One city, 3 price points: Pensacola Beach, Fla.

Stay

Two-bedroom, two-bath accommodations at Soundside Holiday Beach Resort are priced from $65 per night on Sept. 12-Feb. 26 stays (two-night minimum stay; blackout dates apply). Located on Santa Rosa Sound, the property features a heated pool, hot tub, tennis courts, fishing pier, gas grills. Area attractions are a short walk away. Mention the Fall-Winter special promo rate, 800-874-0402, www.condosinc.com, 19 Via de Luna Drive.

Eat

While moms and dads enjoy a cocktail before dinner, little buccaneers converge on Peg Leg Pete’s playground. This beachfront restaurant offers fresh oysters, seafood platters, burgers and pastas from $7.50-$20. Live music most nights; www.peglegpetes.com, 1010 Fort Pickens Road.

Experience

The National Naval Aviation Museum offers free museum tours guided by retired military volunteers and free 20-minute tours of approximately 50 aircraft on the flight line. Museum and IMAX Memorial Theater open daily; www.navalaviationmuseum.org. Catch a Blue Angels weekly practice session or show at Forrest Sherman Field, Naval Air Station through Nov. 14; www.blueangels.navy.mil.

MODERATE

Getting there

One-week advance purchase rates from $199; nonstop AirTran, Delta.

Stay

A not so typical Holiday Inn Express (formerly The Dunes) sits directly on Pensacola Beach with an outdoor pool. The Quietwater Beach Boardwalk with numerous shops and restaurants is within walking distance. Nightly rates average $159 with complimentary breakfast bar; www.ichotelsgroup.com, 333 Fort Pickens Road, 850-932-3536.

Eat

Catch the sunset at Hemingway’s Island Grill. The yacht club atmosphere is accented with Ernest Hemingway memorabilia. A wide ranging menu pleases everyone. Entrees $13-$30; www.hemingways islandgrill.com, 400 Quietwater Beach Road, Gulf Breeze, 850-934-4747.

Experience

Visit Fort Pickens, a massive pre-Civil War brick fortress once the prison for the Apache chief Geronimo. Ranger-led tours offered daily at 2 p.m. Entrance fee $8 per vehicle; www.nps.gov/guis. At the fort’s southwestern perimeter, follow a sand trail to a deep and slightly mysterious brackish lake just yards from the salty surf of the Gulf.

SPLURGE

Getting there

One-way, walk-up business class rates from $318; nonstop AirTran, Delta.

Stay

The eight miles of pristine beach along the Gulf Islands National Seashore are becoming dotted with posh five-star residences. One of the newest is Portofino Island Resort with Mediterranean-style two- and three-bedroom high-rise homes featuring gourmet kitchen, private balcony and water views; www.portofinoisland.com. Per-night rental rates vary widely by season, size, view, decor and more. Southern Resorts Vacation Rentals represent several here and in the area; www.southernresorts.com.

Eat

A cuisine combination of Cajun, Asian, sushi and seafood blend at H2O, one of the two restaurants in the lobby of the Hilton Pensacola Beach Gulf Front. Sushi $5-$11; entrees $19-$29; Sunday brunch $26.95; www.eatath2o.com, 12 Via de Luna, Hilton Pensacola Beach Gulf Front, 850-343-6791.

Experience

Tour historic Pensacola Village, a collection of more than two dozen historical structures from the first permanent settlement. Tours by costumed guides offered three times daily; $6 adult; $3 children ages 4-16; www.historicpensacola.org. The sunken USS Oriskany (22 miles offshore), a Vietnam-era aircraft carrier accessible for scuba divers, is the base of the world’s largest artificial reef. Two-tank recreational dives, snacks and drinks $149; $199 three-tank trip; www.divemightyo.com.