Great place to explore, especially if you enjoy history and beautiful scenery. We went kinda late but plan on coming back and camping! It's definitely a place you want to spend a whole day at so plan for that. Ready to go back and explore the rest. Bottom line definitely give this place a visit.

I downloaded the fort Pickens self guided tour app. And I highly recommend doing it. The app takes you through all of the points of interest and explains in detail each number. A great self guided tour. I had a lot of fun. I highly recommend. It was to crowded when I went. More people were showing up as I was finishing up my tour and was starting to get really busy. I recommend going early morning.

2nd time visiting Fort Pickens and had a great time both visits! This time we downloaded the National Park Service app and took the available self guided tour. This is super convenient and more informative than just walking it. I will also say that there were several Park Rangers at the fort while we were there (didn't get their names, but they were amazingly informative and helpful!) and you should definitely chat it up with them about the fort. They are well informed and super helpful and a great asset to the park. The fort itself is in good shape and there are lots of rooms, hallways and areas to explore... several large cannons as well. It's really a beautiful area. Don't forget to check out the information center and the several battery areas on the way out too... Lots of really cool stuff! The toll to get in the park is $25 (or $20?...) but it's good for 1 weeks access. Also gives you access to several beaches that tend to not be crowded and are quite beautiful as well. It's an awesome deal and one that I take advantage of when I'm in town... Love it!

Great history. You can walk thru the fort unguided or use the audio tour. Amazing place built in 1834. Due to, what else, covid, the bookstore is closed. Discovery Center is definitely worth a stop. Many displays that you can play the audio description of plus videos every so often. Federal land so you must mask up when indoors. Worth the drive to see it.

I've been to old forts before and have been non plussed. Fort Pickens is not this way! Really big, well kept fort, you can walk all over. Start with the visitor center, watch the film, read all about it, talk to the super knowledgeable ranger, THEN go walk around the grounds, you will understand it way better. Rangers are also on grounds daily and at 2pm they give a mystery talk, subject varies. Really awesome. Super place to watch the Blue Angels as well!! This is a national park, so of course it is well worth visiting. Biking around here is fun as well, oh and did I mention the beautiful beaches?!?!

Very beautiful, quiet, relaxing area. The fort was interesting for our whole group: adults, elementary & even middle school age! Get the national parks app before you go or while in the museum so you can do the self-guided tour - made the experience much better!

Historic Fort Pickens is truly an amazing Civil War fort that is packed with history, and a bit of mystery!! Incredible architecture to not just the fort, but also the batteries nearby. Im in awe at how such huge pieces of armament could have been put in place to protect this area. Two other Civil War forts were in the area which provided protection to the bay. This place is definitely worth the visit, not only for history buffs, but for anyone wanting to see something really cool!!

What an amazing historical site. I highly recommend going to this site to learn about Spanish and American history. While you're there you should go and enjoy the beach in the park. The beaches in this park are really beautiful and are not crowded. If you want to find some sea shells, then you should come to this site and see the beautiful clear blue waters.

It is nice for the beach but I think $25 is a bit steep unless you plan on coming every single day for a week. We walked around looking at the ruins and it was interesting but the nicest part is the beach. The beach is beautiful with gorgeous blue water and it is really clean, besides the food people left behind which is still littering. We went looking for seashells and didn't find much if anything but watching the ocean was great.

What a great place to visit!!! We have 3 boys ages 9,11, and 14 and this was a perfect activity for them! It does not disappoint! Dark tunnels to explore, lookouts to view, and plenty of history to discover and learn! As a homeschooling family this has everything wrapped up into one! In a time where kids are becoming more ignorant of the rich history of our country and sacrifices made, what a blessing to have historic places like these that still exist and are preserved for the public to experience. We parked in an alternate parking lot and were able to walk a .5mile trail to the fort. There is also short walk to the beach. This weekend was busier due to the Blue Angels homecoming.... but definitely still enjoyable!

Great place to visit to learn about the civil war and the defense of the United States coast. Would highly recommend taking a tour since the fort has so much history that is hard to capture in just reading the signs. You pay $25 for a 7 day pass to get in, but then you have access to the national seashore as well which has lovely beaches

Was told this was a good place to go watch the Blue Angels practice. A cool piece of history here. It reminds me of Ft. Niagara in NY and much bigger than Ft. Sumter in SC. Love these old forts. Place is well kept and there's lots to see and explore. It was a good view for the planes as well.

Our family loves going to Fort Pickens. It's free for military and their family so we try to take full advantage. The beaches are spectacular and clean. There are camping sites and trails to walk. The Fort is the most impressive thing and sometimes you can even catch the blue angels practicing overhead. I highly recommend this place for a fun day for the family.

If you love historical places this is awesome place to visit, especially with kids. The area is beautiful and peaceful.

We gone early morning to this for Sunrise. Awesome views. No one there/no traffic. History and artifacts are good as well. Can easily spend 40-60 in driving with all the stops and views and another 2 hours at the fort.

AMAZING!!! Our family is visiting from Arkansas and we were so excited to see this spot of history. The best part was at 11:30 they fire a canon! The staff was so kind and very knowledgeable. Thank you for a wonderful time!

