Sunsets at Plaza de Luna Begin Tonight!

April 1, 2010 By Jen

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that one of my family’s all time favorite Pensacola activities is starting back up again tonight. I briefly mentioned it in my post about things to do this Spring Break, but our favorite family activity deserves a post all on its own!

Sunsets at the Plaza occur every Thursday night from April to sometime in September. The event starts at 5:30 and is located at the end of Palafox at Plaza de Luna. There is a concession stand with some yummy sandwiches but we usually pack a picnic dinner. The kids run through the splash pad fountains, run around the grass, listen to the band of the week, and meet the character that is there for the evening. Once we get into a routine of going weekly, my kids look forward to it and ask about it all the time! According to the website, this is the schedule for April:

April 1

Music: Scott Bryan and Friends

Character: Copy Character-Scooby Doo

Jazz Society

Face Painting

April 8

Music: The Charred Melon Cherries

Character: Pensacola Pelicans

April 15

Music: Shades

Character: Chic-fli-a Cow

Craft

April 22

Music: UWF Percussion Ensemble

Character: Copy Character-Winnie the Pooh

April 29

Music: Knee Deep

Character: McGruff

See you there!

Filed Under: Parks and Playplaces, Things to Do, Things to do Under $5 Tagged With: Downtown, Free Activities, Splash Pads

Our Top Five 2009 Family Friendly Picks in Pensacola

January 1, 2010 By Jen

In honor of the new year, we give you our top five family friendly activities/places in Pensacola for 2009. There is no fancy statistical process here…I asked my three and five year old children what their favorite things to do were and this is what they came up with. If asked what they wanted to do that morning, one of these activities was probably on their list!

1. Splash Pad at Plaza De Luna

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2. Sam’s Surf City — Sam’s Fun City was number 6 on the list, but my kids love the water park. We are thinking about a year pass this time!

3. Parks — Their favorite park right now is the one off of Tippin, but they love to visit any park!

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4. Walking — We love to go on nature walks as a family and Pensacola has so many awesome trails and boardwalks. Our favorite is UWF Edward Ball Nature Trail because they love to spot the turtles swimming!

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5. Bowling — Right now, our favorite place to go bowling is Oops Alley because you can set the bumpers to go up and down depending on who is playing at the time.

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What are your family favorite activities? List them in the comment section or send us an email with your suggestions so we can try them out!

Happy exploring!

Filed Under: Parks and Playplaces, Things to Do Tagged With: Free Activities, Parks, Pensacola, Splash Pads

Splash Pad at Plaza de Luna – Pensacola, Florida

September 10, 2009 By Jen

We love splash pads at the Pensacola with Kids family! We were especially excited when the splash pad/water feature was built in Plaza de Luna but we were quickly disappointed to learn that the only guaranteed time that the splash pad was open was on Thursday from 5:30-7pm…what???? We have this awesome free water feature that is a way to attract not only locals to the downtown area who will spend money on lunch or go shopping while they are down there, but also to attract tourists looking for a day away from the beach and it is only open two to three hours a week? That is a little ridiculous, don’t you think? Well, we thought so…

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I have been in contact with the awesome staff at the Community Redevelopment Agency since the beginning of the summer. They have been so helpful in answering any questions that I had right away and they have been great about keeping us informed of fantastic family friendly activities! They have been trying very hard to get the splash pad and concession stand up and running more than just two hours a week so that everyone can enjoy it.

So…the big news?!?! The splash pad at Plaza de Luna is tentatively open from 11-7, 7 days a week! The concession stand is also open for some of that time. YEAH! We are so excited about this. They are still trying to work out the kinks so please be patient with them. There are no guarantees that you will find everything up and operating because they may need to turn off the water or shut down the concession stand at any point.

But, with that being said…throw a swimsuit on, grab a towel and go have a picnic lunch in Plaza de Luna! We will post any information we receive about the Grand Opening!

Filed Under: Parks and Playplaces, Things to Do, Things to do Under $5 Tagged With: Downtown, Free Activities, Pensacola, Splash Pads

Eastern Shore Center – Spanish Fort, Alabama

August 5, 2009 By Jen

This post is the last in a series of Day Trip to Mobile, Alabama posts. See the other places that we visited: Gulf Coast Exploreum, Fort Conde, USS Alabama and Bass Pro Shops.

The Eastern Shore Center is a great shopping center. There are stores for everyone in the family, great restaurants, and our personal favorite-a splash pad! When we went to this splash pad it was packed. The Eastern Shore has lots of great family friendly activities. They allow birthday parties at the splash pad, they show free movies at the fountain, and they are having a Safe Kid’s Day on Friday during Alabama’s Tax Free Week. Remember their swimsuits, a change of clothes, sunscreen and a towel. The splash pad is a great place for the parents to relax while the kids run off some steam.

Filed Under: Day Trips & Overnighters, Parks and Playplaces, Things to Do, Things to do Under $5 Tagged With: Alabama, Day Trips from Pensacola, Free Activities, Mobile, Splash Pads

Destin Commons Pop Fountains (Splash Pad) – Destin, Florida

July 6, 2009 By Jen

This weekend we celebrated 4th of July in Panama City, Florida. On the way there, we stopped at the Destin Commons to let the kids run through the Pop Fountains and give us a break from the “Are we there yet?” whining! The Pop Fountains-they “pop” from the ground- are right in the middle of the Commons. There is a small playground next to the fountains. It is a great place to cool off or to take a break from your shopping. The kids loved the fact that the Pop Fountains kept them guessing…they couldn’t quite figure out the pattern of how the water popped out of the ground. Every time they thought that they had it figured out, the pattern changed! Make sure you bring the kids’ swimsuits or a change of clothes. There were many a parent trying to convince their children that they really didn’t want to run through the fountains!

