We took this tour last night at last minute. Roxanne was very nice and helpful. We were only 2 on…read moretour. Roxanne personalized the tour for us.lots of great history amazing fun facts. I've lived here 10 years and realized I didn't know much about this place. Roxanne even walked us to the restaurant we ate at. I would recommend this tour for any transplants to the area.

From the owner: Walk the streets of Downtown Ft Walton Beach and step into a thousand years of history. Indian…read morevillages,Spanish gold.... Pirate tales saltier than the Emerald Gulf they sailed upon...Pioneer cattlemen, Rebs and Yanks struggle to carve out a better life... Gangsters and Land developers lure Mid Westerners to a sugary- sand paradise. ..USAF bases , Crab Island and how we became the Redneck Riviera. Travel through the years hear the hi-lights and low-lights of each period. With the sounds and sights of Downtown Fort Walton, Florida as your backdrop.

A family home built in 1882 by a local fisherman on the Bon Secour river. A beautiful estate well…read morekept throughout the years. Offering tours for $5 or come in to look around. Now available as a wedding venue as well. With various rooms being used as a Bridal and Groom suite. A large outdoor backyard with a pavilion in construction. This place is gorgeous, offering a glimpse at old life in the south. Improvements are constantly being made to keep the legacy of the Swift-Cole family living on.

Swift-Coles Historic Home, in Bon Secour, AL, initial construction was in1882, is a 6000 sq ft…read morestunning old home with 3500 sq ft of porches with swings and fans, love it. It's filled with beautiful period antiques, some which are familiar to me from my granny's home, that immediately transported me back my childhood. The grounds are beautiful with large Magnolia trees and 120 yr old Live Oak trees with Spanish moss everywhere and there's Azaleas, Hydrangeas and a variety of other plants and shrubs. The grounds all around are meticulously maintained giving the property vibrant look and appeal. Originally it was the home of Charles and Susan Swift and their 11 children, it was purchased in 1976 by Nik Coles. Before his death in 2007, he bequeathed the home to the Baldwin County Historic Development Commission. In 2009 the home was opened to the public and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A debt of gratitude is owed to Mr. Nik Coles for his contributions in saving one of the most colorful and outstanding examples of the turn of the century Gulf Coast architecture in our community. The Swift-Coles Historic Home is now open to the public for summer tours. The guided tours leads visitors through the 16 room historic tidewater mansion and grounds to experience how life along the Bon Secour River would have been nearly 100 years ago. There's lots of legends and lore about this place being haunted, many about the deceased displeasure with the renovations. I have been here several times and the last was recently with #1 son and my neighbor Claudine for a late night paranormal investigation with Panhandle Paranormal Group. It indeed was very cool! For more information about tours and current events call (251) 949-5550 or visit their Facebook page at: https://facebook.com/Swift-Coles-Historic-Home-544364585730248/ Bottom line: A lovely piece of history, it's not Mount Vernon but it's lovely.

I thought this place was pretty cool. They have a ton of airplanes outside that you can walk around…read moreand look at. Really puts into perspective how massive those aircraft are. Inside you can also see what the atom bomb looks like, numerous photos, letters, and all kinds of other memorabilia. It's a very cool place. It's a little outdated, but you don't pay to go inside, so it's kind of expected. I think if you were driving by, and you see it I would have 100% recommend. I wouldn't tell anybody to drive over 30 minutes and go out of their way to see it though. The airplanes and aircraft outside was definitely the coolest part.

Unfortunately the day I visited it was rainy and dreary. The lady at the front patiently went over…read morewhat the museum had to offer. I spent about 1.5 hours and really enjoyed myself. They were times I became emotional. The history of the AF runs deep and this space was a sliver. I didn't get to see the outside planes due to the weather. Check them out Yelpers.

3/27/2025: This was my favorite part of the historical tour downtown. This piece is a guided tour…read more Aiden was very detailed and had a full knowledge of the history of Pensacola. We started in a home built in 1805, then went to the oldest church in Florida built in 1832, then saw 2 additional homes. One was from 1871 and the other from 1890. I don't want to give too much away in my review, so the best thing I can suggest is to not miss this part! When Aiden detailed the past for us, he used words as current descriptions and like he was the one who was performing the daily tasks. It was a nice touch. To see how people lived long ago is amazing. When you walk into the area of the first home, you'll see a woman tending the garden, a man wood working, a woman playing the flute, and another woman playing the violin. It was like a little play. I've been vacationing in Pensacola since 1975 when I was 2 months old. I love the beach but this is the first time I saw the history it holds. Very impressed. The guided tour takes about an hour. You can only see these homes and the church by purchasing a ticket for the tour. It's a bundle ticket that also gets you into the self guided museums. $12 for adults. Highly recommend!

