With the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been a rough year and a half for all of us. Too many of us have missed out on getting to know UWF and the surrounding area like we would if we had a normal college experience. That being said, there are still plenty of things to do around Pensacola where students can get a break from campus life and dive into what our area has to offer. 

For music lovers, Bands on the Beach is a great way to get out and relax. Every Tuesday night, the Santa Rosa Island Authority invites a local band to perform on the Gulfside Pavilion at Pensacola Beach. Lasting from the beginning of April until the end of October, Bands on the Beach allows for everyone to enjoy some sunshine and good times. 

The Seafood Festival is exactly what you would imagine. With tons of amazing seafood,arts and crafts vendors and good music, you can see some of the things you love take over parts of downtown Pensacola. Running from Sept. 24-26, this free event allows for everyone to meet new people and try some of the best seafood the country has to offer. 

The Pensacola Interstate Fair is a staple: you get sketchy fair rides, free concerts, a custom car show, an art gallery, an agricultural fair and so many other neat offers. The fair takes place from Oct 21-31. It’s a fun option to hang out with friends or have an Instagram-worthy date night. 

For our baseball fans, a good way to spend an evening is to go and see our local minor league baseball team, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. There are regularly scheduled home games during the baseball season, which lasts for a few more weeks. After every Saturday home game, the Wahoos host a firework show. The stadium is right on the Pensacola Bay and is one of the best views in minor league baseball. The games are always entertaining and are fairly cheap too, so it is a good way to get out and get back into baseball. 

Palafox Market is a farmers market held every weekend on Palafox Street in downtown Pensacola. The market offers over 100 weekly vendors, from handcrafted arts, locally grown produce, phenomenal food and even local ingredients to use in your kitchen such as honey or coffee. Palafox Market is a great place to buy a gift for anyone in your life, add some locally grown sustainable food to your diet and just get out and enjoy the company of people again.