Panama City

Panama City is the county seat of Bay County and the mainland anchor of the Emerald Coast — a waterfront city on St. Andrews Bay, just across the water from the beach that shares its name. It’s easy to drive right past it on the way to the sand, but downtown Panama City and the historic village of St. Andrews reward a slower visit: a working marina, a walkable arts district, and neighborhood restaurants that never had to compete for tourist dollars.

Things to Do in Panama City

Start at St. Andrews Marina, where shrimp boats and sailboats share the docks and sunset draws a crowd most evenings. Oaks by the Bay Park is the city’s waterfront green space — shaded paths under towering live oaks, a bayside beach, and a Civil War-era salt kettle from the region’s salt-production days. Downtown’s Harrison Avenue is the arts and theater corridor: the Panama City Center for the Arts occupies the restored 1925 City Hall building, the historic Martin Theatre hosts live performances, and the Panama City Publishing Museum preserves the original presses of the old St. Andrews Bay News. Boaters and paddlers head out to Shell Island, an uninhabited barrier island reachable only by water, or explore St. Andrews Bay itself by kayak or paddleboard.

Where to Eat and Stay

Downtown and St. Andrews dining leans local: Harrison’s Kitchen & Bar and The Place Downtown anchor the Harrison Avenue strip, History Class Brewing Co. pours local beer with Southern bites, and House of Henry is the city’s Irish pub. Down in St. Andrews, Hunt’s Oyster Bar and Uncle Ernie’s Bayfront Bar & Grill serve seafood with a water view, and Bayou Joe’s Marina Grill looks out over Massalina Bayou. For a place to stay, Hotel Indigo Panama City Marina puts you steps from the docks downtown, while the Hilton Garden Inn Panama City Downtown is a dependable option nearby.

Orientation is simple: Harrison Avenue runs through downtown, Beck Avenue and Beach Drive wrap the bayfront toward St. Andrews, and the Hathaway Bridge connects the mainland to Panama City Beach in a few minutes. Saturdays bring the Market at St. Andrews to the waterfront, and if you’re around for Mardi Gras, the Krewe of St. Andrews parade has been a local tradition for more than 25 years.