Florida is often seen as a young state with a young history, and that certainly is largely true with most of its urban development and population growth occurring within the last half-century. However, just because something is largely true, doesn’t mean it’s wholly true. Florida does have some pretty significant and unique cultural history, especially in areas around the Panhandle like in Pensacola. Go Retro Tours is one of the few tour companies in this area that has built a multi-faceted company really focusing on the unique history of this slice of Florida.
Go Retro Tours has an office space located just north of Pensacola’s downtown neighborhood, but not all of its tours start there. Many of their tours will have set locations for you to arrive at in order to meet up with your tour guide or with the tour bus. If you have a larger party of twelve or more, Go Retro Tours will offer to send a vehicle to your location so long as you book the full tour for your group.
Which, let’s talk about their tour vehicles! Go Retro boasts two gorgeous tour vehicles. The first is a modernized 1930 Ford transit bus that was chosen due to it being the same type of vehicle that served as a public transit vehicle during the 1930s and 1940s. This one comfortably seats 20 passengers and offers a historical riding experience as you enjoy a historical tour. The second vehicle is a more modern one; a 2001 Ford shuttle bus that is ideal for smaller groups. Both of these tour vehicles are fully outfitted with heating and cooling as well as state-of-the-art video and sound technology.
In fact, Go Retro Tours takes the technological side of their business pretty seriously. Before they put together and advertise any of their content-specific tours, their in-house research and videographer team goes through extensive background research, planning, and collaborative work to create a high-end tour that blends into the tour a technological pairing with a personable tour guide. For example, their virtual system and video equipment make it so that you can look out one of their outfitted windows to see how the landscape or cityscape might have looked during a certain era while also having a tour guide explaining the differences and giving you a more detailed oral story of the history. This is what makes Go Retro Tours really special.
You will find that this company offers a myriad of Pensacola-related tours, with each one offered on varying days and times. Some of their most popular tours include:
Architecture
This Go Retro Tours option focuses on the development of Pensacola through its architecture. Here, you will see how different countries, natural disasters, and city immigrants changed the look and feel of this city’s structures. There is also a fascinating look at what historians cite as Pensacola’s “downtown conspiracy”.
Ghosts and Graveyards
The research team behind Go Retro Tours really went above and beyond to find some of the spookiest, most intriguing, and absolutely spectacular ghost stories in the area. Join with to learn more about the darker side of the city.
Insider Tips:
-As with many tours, Go Retro Tours aren’t for everyone. Most of their tour offerings are going to be heavily information-based. Those traveling with young kids or with people who are otherwise not too interested in history or sitting and listening to a guide for a significant portion of the outing, may not appreciate this company’s offerings. We recommend instead doing a self-tour and focusing more on Pensacola’s more active attractions.
-If you’re looking for an easy way to learn more about different Pensacola businesses and get a good deal, then we have to recommend the Hop-on Hop-off tour by Go Retro Tours. This option includes a special wristband that offers over $100 in discounts and giveaways at the stores featured along the tour route.