Panama City Beach, FL

Our Summer trip is coming up and wondering if there are any "can't miss" restaurants or sights/excursions/activities to take in. Will be 3 adults and 3, 16-20yo, teens and young adults. Thanks

There is an oyster joint in PC but can’t recall the name. It’s pretty good, if somebody comes along and mentions it I’ll know the name.

Seaside and Water Color are just down the road and they are worth the trip, much nicer area than PC

That place was going down the last time I was there years ago. I do remember a good oyster place on the strip

Teenagers will like it, too busy for me. I prefer going either direction away from PCB

FWIW

Don't think you can get true, FRESH, gulf oysters this time of year. There are fresh frozen which were frozen in the winter. I had some of these in Galveston a couple years ago. They were very good. Then there are pasteurized oysters which have been "par" cook to a temperature which will kill any bacteria, They suk. A true oyster lover will be able to tell the difference.

Lert us know how the crowds are in PCB. Beautiful water, Fishing report needed if you fish.

We've done Pensacola, Ft Walton, Destin, San Destin, Miramar Beach and driven through Watercolor, seemed about right time to hit Panama City Beach.

Thanks Buzz, having grown up in Corpus, I had fresh Baffin Bay caught Speckled trout and Redfish nearly every weekend while not in hunting season from about age 7-18 yo. Just what we did living on the TX coastline.

I'm preaching to the choir, sorry DQ, carry on.

Always wanted to go here:

https://navalaviationmuseum.org/

Was there last year and 2 things I’d recommend. 1, rent a pontoon boat one day, load the cooler, fishing gear, beach stuff, and spend the day over on shell island. Plenty of vacant beach space and lots of Bay Area to troll on your way over. We caught lots of fish, saw dolphins, played on the bay side, but you can then walk 200 yards across the island and have the beach side to yourself. There’s also a few places to snorkel in the bay around man made structures which should be on the map the rental company provides. I think it’s a 5 mile long uninhabited island.
2, we spent 3 days at the state park. Great area to snorkel and even a jetty to fish from. My son hooked up on a couple huge reds. The grass was really bad the week we went. We stayed close to pineapple Willy’s which has great frozen drinks, but the water clarity was 10x better at St Andrews State Park. Go early because they do reach max capacity pretty quick.
Shell island is across the way from the state park (to the east). You can also pay a transportation fee and take a water taxi, but we enjoyed being on our own schedule by renting a boat. Totally worth the cost.

This is an outstanding museum and I’d highly recommend it,

2 hours ea. way to/from Pensacola, probably pass this time...

Make sure you plan a whole day for it.

I would do the boat rental for sure. Are there any channels to follow or all deep?

IIRC, depths varied once you crossed the big channel. Inside the bay, there were a couple shallow points to stay away from but a lot of the area we covered was around 20’. Lots of videos on YouTube. Just search boat rental to shell island. The yellow line is pretty much what we followed to and from but we really trolled around in the bay on the right side. Rentals are where the yellow line begins on the left, Bay Area/beach area we stopped at on the right.




Here’s the company we used. Looks like $450 for a full 8 hour day.
https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/lagoonpontoons/items/?flow=904705&full-items=yes&back=https://lagoonpontoon.com/&a=yes&g4=yes

We were at 30A last week. Rained more than I wanted, but was still a nice chance to relax. We always head over to Panama City to stop in at Pier Park and check out the shops. It’s got a Ron Jon and just about everything else you could think of. Good way to kill a couple hours. Have fun!

Heading out next Tuesday to Rosemary Beach......right up the road on 30A.

What's "30A"

wanting to go to FLA to fish and enjoy the beach.

30a is the highway exit number.

Many different Florida vacation spots between Destin and Panama City.

Here you go, Buzz.

https://www.southernliving.com/travel/florida/30a-florida-beaches

Been there too about 10 years ago, very, very nice area....

You ever thought about going to Cancun? 2 hours from DFW you will be there, no wasted time driving

Most adult only All inclusive are age 16 and up, beaches are fantastic

So much tourism infrastructure and things to do, and the best part is it's usually a bargain you get 5 Star Hotel at 3 star prices

There are a few pretty good oyster places. The ones that come to mind are Dusty's and Hunt's.

Pulled into town yesterday after flying into Ft Walton, FL, Sat. night. Staying at Wyndham Owners Resort , beachfront, very nice and convenient location on beach strip. Had a great 8/9 out of 10 seafood dinner last night at Runaway Island, 1000' or so from hotel. I had hush puppies, shrimp, fries and catfish, wife had grilled Flounder, rice and steamed veggies. Kids had salmon, burgers and chicken fingers. Food and dessert was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Today entailed a 90 min. timeshare sales pitch followed by beaching, then great chicken and beef steak nachos at Diegos. The kids had a beef bowl and chicken quesadillas. Lunch was enjoyed by all, 8 out of 10. Damper on the day and having double red flags now is that 2 drownings occurred around mid-day. Not sure of victims but am hearing one female fatality. On deck is Karaoke at the pool Tiki bar tonight and an excursion tomorrow afternoon by catamaran to Shell Island for aquatic activities and dolphin watching too. Great location and good fun so far...

Beach living....

Understand taking kids to the beach in the summer because school is out, but Florida beaches are a whole different animal in May and late September/October. Not nearly as crowded, no seaweed or jellyfish, fishing is better, prices are lower, and not so stinking hot.

Only upper 80s but high humidities, 70%+ so Heat Index tops 110 daily

We enjoyed Old Florida Fish House twice when we where there 2 years ago.
https://www.oldflfishhouse.com/

It's the Blue Oyster. The gay bar that the movie Police Academy made famous. Pretty sure that's where he took the pic of the dude in the stupid "cowboy" hat and Bud shirt drinking the Bud Light.

Lol, no actually on the catamaran cruise out to Shell Island. Didn't know the fellow, no discussions with him but seemed a "Bud" guy...