Panama City Beach

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.