Naval Live Oaks Reservation


This section of Gulf Islands National Seashore doesn't actually contain (much) seashore – instead, it consists of groves of local maritime hammock (forest) cut through by 7.5 miles of hiking trails. What's in a name? Local live oaks, prized for their toughness and durability, were used as timber for early American warships.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Shoreline Park UFO Spotting

3 MILES

Maybe it's activity from the nearby Pensacola Naval Air Station, but this stretch of the gulf has apparently had hundreds of UFO sightings in the past few…

2. Historic Pensacola Village

5.81 MILES

Pensacola's rich colonial history spans more than 450 years. This fascinating and attractive village is a self-contained enclave of photogenic historic…

3. Pensacola Children's Museum

5.85 MILES

Learn about more than 450 years of local history and have some fun along the way in this compact museum occupying two floors of the historic (and…

4. Pensacola Museum of Art

5.87 MILES

In the city's old jail (1908), this lovely art museum features an impressive, growing collection of major 20th- and 21st-century artists, spanning cubism,…

5. TT Wentworth Jr Florida State Museum

5.88 MILES

Housed in an enormous historic mansion, this state museum showcases two floors of Florida and Pensacola history, and one floor of Wentworth's collection…

6. Voices of Pensacola

5.89 MILES

Part oral history archive, part interpretive center, this museum highlights, via videos and audio recordings, the different cultural groups that have…

7. Bay Bluffs Park

6.62 MILES

Off Pensacola Scenic Bluffs Hwy, this 32-acre park has wooden boardwalks that lead you along the side of the steep bluffs, through clutches of live oaks,…

8. Gulf Islands National Seashore

6.73 MILES

The highlight of the Florida Panhandle, this 150-mile stretch of mostly undeveloped white-sand beach is a prime example of what the Gulf Coast looked like…