Fall Programs for Florida District
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Contact: Steamer Lawhead, 850-934-2629
Gulf Islands National Seashore Announces Program activities for the Fall Season Superintendent Dan Brown announced the fall schedule for ranger-led interpretive activities at Gulf Islands National Seashore. Fort Pickens Area The Fort Pickens Area is open daily 7:00 am to 10:00 pm through October 31st and from 7:00 am to sunset beginning November 1st. Fort Pickens Visitor Center is open 9:30 am to 5:00 pm March through October and 8:30 am to 4:00 pm November through February. Fort Pickens ranger-guided tours are daily at 2:00 pm. Tours are 45 to 60 minutes. August 14 through September 5, ranger-guided tours are daily at 11:00 am and 2:00 pm. International Beach Cleanup The 26th annual cleanup is on Saturday, September 17, from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm at Perdido Key, Fort Pickens, Santa Rosa, and Naval Live Oaks Areas. Contact Beckie Mims at (850) 934-2631 for more information. Stargazing with the Escambia Amateur Astronomers' Association Weather permitting, meet at Battery Worth Picnic Area, Fridays, August 19, September 16, and October 21, sunset to 10:00 pm. Full Moon Walk on the Beach. Saturday, Nov. 5 at 6:00 pm. Join a ranger for a tour through our solar system and learn how you can enjoy and preserve dark skies for future generations. Meet at Langdon Beach, Gulf side, one hour. Civil War 150th Anniversary Events The park will commemorate the 1861 Battle of Santa Rosa Island on Saturday, Oct. 8, 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm at historic Fort Pickens. Enjoy musical selections from the Civil War era performed by the Santa Rosa Strings Student Orchestra followed by presentations about the Battle of Santa Rosa Island by David Ogden, Historian at Gulf Islands National Seashore and the causes and aftermath of the Civil War by Robert K. Sutton, Chief Historian of the National Park Service. The program will conclude with a wreath laying ceremony to honor the more than 600,000 American soldiers that made the ultimate sacrifice during the war. The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War will also be on location with exhibits and information. Because of the commemoration event, the daily ranger-guided fort tour will be at 11:00 am rather the 2:00 pm. Commemoration of the 1861 Bombardment of Pensacola Bay, Saturday, November 19 with candlelight tour of Fort Pickens. Interpreters will present the history of Pensacola during the Civil War at different stations inside the fort. Beginning at 5:00 pm tours will depart the parade ground every 15 minutes and last one hour. Reservations are required for the candlelight tours.Call (850) 934-2635 for a reservation. Fort Barrancas Area Located on board Pensacola Naval Air Station, Fort Barrancas Visitor Center is open 9:30 am to 4:45 pm March through October and 8:30 am to 3:45 pm November through February.Fort Barrancas ranger-guided tours are daily at 2:00 pm. Tours are 45 minutes to one hour.August 14 through September 5, ranger-guided tours are daily at 11:00 am and 2:00 pm. Advanced Redoubt ranger-guided tours are on Saturdays at 11:00 am. Tours are 45 minutes to one hour. Naval Live Oaks Area Naval Live Oaks Visitor Center is open daily 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. An orientation program is available on request. In addition, these 90-minute programs are presented, The War of 1812 onSaturdays at 2:00 pm and The Battle of New Orleans on Sundays at 2:00 pm. Call 934-2600 for more information. Superintendent Brown encourages everyone to enjoy the National Seashore. Join us for our free ranger-led programs but there is an entrance fee at the Fort Pickens Area. Programs are subject to change or cancellation.Call Naval Live Oaks Visitor Center at (850) 934-2600 for updated information or visit our website at www.nps.gov/guis. -NPS-
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Did You Know?
Gulf Islands National Seashore's Fort Massachusetts, on West Ship Island 12 miles off the Mississippi coastline, was covered by the 30-foot storm surge from Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005. The fort has been reopened to the public.