The most adorable street here in The City of 5 Flags, Adams St, sits Pensacola's gorgeous little…read moreHistoric Village. Anchored by the tall white steeple of the old Christ Church, also known as "Christ Church" which was built in 1832. It's one of the oldest surviving church buildings in Florida & has the cutest little cottage on the planet right behind it. Services/events are still held there & you can actually rent the Church & cottage for weddings/events. Historically, in 1822 Pensacola had just recently been acquired by the United States and with this acquisition, came a surge of missionaries. In 1828, Father Ralph Williston arrived in Pensacola & with some of the town's Protestants supporting him, Williston acquired a charter & the property to build Christ Church. It is Gothic revival, absolutely gorgeous, has a long torrid history that is worth a read & is def a must visit. Also the best preserved example of post Civil War Classical Revival architecture in the Pensacola Historic District is the Yellow "Dorr House" built by Clara Barkley Dorr in 1871 for her & her five children. Her sister in law, "Clara Dorr Moreno" was named after her, as she was part of the Moreno family that lived across the street. The Moreno 'shotgun' cottage that stands there today was built by Don Francisco Moreno for his daughter LaPearle, one of the youngest of his 27 chidren by three wives. The house was a gift for LaPearle on the eve of her marriage to Octavius Smith. It contained no kitchen, as the newlyweds took their meals in the main Moreno home which once stood on the very same lot. A great deal of Pensacola's heritage began with the Spanish Moreno men who rebuilt the Spanish population here in Pensacola, following the British departure of 1781. Local Legendary Spaniard "Don Francisco Moreno" is rumored to have been Pensacola's wealthiest man. Some reports suggest that "the Don" became the community's primary banker. True to Spanish Pirate style, strictly dealing in gold, that he hid under his bed, or maybe, somewhere X? That is the "Key" question. There is also the local Legendary Pirate stories of "Billy Bowlegs" who preyed & pillaged booty from the Spanish Conquistadors who shipped through the Gulf of Mexico here, until 1838. Bowlegs is said to have stored hundreds of thousands worth of silver & gold booty on his personal schooner. Eventually rumored, to have hid his vast Pirate treasure of gold & silver on a sandy island off the northern Gulf Coast. and/or on "Perdido Key." AKA The "lost KEY." As I have wrote about this before, Pensacola has recently been discovered, to be the VERY FIRST established city in modern America. The City of 5 flags, historical era, begins with the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadors who sailed into the bay in the 15th century. Six years BEFORE Spanish Conquistadors explorers arrived in St Augustine, Florida, in 1565. In 1559 Tristan de Luna & his mateys established the very first settlement at Pensacola Bay, the first multi-year European settlement, in what is now the continental United States of America. Abandoned for many years, in the late 17th century, the Spanish Conquistadors returned to find a more developed Pensacola, they battened down the hatches to hornswoggling an outpost, from which to defend their claims to Spanish Florida. Pensacola's idyllic, strategic but isolated "KEY" position, combined with the continued European rivalries playing out their "wars" in North America, lead to Pensacola changing hands among the Western powers a number of times. At these different times over the years, it was held by the British, the Spanish, the French, the United States & the Confederate States of America. Hence, the city of 5 flags. The Historic Village of Pensacola, AKA Pirate'cola, is def full of intriguing history. It's nine acres located exactly, in the original Spanish & British forts, in downtown Pensacola. I highly recommend you purchase a "One Ticket, Seven Days to Explore" ticket that enables you to leisurely visit all of the museums, participate in self-guided tours of all the historic homes. And you can even interact with period-dressed living history interpreters at some of the buildings. What I find most fascinating about Historic Pensacola Village is; every door, from the Dorr house to the Moreno Cottage to the 1810 Watson house, the street flags, even the entrance sign, has a giant symbol of a "Key." Perhaps it's just a symbol, a symbol of a "lost key." Or maybe, it's a reminder of a "key" to a Spanish Pirate treasure lost, lost here on the Gulf of Mexico. Lost on "Perdido Key." Highest Recommendations

I'm a wedding artist and I drew caricatures here at a wedding last year…read more If you like beautiful pictures, this is the place for you. This wedding was set outside and had a gorgeous view of the bay. Since we were there during the golden hour (the hour before sunset) many of my pictures turned out to be some of the best I've ever taken. Beautiful venue, well run and seamless, highly reccommend.

