The Emerald Coast Guide
Panama City Beach, FL
Panama City Beach marks the eastern edge of the Emerald Coast, where the Gulf waters stay brilliantly clear and the beaches run wide and white. Beyond the famous strip, you'll find a growing collection of independent restaurants, local outfitters, and creative businesses that are redefining what PCB can be.
122 places This weekend in Panama City Beach
On the coast today
- Tonight Clear 69°
- Tuesday Sunny 84°
- Tuesday Night Clear 69°
Forecast: National Weather Service
Tides
- Low 6:13 AM 0.4 ft
- High 9:03 PM 2 ft
Predictions: NOAA CO-OPS
Plan your Panama City Beach trip
- This weekend in Panama City Beach Events, markets and live music for the next few days.
- Panama City Beach events calendar Festivals, markets and live music, soonest first.
- Getting to the Emerald Coast: Airports, Drives and Getting Around Airports, drive times and getting around.
- The Best Time to Visit the Emerald Coast: A Month-by-Month Guide Weather, water temperatures and crowds by month.
Panama City Beach anchors the eastern end of the Emerald Coast in Bay County, Florida: 27 miles of wide, white-sand beach where the Gulf stays that improbable emerald green. PCB earned its reputation as a high-energy beach town, and the classic strip along Front Beach Road still delivers it: Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, WonderWorks’ upside-down building, Shipwreck Island Waterpark, and souvenir stops like Alvin’s Island. But spend a few days here and you’ll find another PCB: independent restaurants, working marinas, and quiet natural corners that most first-timers drive right past.
Things to Do in Panama City Beach
The beach is the main event, and public accesses run the length of the island. The Russell-Fields Pier at Pier Park is the landmark to know, with pier fishing above and some of PCB’s most popular sand below. Bookending the beach are two of Florida’s best coastal parks: St. Andrews State Park at the east end, with its jetties, clear-water snorkeling, and pine-shaded campsites, and Camp Helen State Park on Lake Powell, a rare coastal dune lake, at the west end. In between, Grand Lagoon is the boater’s quarter: Lighthouse Marina has served PCB boaters since 1979, and charters like Catch It Fishing run offshore from Capt. Anderson’s Marina.
Where to Eat and Stay
PCB’s food scene rewards curiosity. Capt. Anderson’s Restaurant has been a Gulf Coast seafood landmark since the 1960s, Dusty’s Oyster Bar shucks fresh Gulf oysters in a gloriously divey room, and Boondocks serves waterfront seafood on the Intracoastal in West Bay. Stays run the full range, from the 23-story Shores of Panama to the Margaritaville Beach Cottage Resort and the family-favorite Holiday Inn Resort on the beach.
Orientation is easy: Front Beach Road hugs the sand, Back Beach Road (US 98) moves the traffic, and Pier Park marks the west-side hub. Destin is about 50 minutes west; the 30A beach towns are 20–30 minutes away. Summer and spring break are peak season (use Back Beach Road to skip strip traffic), while October’s warm water and thinner crowds make fall the locals’ favorite time on the beach.
Read more about Panama City Beach
Arts & Culture in Panama City Beach
Experiences & Recreation in Panama City Beach
See all 8 Experiences & Recreation in Panama City Beach →Things to do in Panama City Beach range from classic to wild. Shipwreck Island Waterpark covers 15 acres of slides and lazy river, WonderWorks packs hands-on science into its famous upside-down building, and Lighthouse Marina on Grand Lagoon has launched PCB boaters since 1979. Add pier fishing, snorkeling at St. Andrews State Park, and dolphin tours, and no two days need to look alike.
Stays in Panama City Beach
See all 76 Stays in Panama City Beach →Places to stay in Panama City Beach span every style of beach trip. Margaritaville Beach Cottage Resort delivers full-service, lazy-river resort living; Shores of Panama towers 23 stories over a lagoon-style pool; and the Holiday Inn Resort is a longtime family favorite right on the sand. Prefer quiet? The boutique Carillon Beach Resort Inn sits in a gated village on the west end.
Wellness & Beauty in Panama City Beach
Beach days are better with a recovery day built in. Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa in Pier Park North makes a post-sun massage easy to book, while Sage Spa offers nature-inspired, appointment-only rituals for something more intimate. Book ahead during spring and summer weekends, when tables fill fast.
Every place in Panama City Beach
Seychelles Beach Resort
East end tower next to Schooners
Pelican Walk
Ten-story all-Gulf-front condos on Thomas Drive
Top of the Gulf
Compact Gulf-front studios near Thomas Drive
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