Panama City Beach

May 6, 2002
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I'm at Panama City Beach right now. The wife wanted to go here since she has a friend that lives here and also we haven't been before. Any recommendations of must see attractions (besides the bikini clad women) to take the family to? We tried a pretty good restaurant called The Wicked Wheel Bar and Grill today and were recommended to try Pineapple Willy's. We all tried parasailing for the first time and it was very cool. The wife wants to take the kids to whatever that upside down place is called. Just looking for a few more suggestions from experienced visitors of the city.
 

Ineverplayedthegame

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Dusty's Oyster Bar. Been a couple of years since I was there. But. Great Happy Hour. Cheap beer draft in red solo cup. Great oysters on the half shell. Late afternoon fun watching locals get trashed. Interesting trying to explain to your kids why women's underwear are stapled to the ceiling.
For boring and ordinary you can go to Pier Park and eat at Margaritaville or The Back Porch, or Pompano Joe's. Sharky's has a nice beachfront deck with a tiki bar.
 

Zar_Doz

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Any recommendations of must see attractions (besides the bikini clad women) to take the family to?
What kind of a sick bastard takes his family to see bikini-clad women? Ogle chicks on your own time, pervert.
 

BlueVelvetFog

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Apr 12, 2016
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Slide on down to Key West. Willy, Mav and I will be there eating beans out of Ernest Hemingways butthole.
 

Anon1653093133

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Uncle Ernie's is the best restaurant. I am an expert. Try the crab cakes. Located in St. Andrews part of PC other side of Hathaway Bridge on the bay. Worth the visit. All the restaurants mentioned above are overpriced tourist traps with crappy food. Like I said...take my word for it. Eat out on the deck...at sundown.

The "upside down place" is pretty cool. Nice place to kill a couple hours with the kids one evening or if raining.

Capt. Andersons is always a great food experience. Will have a long wait so be prepared. Of the "beach" area restaurants that on is still a must visit.
 

coachmkc

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Hammer Head Fred's is pretty good. Thomas's Donuts are outstanding. Their is an escape room we did with our kids last fall. They enjoyed it. Also, Finn's Island Style grub is really good. Have a great trip.
 

NewEraCATS

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Depending how old the kids are, there is a pirate cruise that last about 2 hours and it keeps the kids entertained. Adult drinks are served.
 

OHIO COLONEL

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Uncle Ernie's is the best restaurant. I am an expert. Try the crab cakes. Located in St. Andrews part of PC other side of Hathaway Bridge on the bay. Worth the visit. All the restaurants mentioned above are overpriced tourist traps with crappy food. Like I said...take my word for it. Eat out on the deck...at sundown.

The "upside down place" is pretty cool. Nice place to kill a couple hours with the kids one evening or if raining.

Capt. Andersons is always a great food experience. Will have a long wait so be prepared. Of the "beach" area restaurants that on is still a must visit.
Been years since I've been to PCB. Good to see that Capt A is still there. Best grouper I've had was there.
 
May 6, 2002
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Been raining today and we went to Wonderworks (upside down place). The beach is nice. The water is still a little cool this time of year. We are staying in a condo as well. Much better than a hotel and the cost was reasonable this time of year. I have a 15 year old and 2 eleven year olds with me. The pirate cruise sounds interesting.
 

Anon1653093133

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Been raining today and we went to Wonderworks (upside down place). The beach is nice. The water is still a little cool this time of year. We are staying in a condo as well. Much better than a hotel and the cost was reasonable this time of year. I have a 15 year old and 2 eleven year olds with me. The pirate cruise sounds interesting.

Not for that age. Its for little ones. 5yo or 6yo.
 

Anon1653093133

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Hammer Head Fred's is pretty good. Thomas's Donuts are outstanding. Their is an escape room we did with our kids last fall. They enjoyed it. Also, Finn's Island Style grub is really good. Have a great trip.

