Old Historic Pensacola Village and Joe Patti’s

November 22

While waiting for our new sails we had the opportunity to explore Pensacola.  Last weekend we were able to view the Blue Angels Homecoming, the last show of their season from our anchorage at Fort McRee.  This week we toured Historic Pensacola Village.  There are several museums to visit and with the exception of the Art Museum it only cost a very reasonable $7.00 per person.   Here are a few of the highlights we visited.  

We began our day at the interesting T.T. Wentworth Museum.  T.T. Wentworth was a businessman, politician and collector of historic artifacts.  He was also a charter member of the Pensacola Historic Society and left his vast collection to the state of Florida.  He was said to never throw anything away and his eclectic collection is well worth viewing. 

We were also impressed with the Trader Jon display within the same museum.  Martin Weissman was the eccentric owner of Trader Jon’s Bar well known for his mismatched socks and “Tradernomics”.  The establishment was one of Pensacola’s top tourist destinations for decades.  It was patronized by local military personnel as well as politicians and celebrities.  It closed in the 90’s after Trader Jon had a stroke. 

Also included in the T.T. Wentworth was a captivating display of 50 illustrated envelopes featured by The Art of ACE.  Art Cover Exchange was an organization active from 1935 into the 1950’s.  The members were from around the world and they would illustrate the envelopes used to mail letters to other members, often getting

their inspiration from released stamps, day to day life, and major issues of the day.  

The Julee Cottage was built around 1805 and named for one of its earliest owners, Julee Panton, a free woman of color.  The cottage is part of the self-guided tour and is a representation of a working class African-American family during the era of Reconstruction.

Old Historic Pensacola Village is all within walking distance of Joe Patti’s, a remarkable fresh seafood market with a staggering display of seafood.  The only downside of this shopping trip was the size of our freezer which will fit about one tray of ice cubes.  You can pull up to their docks at no charge.  We stayed 2 nights in order to tour the Village and ate fresh seafood for 4 wonderful days.  I highly recommend a stop at Joe Patti’s.  They also have a Beignet Stand in front of the store, so we had pastries covered!

Still waiting for sails……….