The beautiful Barkley House is the oldest masonry house in Pensacola…read more It's part of Historic Pensacola village dating back to 1825. It's very beautiful, facing Pensacola bay & is surrounded by lush beautiful gardens. The little tiny house at the side was where the cooks kitchen was. So adorable. There is a informational phone/recording you can listen to, you can take a tour or explore it at your leisure. A must visit when visiting Pirate'cola. Highly recommend.

This is exactly the kind of experience you want to have when visiting a new area! Aside from this…read morebeing our first Segway event, the best part of the evening was our guide. She rocks and made the session an amazing evening. Small business owner with top notch service!!! Will definitely recommend this if you are area!

Me and my Lady had a Blast! That was our first time on Segway's, before I even got on the thing I…read moredidn't even know the name of it. I didn't watch that movie mall cop. It is absolutely safe and very easy to ride. It's build for ages 14 and up. They were very professional, patient with great instruction. Had radios and helmets while riding. Showed you a great tour of the city, and some of the best views in Destin. I enjoyed it so much I want to purchase A Segway. This is a must for groups so anyone traveling in Destin. I guarantee you will not regret trying it!! THANKS SEGWAY TOURS FOR THE GREAT EXPERIENCE

My husband and I went on the Ashes to Ashes tour with Todd yesterday. It was super informative and…read morehe covered a lot of info in the hour and 1/2 walking tour of the graveyard. I would definitely attend another.

I've been on two different tours with Todd and am looking forward to my third. After moving to…read moreMobile and gathering as much of the history from books as I could endure a friend and I joined Todd on his Sunday walking tour. It was great. His stories brought to life all the dry facts I had read. Almost a year later I joined Todd on his Mardi Gras tour. Having experienced two Mobile Mardi Gras hearing his tales brought it all full circle and the how's and who's were answered. I would recommend these tours to anyone, local or guests. They are informative without being overwhelming. My next tour will be one of his evening tours and I'm ever so looking forward to it!

A worthwhile stop. $3 to help support the history of this area and it's a pleasure doing so…read more The schoolhouse/dance hall/church is a wonderful example of a community center and community spirit. The post office is the same. Plenty of trivia to read and learn and then there is the Indian Mound Museum which is also very well done. The staff are knowledgeable and helpful. Highly recommend

I came here on a rainy week day and it was a neat place. We visited the mound, school house, and…read morethe various museums. The staff was very friendly and took time to tell us about the site. Overall it was definitely worth 5$ and it offers something interesting to everyone.

Beautiful beach. There's no doubt about that. But if you have pets, this is probably one of the…read moremost unfriendly pet places I have ever been. I'm not just referring to the beach itself because I get it, not everyone wants dogs on the beach. I'm talking about the town itself. I have not found really any places that are pet friendly. There's a few, but they're so few that it makes it very hard to enjoy your vacation with a pet. I came with my son and his family and I guess I should have looked it up first, but I just didn't expect it to be so widespread.

This is a laid back park with a nearby dock. There is a small children's play area and a few…read morebenches around plus a gazebo. The water offers a measure of tranquility and it is a great place to sit back and regroup your thoughts and recharge your batteries.

Great small experience zoo, this isn't your big zoo where they really push spending on you and…read moreeating places. 1/4 of it is designed for you to feed all sorts of animals and have an alpaca cut all the other animals off when feeding them lol. The giraffe feeding was fun and they have a great small display of all sorts of animals. If you want a quick 2 hours zoo and have some kind people to talk to where your time is yours alone. This place is perfect and local.

Every time we go on vacation, we have to find a zoo. The Emerald Coast zoo did not disappoint. You…read morecan tell the animals are well cared for and the zoo grounds are extremely clean and well kept. This does not seem to be the norm with many small family run zoos in the US There is a large variety of animals some of which we've never seen in enlarged shoes and this is one of the few zoos we've been to where the animals are active and almost interact with visitors. While we were there, the lions that are penned together or playful and seemed interested in the humans on the other side of the fence. We fed the giraffes which include a young one who is very adorable. We also had a nice interaction with one of the zoo staff who was cleaning out the porcupine pen. She was very informative and was willing to answer questions about the porcupines and gave us some information about other animals that we would encounter in the zoo. Overall, it was a good experience and we would highly recommend the zoo to people who enjoy learning about animals or just want something different to do. On a fun note we appreciated that the signage told us the names of some of the animals like two emus named Karen and water buffaloes named fast and slow, if you're a fan of Veggietales, you'll get that last reference.