Oaks by the Bay Park

Oaks by the Bay Park is a five-acre city park on St. Andrews Bay at the south end of Beck Avenue in Historic St. Andrews. Operated by the City of Panama City, it is shaded by large live oaks and has a boardwalk out to the water, a gazebo, benches and an observation platform where visitors can watch sailboats and fishing boats move across the bay.

The park’s best-known resident is the Sentry Oak, a heritage live oak that the Historic St. Andrews Waterfront Partnership says is nearly 300 years old and is believed to have sprouted about a century before Florida became a state. It survived Hurricane Michael in 2018. In the 1960s the tree anchored the grounds of the Scenic Motel, which once stood on the site. Look for resurrection fern on its branches, a plant that withers during dry spells and turns green again after rain.

Other features give the park a sense of place. Trees killed by Hurricane Michael have been turned into artistic carvings, and the park includes a historic lion fountain. The partnership also notes a Native American archaeological site within the park. The city highlights an unusual four-headed palm tree. There is wading access to the bay, and a small bayside beach draws families on warm days.

On Saturday mornings the park hosts The Market at St. Andrews, a year-round farmers and artisan market that runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The rest of the week it is a quiet spot for a picnic, a shaded walk or photos of the bay. The Historic St. Andrews Waterfront Partnership suggests continuing along the waterfront to the Bayview Avenue boardwalk near St. Andrews Marina, where a carved live oak known as the Pelican Tree is a popular sunset photo spot.

The park sits at Beck Avenue and West 10th Street, within easy walking distance of the Beck Avenue restaurants, the Panama City Publishing Company Museum and the marina. The Grocery Kitchen & Taproom is across the street. There is no admission fee listed for the park. Bring bug spray in warm months, and keep an eye on children near the water.

The park is also a good place to understand the neighborhood’s history. St. Andrews began as a fishing and salt-making village in the early 1800s, and its waterfront has been rebuilt more than once, most recently after Hurricane Michael. The survival of the Sentry Oak through that storm has made it a local symbol of recovery, and many visitors stop to photograph it on their way to the water.