Destin Commons has a kids program called DC Kids. If you join this free program, they will keep you informed of special events and you will receive an online newsletter. Other activities/stores for kids include the playground, Build-a-Bear, a small train that goes through the Commons, a Rave theater that is showing free movies this summer, and Bass Pro Shops (check out the huge fish tank!).

Filed Under: Day Trips & Overnighters, Parks and Playplaces, Things to Do, Things to do Under $5 Tagged With: Day Trips from Pensacola, Destin, Free Activities, Panhandle, Splash Pads

Sunday Show and Tell – Sunsets at the Plaza and Olde Seville Square

June 28, 2009 By Jen

I met Amy on the Pensacola Moms Like Me site…her post caught my eye because she had so many great ideas for activities in and around Pensacola. Of course, I thought that she would be perfect for our Sunday Show and Tell! This is the second of two different articles that Amy has written for us.

The Fountain Courtyard At Plaza De Luna at Palafox Pier

Every Thursday afternoon the City of Pensacola is going to turn on the fountains so the kids can play. We were out there for an 1 hour and 15 minutes, which as you know is a very long time for an 18 month old. It was great. All the kids were running, jumping, and playing in the water. There is a nice wall for parents to sit and monitor the kids just a few feet from the “splash zone.” When we were out there, a band came and started playing which just added to the fun. There is also an open grassy area that kids can run and play in, it would be perfect for flying a kite or a picnic. From the fountains, we did a quick outfit change and then off to Music in the Park at Seville Square. The key to this is to get there early enough to get a seat near the stage so you can see all the dancers and join in with the fun. Make sure to bring Bug Spray and an umbrella and lawn chairs. Music starts every Thursday night at 7 but people start arriving around 5. I’m looking forward to attending as many Thursdays as my schedule will allow this summer.

Amy-Your little Miss is just the cutest!!

Check out other Sunday Show and Tell features here or choose one of the articles below:

Pensacola Naval Aviation Museum

Evenings in Olde Seville Square

First Friday Nights in Downtown Milton

If you would like to write about your favorite place to take the kiddies, please use the Contact Form or send me an email at jennifer (at) pensacolawithkids (dot) com.

Filed Under: Parks and Playplaces, Things to Do, Things to do Under $5 Tagged With: Downtown, Free Activities, Pensacola, Show and Tell, Splash Pads

John Duncan Memorial Children’s Park, Splash Pad and The Butterfly House -Navarre, Florida

June 8, 2009 By Jen

This is one of my Littles favorite day trips during the Summer! Depending on when you go, it can range from not very crowded at all to packed. But even when it is packed, there’s plenty of room to run and play. My kids love the Splash Pad the most!

The Panhandle Butterfly House a close second. Remember it is open Thursday-Saturday and admission is FREE, but donations are appreciated.

There are several picnic tables, as well as 2 different play ground areas. And the swings facing the water are the best!

Filed Under: Day Trips & Overnighters, Parks and Playplaces, Things to Do, Things to do Under $5 Tagged With: Day Trips from Pensacola, Navarre, Panhandle, Splash Pads

Sunsets at Plaza de Luna at Palafox Pier-Pensacola, Florida

May 28, 2009 By Jen

*As of this update, there will no longer be Sunsets at Plaza de Luna in 2012. If that news changes, we will update this listing.

Tonight we went to Sunsets at Plaza de Luna. There is a great water feature, or splash pad, located at Plaza de Luna. There is also an open grassy lawn, places for fishing, a band and tonight? The piece de resistance?

SPONGE BOB!

Yup…that was my children’s favorite thing next to playing in the water. We spent almost 2 full hours letting the kids run in and out of the water spouts, splashing and laughing the whole time. There was a cool breeze blowing and the sunset was beautiful. There were a lot of people out and about. There were people listening to the band, Ask Bill the Band, and there were people having dinner on the lawn. The splash pad was big enough so that lots of kids were able to run around. Sponge Bob was walking around visiting with the kids. We went with another family and have already decided to return next week with a picnic dinner. If you have water shoes for your little one, I would recommend bringing them with you. Neither of my kids wore shoes and they were fine on the splash pad; however, as soon as they hit the walkway outside of the splash pad both of them took a tumble. I saw several kids slip on their way out because the texture of the sidewalk is different from that of the splash pad. This is such an awesome addition to Pensacola.

Right now, you can definitely catch the water running on Thursday nights from 5:30 to around 7:00.

I have been in touch with the Community Redevelopment Agency and they are attempting to get the splash pad operating during the day on a more regular basis. It is in the works and as soon as I get word that it is open more than just Thursday nights, I will post it here! Check the schedule before you go! As of today, the schedule for Sunsets at Plaza de Luna is as follows:

June 4 – Band: Out of Nothing; Character: Surrender the City
June 11 – Band: Renee Arozqueta; Character: Jack Sparrow
June 18 – Band: Bella Orange; Character: Barbie
June 25 – Band: Paper Scissors Rocketpack; Character: Spiderman