4+ days in Panama City Beach with Kids
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Your 4 Day [or more] Itinerary in Panama City Beach, Florida.
Florida’s gulf coast is home to lovely beach communities and pristine white sand. You really can’t go wrong with any of the towns to vacation in, but we love Panama City Beach because of all the family-friendly activities nearby and the ease of getting around to the grocery stores, restaurants and tourist attractions.
My 4+ day itinerary includes:
PCB Tourist Attractions
Day Trips from PCB
Our favorite beaches & beach communities
Food recommendations
Golf cart rentals
New Year’s Eve celebrations
Take some, leave some, spread it out over more days, or look up other attractions that I may have missed! Either way, you’re guaranteed to have a fun and relaxing beach vacation with your kids.
Photo owned by Kristel at On the Go with 4 Kids in Tow
Day 1: Dive right into Panama City Beach.
When you arrive in Panama City Beach, you will immediately notice all the attractions, restaurants and shops in the area. There is so much to do, you might be overwhelmed on where to go first.
Here are a couple of our go-to attractions we like to start with. I recommend sprinkling in some beach time in between!
ZooWorld Zoological Park
ZooWorld is probably one of my favorite tourist attractions that I like to take my kids to in Panama City Beach. Why? Because it is the perfect size zoo for littles to enjoy. You can walk through it quickly in about an hour, or you can stay and relish in all the different animals they have, and stretch it out for 1.5-2hrs.
I highly recommend you do an animal encounter. They have some really unique ones to choose from, including experiences with a capybara, a kangaroo, a sloth, a lemur and alligators. My daughter has so far held a kangaroo, and got up close and personal with a sloth.
The more affordable experiences, include feeding a giraffe and walking through the aviary with budgie sticks.
Check out my Facebook Reel for highlights on our most recent trip to ZooWorld.
Pier Park
A staple of Panama City Beach, Pier Park is an outdoor shopping and entertainment destination, with quite a few restaurants, dessert shops, and clothing, home goods & gifting stores.
For entertainment options, there’s an IMAX movie theater, laser tag, live music and adventure attractions, such as water bumper boats, bungee trampolines, a rope course, and the iconic SkyWheel.
See Day 4 for more PCB Attractions
Day 2: Take a day trip.
Destin and Miramar Beach are both vacation destinations in their own right; but if you’re staying in Panama City Beach, both towns are only an hour away, making it a very easy day trip. You can also easily split up both visits into two separate days, but Destin and Miramar Beach are only 20 mins apart from each other, so squeezing them both into one day is also doable.
Destin
Gator Beach and Fudpuckers Restaurant
Gator Beach is a FREE alligator park that is fun for all ages. The layout is interesting, with its different levels of outdoor pathways, but there are so many informational exhibits to see on display, and of course, you can’t miss the live alligators! There are also Gator Shows that are included in the FREE admission into the park.
For an additional fee, there are opportunities to feed alligators, hold a live alligator and take a “Behind the Scenes VIP tour.
Before you leave Gator Beach, be sure to stop and eat at their bar & grill, Fudpucker’s.
Your next stop in Destin should be HarborWalk Village. This waterfront boardwalk is located at Destin Harbor, and is the entertainment district of the town. There are water sports available, such as paddleboarding, kayaking, pontooning and glass-bottom boat tours. There is also live entertainment, weekly firework shows and themed events. For kids, they will love the Adventure Zone where they can zip line, jump on the bungee trampolines, play mini golf and so much more. And don’t forget to check out all the restaurants and shops!
Located in the heart of Sandestin in Miramar Beach FL, The Village of Baytowne Wharf is not just another village with boutiques, restaurants, galleries and a nightlife. There’s something about this area that makes it stand out from all the others- I can’t quite put my finger on it, but our whole family loves everything about it: the open field for the kids to play in, the cobblestone pathways, the bridges going over the channel and all the restaurants, shops and amusements for kids.
Runner-Up Attractions
Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park
1010 Miracle Strip Pkwy SE
Fort Walton Beach FL 32548
Destin History & Fishing Museum
108 Stahlman Ave
Destin FL 32541
Day 3: Beaches and a beach community.
Carve out a whole morning to do what you came to do— the beach! I write more about our favorite beach stop along Front Beach Rd later in this blog post, but for now, these are some other places you’re going to want to make time for.
St. Andrews State Park & Shell Island
Photo via watersportspc.com
With sugar white sands and emerald waves, St. Andrews State Park is the place to be for swimming, water sports, fishing, camping and so much more. But the fun doesn’t end there! St. Andrews State Park is also the only accessible way to get to Shell Island: a natural, uninhabited 700-acre barrier island, with 7 miles of undeveloped beach. You can reach Shell Island by shuttle boat, ferry boat or via a boat rental or Aquatic Adventure.
There are so many beach communities along the main road of 30a, and each one has its own uniqueness to it. But my favorite community in the area is Seaside. This very charming town has a large common grassy area, which my kids love to play in and dance to the live musical entertainment that is usually going on. Circling the grassy area is the town’s Central Square, where you’ll find a couple of restaurants, boutique shopping and dessert shops.
But the town of Seaside is most known for Airstream Row. Similarly to a food truck park, Airstream Row has a row of airstreams lined up on 30a. A few of our favorite staples there are The Meltdown, Crepes du Soleil, and Frost Bites.
If you cross the street closer to the beach, you will find even more restaurants to stop and eat or have a drink at, including a tiki bar, the Shrimp Shack, and Pickle’s Burger and Shake.
