South Pensacola - Pensacola, FL Area Guide

The South Pensacola community was established in 1908 by Lucius Brown. His builder, Haakon Paulson, built the community. The road from Pensacola to Mobile led through this area, and with the paving of Cervantes Street and Mobile Highway the area boomed. After World War II, this residential area experienced an increase in commercial construction. Gadsden Street is still home to a large concentration of these historical houses and buildings today.

Located right next to South Pensacola, historic downtown Pensacola has several museums and art galleries to explore. For $6, watch the Historic Pensacola Village come to life every Saturday as reenactors demonstrate cooking and trade skills of the time. Enter the historical City Jail for $7, and view the 19th and 20th century art displayed at The Pensacola Museum of Art, which also hosts annual events such as Art in the Park, held in Seville Square.

There are several small restaurants that cater to the South Pensacola area, spread along Route 90. Arlene William's Bar-b-que offers Southern soul food that keeps locals coming back for more. Pulled-pork sandwiches, beef brisket and barbecued chicken all served up with delicious, down-home sides such as coleslaw, baked beans, collard greens and potato salad. It's also known for its famous sweet potato pie and blackberry cobbler.

Locals rave that China Wok has the best Asian cuisine in all of Pensacola. China Wok is known for its consistently excellent service and tasty food. It offers daily lunch specials, such as general chicken Wednesday. However, no matter what you order off the menu, from the crab ragoon to the lo mein, everything on the menu is delicious and affordable.

You can't go wrong with some classic American grub, and that is exactly what you find at Oscar's Restaurant. Open from 6:30 am to 1:00 pm for breakfast, brunch and lunch. You can order huge portions of what you like and how you like it off the menu, or you can hit up the breakfast buffet to try a bit of everything. Either way, this old-school diner will have you begging for seconds of its famous hot cakes and homemade biscuits.

South Pensacola residents who crave a bit of diversity are in luck, as downtown and its numerous dining options are only minutes away. The same is true for the nightlife venues, for which downtown Pensacola is a central hub and attracts many of the South Pensacola night-owls. However, you can still find great options close to home. The Elbow Room is the local preferred watering-hole. Here you can rock out to the jukebox and enjoy great beer as you challenge your buddies in a round of arcade or board games.

All of Pensacola, including the South Pensacola area, is serviced by the Escambia County Area Transit. A bus fare costs you less than $2 and includes one transfer upon request; you can also purchase a 30-day pass for under $50. There are several cab services available in the surrounding area, from online services such as Uber to those available at physical locations such as Pensacola Taxi Company and Lucky Cab, open 24 hours a day.

South Pensacola has easy access to many major transit roads such as Route 90 and 29 as well as State Roads 292 (Pace Boulevard) and 295 (New Warrington Road). It is not surprising that residents of South Pensacola predominately drive their own cars as they navigate the neighborhood or commute to other areas.

The area is extremely walkable, and there are several biker-friendly roads, greater in number as you draw closer to downtown Pensacola. This, along with the fact that you have plenty of free parking lots in the area and even in the neighboring downtown area, make it safe and convenient for you to ditch your car as you peddle your way through the historic neighborhoods.

The South Pensacola community has several small, free, public parks such as Englewood, Allen, Kiwanis and others. Hollice T. Williams and Armstrong Park has open, green fields perfect for a family picnic or a game of softball or soccer, as well as a tennis courts and kid-friendly playgrounds. Shoot hoops on Allen Park's basketball court. The parks are pet-friendly under the guidelines that pets remain leashed. Lexington Terrace Dog Park is just a short drive outside of South Pensacola though if you wish to let your pet roam free.

South Pensacola is also home to the Wildlife Sanctuary of Northwest Florida, a non-profit organization dedicated to the care and rehabilitation of injured or orphaned indigenous wildlife. You can see the animals and tour the facility for the cost of a donation or, if you group is larger than 15 people, a small fee of $3 per person. It also holds tons of annual events to support its cause and involve the community such as the Artists Gone Wild art auction held in June or the WILDfest held in October.

Cost of living in South Pensacola is very affordable. The entire city of Pensacola has a cost of living that is 5 percent lower than the national average and the cost in this area of Pensacola is even more affordable. On average, a resident renting a one-bedroom in South Pensacola pays a little over $400, whereas the city's average rental rate is over $800 for a similar unit. Unfortunately, you don't save quite as much at the pump or at the pub. Gas in the area is 2 percent lower than the national average cost, and a beer at local pubs goes for around $9. Though, thankfully being so close to the city center means you can make it to downtown on public transit for less than $2.

Main roads throughout the South Pensacola area, such as Route 90, New Warrington Road and Pace Boulevard, are lined with retailers, shops and outlets. The Mariner Mall sits at the intersection of Route 90 and New Warrington. Throughout the area you find mostly traditional department stores; however, as you head toward downtown, you find several trendy boutiques and specialty stores. For example, Indigeaux Denim Bar and Boutique offers stylish, young women's fashion apparel and accessories. Atelier Alcaniz is a quirky boutique where art and fashion coexist with varied merchandise such as one-of-a-kind paintings, pottery, jewelry and unique, affordable clothing.

The Walmart Super-Center is the main supplier of groceries to this area, along with traditional stores such as Mayfair Grocery and Save-A-Lot. There are, however, several Asian food markets that also cater to the locals, including Bien Dong, Bogo Korean Market and Viet Hoa, which offers fresh ingredients such as ginger and lemongrass as well as having a high-quality butcher where you can get fresh meat and seafood at an affordable price.

The Palafox Farmer's Market is held in Martin Luther King Plaza in downtown Pensacola, open 8 am to 2 pm every Saturday. You can shop for fresh local produce and homemade goods. If you can't wait that long, the Ever'man Natural Foods store is close by as well and open daily offering organic produce, wheat grass juice and free range eggs.