Center Adventures is your spot. The park has 12 slides, seven pools, including two interactive play pools for young children, and a 750-foot, endless river. Splash City is also home to the Pirates Cove galley restaurant.
For more info: https://www.splashcityadventures.com/
Pensacola MESS Hall
Where: 418 E. Wright St.
The Pensacola MESS Hall is a place where you can let your creative side run amuck — within reason. It's a hands-on, self-guided science museum that lets kids explore scientific concepts with real-life experiments.
For more info: https://pensacolamesshall.org/
Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center
Where: 8740 Gulf Blvd., Navarre
The Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center is a conservation and learning center that is open to the public for $5 admission. Visitors will be greeted by a 15,000-gallon saltwater pool, that is home to Sweet Pea, the center’s non-releasable green sea turtle and ambassador-in-residence. There are experiences such as the painting tortoise tracks, shark school, a shark tooth treasure hunt and more.
For more info: https://navarrebeachseaturtles.org/
Pensacola Museum of Art
Where: 407 S. Jefferson St.
Established by a group of women from the American Association of University Women in 1954, the Pensacola Museum of Art is still Pensacola’s only art museum. Today the museum, built inside the old bones of the former Pensacola jail, hosts permanent collections that focus on 20th century, modern and contemporary art from artists like Alexander Calder, Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, Leonard Baskin and more.
For more info: https://pensacolamuseum.org/
Pensacola Children’s Museum
Where: 115 East Zaragoza St.
The Pensacola Children’s Museum was designed to have interactive, imaginative and educational play for all ages, making it the perfect spot to take your kids after or before a trip to Pensacola MESS Hall.
The two-story museum has the Panton Trading Post, Lavalle Cottage, the Fort, the Native American Village, the Kiddie Corral and the Galveston on the first floor. The second floor is home to the Publix Super Market Exhibit, a Colonial Classroom, a Native American Exhibit and the Strictly Briks Makerspace.
For more info: https://www.historicpensacola.org/plan-your-visit/museums-properties/pensacola-childrens-museum/
Pensacola Museum of History
Where: 330 S. Jefferson St.
The Pensacola Museum of History is the Pensacola flagship museum that lives in the former Pensacola City Hall built in 1907. There are two self-guided, permanent exhibits in the museum. The City of Five Flags tells the history of Pensacola through artifacts, photographs and stories with archaeology and preservation efforts. The Trader Jon’s exhibit is decorated with photos and memorabilia from Martin “Trader Jon” Weissman, owner and namesake of Trader Jon’s Bar. The museum is also home for a revolving door of changing exhibits and galleries. Visit the website for more information on current exhibits.
For more info: https://historicpensacola.org/plan-your-visit/exhibits/
Pensacola Kid’s Place
Where: 3 W. Nine Mile Road #4
The Pensacola Kid’s Place is an indoor bounce house in Pensacola that provides a safe space for kids to be kids. There are tunnels, slides, ball pits, educational toys, an obstacle course and more. Food and drink are available, too.
For more info: https://bouncehousepensacola.com/
Gulf Breeze Zoo
Where: 5701 Gulf Breeze Parkway, Gulf Breeze
The Gulf Breeze Zoo is a 50-acre zoo split into 20 acres of walking exhibits and 30 acres of free-roaming preserve area. There are about 900 exotic animals, including rhinos, hippos, gorillas, lions, tigers, Galapagos tortoises and more. Aside from just the animals, experiences include animal feeding, the farm, the Budgiery aviary adventure, the farm, mining sluice and a safari express train ride.
For more info: https://www.gbzoo.com/
OWA
Where: 101-N S. OWA Blvd., Foley, AL
OWA is a 520-acre family fun theme park located in Foley, Alabama, which first opened in 2017. Prior to the June opening of the water park, OWA already featured 23 attractions with unique dining and live entertainment, too. The first phase of a 100,000-square-foot indoor water park opened at the end of the June and includes six thrill slides, a lazy river, indoor dining, party rental rooms, an indoor arcade and a children’s play structure.
For more info: https://visitowa.com/
Sky Zone Trampoline Park
Where: 5007 N. Davis Highway Unit 8A,
Sky Zone Trampoline Park is every gravity-defying kid’s dream playground. It’s an indoor trampoline park that let’s kids safely fly high in wall-to-wall aerial action. Attractions include freestyle jump, foam zone, SkySlam, SkyJoust, SkyLadder, Parkour Blox and the Ninja Warrior Course.
For more info: https://www.skyzone.com/pensacola
Wildlife Sanctuary of Northwest Florida
Where: 105 N. S St.
The Wildlife Sanctuary of Northwest Florida is a nonprofit whose mission is to provide care for injured or orphaned wildlife. The organization will provide medical care and fostering during recovery, rehabilitation and eventual release the animal, if possible. Patrons can head over to the sanctuary during visiting hours to spend time with over 50 animals that can’t be released, including a variety of birds like bald eagles, owls and hawks.
For more info: https://www.pensacolawildlife.com/
Head to the pool
There are two pools within city of Pensacola limits, the Cecil T. Hunter Pool, 200 E. Blount St., and the Roger Scott Pool, 2130 Summit Blvd. Both offer swimming lessons that are administered by the YMCA of NWFL. The pools are opened seasonally, from Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day weekend of each year.
Splash pads
If you’re looking for an aquatic time without the crowds and without the cost, a splash pad is the perfect answer. Legion Field, 1301 W. Gregory St., and Plaza de Luna, 900 S. Palafox St., are both open mid-March through October from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Movies in the Park
Where: Community Maritime Park, 301 W. Main St.
Bring your blankets and chairs out for a family-friendly movie underneath the stars. Pre-show activities begin at 6 p.m. and movies kick off at sunset. Free parking, snack concessions and local food trucks are available. Movies are shown with grass seating only. The next movie is Space Jam: A New Legacy on July 22.
For more info: https://bit.ly/3zifvLK
Laguna’s Adventure Park
Where: 460 Pensacola Beach Blvd.
The rebranded Laguna’s Adventure Park is packed with fun things to do if you’re looking to take a break from the sand. There’s the splash pads, mini golf course, go-karts, wall climbing, a rope course and the recently debuted zip rail, which is now the region’s longest zip line. It rises 47 feet above ground level and stretches over 1,200 feet overlooking the Santa Rosa Sound.
For more info: https://lagunaspensacolabeach.com/park-activities
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola things to do with kids: Where to take young ones for summer fun
