Dear Pensacola,

I fell in love with you before I can remember. My dad grew up in the area and my grandma still lives in that house. I’ve been visiting you since I was a baby and every memory I have of you is a happy one.

More than anything, you feel like home. My dad still knows the area like the back of his hand. He knows where the hidden gems are, where locals like to hang out, but he’s also not opposed to hitting up the tourist locations either. No matter where you are, though, there is a sense of community, like you’re in small neighborhood rather than a tourist town. Pensacola is beautiful and laid back. The beaches have white sand and blue water. The quiet water of the bay is nearby too, and perfect for watersports.

Aside from my grandma’s peaceful house with the big backyard, the Portofino Island Resort is a great place to stay. We’ve watched it expand from one hotel tower to six. It is located right on the water, on a narrow strip of land, so that you can fish in the bay on one side and cross the street to enjoy the waves of the beach on the other.

One of my favorite places to eat (again, aside from my grandma’s house) is Five Sisters Blues Café, located in Historic Downtown Pensacola, which features southern cuisine and Creole and Caribbean dishes as well! There is also regular live blues music. It’s the perfect combination of all the best things about the south – its food, its music and its beaches.

Once you reach Pensacola Beach, take a scenic drive along the coast and pay attention to the houses you pass along the way. Some of them have been there for decades, including one with a UFO replica on its roof. Others, like the neon-painted houses near the Portofino Beach Resort, have given the drive new life.

I love to go kayaking or jet-skiing on the quiet water of Pensacola Bay – you can rent boats and vehicles for an hour at a time; explore the beautiful historic downtown Pensacola for museums, monuments and great boutiques; find a nice spot on the beach, set up a few fishing poles in the sand and relax!

Pensacola has given me a home away from home. Whenever I need an escape, I know I can always go there. It helps me experience life by bringing my closer to nature – to the beach and its many resources. I fish, I kayak and I swim. I’m hardly ever on land!

I tell everyone I know about how special Pensacola is to me. Nearly every time I visit, I bring a friend with me and show them around. It doesn’t take long for them to fall in love with Pensacola too. And more importantly, I always make sure to help keep the beautiful beaches clean by picking up after myself. I respect the wildlife and the community.

Pensacola is not that far from Navarre Beach. It’s a straightaway drive from the Portofino Resort. But in between those two towns is a long stretch of the coast. The land is too narrow for hotels or houses, but there are plenty of places to park and explore quieter beaches and the surrounding sand dunes. Even if you don’t park or leave your car, you are surrounded by sparkling blue water and there aren’t any building obscuring your view. It feels like heaven!

Thank you Pensacola for being such a comforting, fun place. I know you will always be in my life.