Watch Fort Pickens history come to life with the return of the Pensacola Bay City Ferry

The Pensacola Bay City Ferry had its first run to Fort Pickens Saturday afternoon after a more than two-year hiatus.

The two 150-passenger catamaran-style ferryboats owned by the National Park Service and operated by City Experiences by Hornblower began service to Gulf Islands National Seashore on April 20, 2019. A year later in 2020, Hurricane Sally devastated the Gulf Coast, resulting in a pause in service.

Pensacola Bay City Ferry Manager Joe Asebedo said reopening the route is only the start of an exciting season.

“This is the first year in 2023 we’re able to use all three ports, everything’s fixed, boats are fixed - running great. So, we’re very confident and feel very good about the start of the season for sure,” Asebedo said.

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Gulf Islands National Seashore Superintendent Darrell Echols said the route is special because it gives riders a taste of what life was like when the fort was still in use.

“Ferry service to the park is a fairly new visitor experience, but it’s not a new concept for the way people accessed Santa Rosa Island,” Echols said. “Long before the seashore was a National Seashore, vessels and boats brought people, brought supplies, brought materials to the park to construct fortifications, to defend Pensacola Pass and to explore the island.”

The Fort Pickens service will only run Saturdays, for now. Route availability will increase as ridership increases through the season, which runs March through October.

Passenger Lolita Hershberger experienced Echols’ message firsthand. A new resident of Pensacola, and to the United States after living in Poland for many years, the ferry was a tool to see Pensacola history come to life. As the boat approached the fort by water, she pictured the soldiers carefully standing watch in the towers for enemy ships to approach.

“I was going back in my mind how that must have been when it was an active fort,” Hershberger said.

On the ride over, National Park Service rangers like Eddy Kahle build on the narrative, by sharing tidbits of local history as rides soak in the picturesque view. He is quick to point out shining features of the 160-mile National Seashore in all its natural beauty.

“This is my favorite leg of the journey because you get this beautiful (view) of Santa Rosa Island where you see all the undeveloped sections of it…just this stretch (without) hotels, shops, restaurants is very special and unique,” Kahle said.

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For the history buffs looking to take a deeper dive into Fort Pickens specifically, a new Fort Pickens Historical Tour will kick off March 12 by ferry from downtown Pensacola to the Fort Pickens area. A tram will then transport visitors from Fort Pickens to the beach Battery Langdon and the Fort Pickens Campground.

Even during the period the ferry at Fort Pickens was down, the campgrounds were still open and active as ever. Asebedo said they top 90% occupancy level most of the time. This led to the ferry service adding a special Sunday sunrise ride that caters to campers that goes to and from the fort.

Campers Alan and Sarah Gelner from Iowa found themselves at the Fort Pickens campgrounds after years of recommendations from friends. However, the ferry gave them the opportunity to take a break from their hiking, biking and exploration and quickly hop over to Pensacola Beach.

Other out-of-town guests like Larry Taylor, who came with friends from Tennessee, saw that the ferry was starting up again just in the nick of time, since his trip to Pensacola was coming to end.

“I’m just excited to do it,” he said of seeing the fort by water.

Some find the ferry ride in itself to be a worthwhile way to spend an afternoon, like Alan Kulkin, a longtime teacher from New York’s Bronx. After a recent move to Pensacola, a “cruise” along the bay was just what he was looking for.

“It’s a wonderful way to see things and to get a cruise on the bay at a reasonable price,” Kulkin said.

Asebedo said riders will have the opportunity to get the most for their money by visiting all three stops — Pensacola Beach, downtown Pensacola and Fort Pickens — with one round trip ticket. Riders are able to get on and off the ferry until the next one returns.

“In essence we’re doing three roundtrips a day. Your ticket allows you to hop on and hop off all day long,” Asebedo said. “Or you can just stay on the boat, no need to get off, and ride the loop. That’s two and half hours to do the entire loop.”

Ticket rates are $30 for adults, $24 for military, seniors, college students and people with disabilities, $20 for children ages 3 to 15 and free for children 2 and under.

A full schedule of the Pensacola Bay City Ferry rides can be found on Pensacola Bay City Ferry website.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola Bay City Ferry adds Fort Pickens back on route schedule