Parking in Seaside
Another reason we like going to Seaside, is because of the easy accessibility to park. Don’t bother trying to find parking on the street; most areas require a permit, and all others are most likely snatched up already. But if you go just a few blocks West of the Central Square, you will find a FREE public parking lot.
Photo owned by Kristel at On the Go with 4 Kids in Tow
Day 4: Do more tourist attractions.
Photo of Gulf World Marine Park via visitpanamacitybeach.com
I have only touched the surface on tourist attractions in Panama City Beach. Spend another day [or two!] checking out more of what PCB has to offer.
Gulf World Marine Park
15412 Front Beach Rd
Panama City Beach FL 32413
Shipwreck Island Waterpark
12201 Hutchison Blvd
Panama City Beach FL 32407
Coconut Creek Family Fun Park
9807 Front Beach Rd
Panama City Beach FL 32407
Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
9907 Front Beach Rd
Panama City Beach FL 32407
WonderWorks
9910 Front Beach Rd
Panama City Beach FL 32407
Take an airboat tour!
Ringing in the New Year.
Photo of the Panama City Beach Ball Drop via dailymom.com
If you’re like us and are visiting Panama City Beach over the New Year, I recommend 2 of our favorite celebrations:
Seaside New Year’s Eve Celebration
Being that this is our favorite beach community outside of Panama City Beach, of course we would enjoy the New Year’s Eve Celebration they have!
This celebration is perfect for young kids- it starts early at 5p and ends at 9p with a fireworks show. Activities in Central Square include arts & crafts, face painting and live music. Families and couples alike enjoy gathering in the green space to listen to the music, and many also bring balls and toys to run and play around with in the large open space.
PCB New Year’s Eve Beach Ball Drop
Pier Park becomes a hub of entertainment and celebration with their New Year’s Eve bash. There are 2 opportunities to experience the beach ball drop: 8p and midnight. The evening starts at 535p, with the streets closed off to traffic and the live music and entertainment begins. Entrance into this large street festival is FREE and open to the public, and shopping, food vendors, games and activities are all up and running.
At 8p, the first countdown will begin and 10,000 inflated beach balls will fall from the sky with fireworks going off right after. For the next few hours, there will be more live music and entertainment, and then the next beach ball drop countdown begins at midnight and another set of fireworks go off.
Which NYE Celebration should you go to?
We love participating at BOTH of these celebrations and will start at Seaside early - at around 4p - and then head over to Pier Park, between 6 and 7p for the 1st ball drop. It’s a great way to enjoy both events and still get home early at a fairly decent time! Just know that Pier Park does get pretty crowded and parking getting in and out will be slow.
Rent a golf cart!!
Photo owned by Kristel at On the Go with 4 Kids in Tow
Having access to a golf cart while you’re in Panama City Beach is an absolute MUST! Your kids will love the open air drive along Front Beach Rd. We always take ours to the beach, to Thomas Donut [see below], to Pier Park or even to just take a relaxing drive down the road or neighborhood. Just be sure you know the rules of the road on a golf cart and also know which parts of Front Beach Rd you’re allowed to drive on.
Many vacation homes will have an option to rent a golf cart. Usually they will be an electric 4-seater or 6-seater cart, although some may be gas-powered. For more options with your cart, there are also many rental companies you can go through. However, these do tend to be a lot more expensive and you will have to arrange delivery and pick up times. PRO TIP: If you’re going during the off-season, golf cart rental companies are much more affordable!
Favorite Beach Access: #85
It’s kind of weird that we have a favorite beach access, because all the beaches are nearly the same! But we really like going to access #85, because there is a small channel-like stream that is perfect for the kids to play in. I like that they can safely dip into this "channel", as opposed to having to run deep into the ocean. My kids also like having access to the still “channel”, as well as the vibrant waves from the ocean.
Check out my Facebook Reel on Beach Access #85, to see more about it!
Must-eat food in Panama City Beach.
Thomas Donut & Snack Shop
Photo owned by Kristel at On the Go with 4 Kids in Tow
Locally owned and operated since 1971, Thomas’ Donut & Snack Shop is a staple of Panama City Beach, and is located right on Front Beach Rd. My family and I love taking the golf cart to this delicious establishment and enjoying our food outside on the picnic tables. They have the best donuts around, but even BETTER are their biscuit breakfast sandwiches! The biscuits are flaky and warm, and my mouth is watering now just thinking about it!
Local Steamer Seafood Market
If you’re a crab leg lover - or seafood lover - like I am, you HAVE to order from the Local Steamer! This place has the BEST crab legs and shrimp I’ve ever had! We haven’t tried anything else there, but I’m sure all of it is good! Just note, that the market is not a restaurant- there is not really any seating for you at their establishment. Instead, plan to order it to go and do what we do: enjoy your meal in peace after the kids go to bed!
Photo via Local Steamer Facebook page
More beach communities to visit along 30a.
The beauty of 30a is that no matter where you stay, there are a lot of close by beach communities you can visit. However, you are going to want to look into each one separately, because some of them do not offer public beach access and parking can be very difficult if you aren’t staying there.
The Points Guy has a great guide of all the popular beach communities along 30a: Beginners guide to 30A.
For more vacation itineraries or travel tips, be sure to check out my travel page.
All photos in this post are owned by Kristel at On the Go with 4 Kids in Tow, unless otherwise noted.
*All opinions in this blog post are my own and I’ve received no incentives*
It’s so easy to plan a staycation when you live in or so close to such an amazing city as Chicago. Between the world-class museums, popular tourist attractions, outdoor parks and beaches, broadway theater and so much more, you will never come up short of ideas for the perfect staycation!