Fort Pickens Plaza at Gulf Islands National Seashore
The Fort Pickens Plaza at Gulf Islands National Seashore in Florida is located at the north end of the parking lot that serves Fort Pickens. Here you will find modern restrooms, a covered pavilion, a ferry dock, a mine loading building, and a mine storeroom building. The storeroom building supposedly has some exhibits as well as a snack bar inside, but it was closed when I visited, so I can’t confirm this. The buildings have always been here, but it was only in 2017 that the plaza was constructed and in 2019 when the restrooms were added. One note about the restroom building: there are restrooms on either side of the building. I saw people standing in line on the front side who didn’t know this, and there were no lines on the backside.
Covered pavilion at Fort Pickens Plaza, Gulf Islands National Seashore
Mine Storeroom at Fort Pickens, Gulf Islands National Seashore
Mine Loading Building at the Fort Pickens, Gulf Islands National Seashore
A ferry runs from downtown Pensacola to the dock at the Fort Pickens Plaza from mid-March until the end of October, typically on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. See the Pensacola Bay City Ferry website for more information.
Part of the ferry dock ramp is also a ramp to the beach at Fort Pickens.
Ramp to the beach near the ferry dock at Fort Pickens, Gulf Islands National Seashore
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Last updated on March 12, 2025
