This relatively small and low-key resort began life a century ago as the site of a beach pavilion, or “casino,” as such facilities were called back then; and the heart of town — at the intersection of Pensacola Beach Boulevard, Via de Luna, and Fort Pickens Road — is still known as Casino Beach. This lively area at the base of the town’s water tank has restaurants, snack bars, an arcade, a miniature golf course, public restrooms, walk-up beach bars with live bands blaring away, an indoor sports bar, and an outdoor concert pavilion with summertime entertainment.