Nothing says happy holidays like hand picking that perfect gift for a loved one and what better place to do it than one of Expedia’s Best American Towns for Holiday Shopping. Experience the utmost of festive cheer as you pop in and out of local boutiques and shops laced with over 400,000 twinkling lights. All throughout the month, visitors will have the chance to experience, a diverse, season-long lineup of events as traditional as “The Nutcracker” and as modern as Pop-Up Opera through Winterfest.
Once you move through the holidays and prepare to meet 2018, nothing says welcome to the new year like an icy-cold plunge into the Gulf of Mexico. Named to the Southeast Tourism Society’s Top 20 Events, you and over 2,000 of your closest friends can take a celebratory swim at the annual Flora-Bama Polar Bear Dip. But don’t just stop there, we want you to stay and play all season long. With nearly 10 events recognized, there’s something for everyone.
For anyone looking for an adrenaline rush, lace up those sneakers and take off for the Double Bridge Run or the McGuire’s Prediction 5K. The races may be hard, but we party harder. Following the McGuire’s Prediction 5K, the largest St. Patti’s Day affair on the Gulf Coast takes place complete with Irish Wakes, bean soup, eccentric costumes and to top it all off an Irish folk band.
For those that are interested in the party and not necessarily the cardio, the Pensacola Grand Mardi Gras Parade, another event named to the Southeast Tourism Society’s Top 20 Events, will supply the moon pies and good times. Hosted in the American Planning Association’s Greatest Place to Live in Florida, Downtown Pensacola boasts a winding maze for over 6,000 participants and their floats to weave through.
As always, Canadian Traveller’s Top US Beach Getaway, Pensacola Beach, will be there for you to relax on with its sugar-white sand and a signature bushwhacker in hand.
For more information on Winter travel to the Pensacola Bay Area, visit www.visitpensacola.com.
About Visit Pensacola
Visit Pensacola is the destination management organization for Escambia County which includes Pensacola, Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key. With over 450 years of rich history and 18 miles of sugar-white sand beaches bordered by the emerald-green waters of the Gulf of Mexico, visitors from all over the world are lured to our pristine shores every year. Visit Pensacola supports the community vision of tourism by serving as the central body responsible for building tourism as an economic engine for our community through leadership, connection, collaboration and communication.
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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a68132a2-ac46-41da-88e8-abe1140f8f30