Discover where history was made
Explore over 260 years of history and discover the fascinating story of how Pensacola became the city it is today.
Known as the “City of Five Flags” for having been under Spanish, French, British, American, and Confederate rule, it began with Native American settlements, the first failed attempt at European colonization in 1559 by Tristán de Luna, and a permanent founding in 1698 by the Spanish, becoming an important strategic port that witnessed the birth of naval aviation and preserves its legacy in museums and historical sites.
The First Settlement Trail of America is a three-mile marked route that winds through downtown Pensacola and the Pensacola Historic District. Along this trail, we’ll find twenty stops and more than seventy points of interest. The route takes you past sites dating back to 1756, the year the Spanish built Fort San Miguel in what is now downtown Pensacola.