We always stop here during our yearly trip to Pensacola. Our kids have a great time exploring all the passages of the fort. (Pro tip: bring a flashlight). It does get extremely hot inside the fort so be sure to bring lots of water. The park rangers have always been friendly and will take time talking to the kids, answering all their questions. Overall a great place to stop, explore, and even enjoy the beaches.

Really unique historical site to visit. If you're in the area it's a must see. Think it would be very cool to do the boat tour to the island and surrounding points of interest.

Before you come to this beautiful place let me tell you all about it. It’s such a wonderful place and give you a wonderful experiences and you will never forget it. I would like to recommend it to anyone, any age or gender, I mean, kids, seniors or any age but before you come here you should expect a long hours of walking, than you need drinking water, snacks, sunscreen, a good shoes, don’t use 👠 use 👟. Also you might need a great camera or phone full of Charge to take pictures and videos. After you get there you should take a look at information center, “if you have any questions”. But it’s simple to get there, there might be an entrance fees too. Thanks and enjoy

Our first time checking out Fort Pickens. We didn’t pay for entry but we are military. None military have to pay an entry fee but I’m not sure how much that is. Fort Pickens was much bigger than I was expecting. Definitely worth exploring and an interesting piece of history close to home. We had fun walking down the narrow tunnels with our phone lights on. Be aware that if you’re taller than 4’5” you’ll have to duck as you walk down the tunnel, but it’s fun.

This was our second visit and if you're there on a Tuesday for sure you'll see the Blue Angels practice around 10:35. But the park is really fun to visit and very photogenic Campground is a 2-mile walk and you can fish on the bay or the Gulf side. We loved it!

Beautiful historic site. If you can, read the history before you go. Free entry for military, must show ID at the gate. The speed limit is 25mph enjoy nature & the drive. Pet friendly, wear comfortable shoes, take a hat, and prepare to get your steps in. There is a gift shop but I recommend carrying your own snacks & water. Lovely area to snap a few photos. People camp and fish there as well.

Such a great experience! Walking through the fort is so captivating. Then you can stop at any of the beach access points and soak up some sun on the bright white sandy beaches. I loved every minute of it

While on a road trip from Colorado to Key West in February 2022, we spent two nights here in the Fort Pickens Campground. It was an enjoyable, flat approximately 1 mile walk to the Fort Pickens. The fort is an interesting, historic place to explore. We enjoyed walking the western perimeter on the seawall.

The rangers were very informative. The trail and campgrounds were well maintained and the night sky was beautiful! We tent-camped in loop b but all the sites seemed nicely separated. The beach was amazing!

It was extremely hot during our visit, but it was a nice relief inside the structures. It is a very interesting piece of history and I appreciate that we were able to visit with our America the Beautiful Veterans' pass. The self guided tour was very informative and the drive out was a cool experience.

The fort is a nice thing to go see. have a self tour download the app they have to get more information on the area. Entry fee is $25 for a week but that's for the conservatory area and getting into the fort is free. But along that stretch before you get to it, it has some beautiful beaches.

Nice place to visit and see a historical star shaped fort. Pricey entrance fee of $25 per vehicle. Does allow a access for several days. Since it is s national park, if you have the pass or are veteran, there are discounts.

Great spot to visit, the only downside was the price, but it's good for 5 or 7 days, so really not that bad. We had a great time visiting the fort and the batteries around there. Very cool history and a beautiful place for a picnic.

If you are disabled /Veteran look into the Acess Pass for national parks..... $0 entry fee. Beautiful place with so much history and the Fort is fully wheelchair accessible (lower half) A great time to explore history and beautifully architecture. 😍

Absolutely worth the trip. Don't let the water on the road deture you, on your way in sometimes the tide is high, so alot of water on the road so go slow. O ce your in the area it is just amazing the history of this place. And kinda spooky feeling walking around the ruins. Definitions worth it!

I have been coming for years. It's my happy place. The old fort is beautiful. My children and grandchildren love it. There is a wealth of knowledge for children about the sea and area. Relaxing on the beach or walking down the shore both peaceful and beautiful. Park rangers are really great. Although I miss the days they didn't allow drinking It's still not as much as other beaches.

Wonderful Discovery Center. Full of educational fun activities. The kids loved earning the junior ranger badge. The drive into the fort was beautiful. Exploring the tunnels and old hallways of the fort was interesting and spooky! Perfect for the beginning of October! I completely recommend the visit for anyone homeschooling or collecting junior ranger badges! My family loved our visit! We have the annual national park pass. It's saved my family so much money.

Great place to see, there weren't any staff there and the souvenir shop was closed. Non the less the fort was really awesome and had GREAT views. There's some spooky dark tunnels you can kind of walk through. They're about 4 ft high. If you go there a funny surprise at the end. If you hang around for a little while on the roof, you WILL see blue angels test flying from the air force base. All in all, we paid $25 for a week's pass, and it's very well worth it. The best sunset on the island is right behind Fort Pickens

The rangers in the visitor center were friendly, but were not able to answer questions I had about birds I had spotted on the drive out. I found the self-guided app tour difficult to use - I'd suggest that in-park signage align with that guide in some way.

Such a cool spot to wander around and check out the history! I went as a kid and it was fun to bring our family back and show my kids the fort. It can be spooky walking through the tunnels, my kids loved that though!