Thomas Donuts has the best donuts on the beach. Hammer Head Freds is not in the same category as Capt Andersons or Uncle Ernies. HHF and nearly all of the "on the beach" eateries are just tourist traps with high prices for average food. They serve their purpose I suppose but if you want to eat at places (aside from Capt A which has a ton of tourists but is awesome) where the locals go....then cross the bridge into the PC side of PCB and try some of the local spots on that side of the bridge. Uncle Ernies is the best place that I go to and I have been going to PCB for a very very long time.
 

Kybluedude

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Take the fam to Off the Hook. Whole group will love it . Tiki bar on the lagoon. Your kids will like it. Inexpensive and cold beer. Great fish taco wings and bang bang shrimp. Go while the sun is out so you can watch the boats come in. Music etc. we really liked it. Started several evenings there
 

Anon1653093133

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Take the fam to Off the Hook. Whole group will love it . Tiki bar on the lagoon. Your kids will like it. Inexpensive and cold beer. Great fish taco wings and bang bang shrimp. Go while the sun is out so you can watch the boats come in. Music etc. we really liked it. Started several evenings there

I'd not heard of that before so I googled it. That is where Hamilton's use to be before it got hit by the Tornado during hurricane Ivan back a decade ago. That was one of my favorites back then. That must have just opened since last summer because I do not remember it being open.
 

thabigbluenation

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only thing i remember about Panama City Beach is Spinnakers and Club La Vela and doing extacy on the beach with randoms that we met, nitrous hits and one of the chicks that was with us flashing her tits in the car to passers by on the inner state all the way down there. every thing else is a bit foggy.
 

MegaBlue05

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I didn't realize non spring-breakers went there.

I had a blast when I went in college. I had superhuman to tolerance for liquor those weeks. It was probably all the blow, but I' chalking it up to PCB magic.

I was at La Vela in 1999 when Juvenile no-showed a gig and a mini-riot broke out with fights, destroyed property and arrests. My extremely intoxicated yet paranoid *** was probably one of the first 20 people out of the club when they made the announcement he wasn't coming and there would be no refunds.

For a "normal" adult being down there now, is it more hilarious or annoying seeing a bunch of ****-faced 16-23 year-olds?
 

UK_Dallas

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Donut Hole.

Head over to 30A and check out the restaurants along there.
 

BlueRunner11

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I didn't realize non spring-breakers went there.

I had a blast when I went in college. I had superhuman to tolerance for liquor those weeks. It was probably all the blow, but I' chalking it up to PCB magic.

I was at La Vela in 1999 when Juvenile no-showed a gig and a mini-riot broke out with fights, destroyed property and arrests. My extremely intoxicated yet paranoid *** was probably one of the first 20 people out of the club when they made the announcement he wasn't coming and there would be no refunds.

For a "normal" adult being down there now, is it more hilarious or annoying seeing a bunch of ****-faced 16-23 year-olds?

Was there doing the same in 97 and 98...mostly a blur except for trying to talk ish to the WWE Nasty Boys who wanted a case of our Natty Ice, a blonde from Auburn, a brunette from Purdue, my stollen wallet, and some ***** we found asleep on our balcony one morning. Thank God social media didnt exist back then.
 

Anon1653093133

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I didn't realize non spring-breakers went there.

I had a blast when I went in college. I had superhuman to tolerance for liquor those weeks. It was probably all the blow, but I' chalking it up to PCB magic.

I was at La Vela in 1999 when Juvenile no-showed a gig and a mini-riot broke out with fights, destroyed property and arrests. My extremely intoxicated yet paranoid *** was probably one of the first 20 people out of the club when they made the announcement he wasn't coming and there would be no refunds.

For a "normal" adult being down there now, is it more hilarious or annoying seeing a bunch of ****-faced 16-23 year-olds?

PCB is not the same place it was in the late 90s. Those cheap beachfront hotels are all gone. There was a huge condo building flipping boom in the early 2000's and a bubble that eventually popped during the great recession. Then came hundreds of foreclosures. In the end PCB is a much more upscale place due to those dive hotels being gone. There still are the spring break weeks that cause the strip between La Vela and west along the beach down to the Holiday Inn Sunspre hotel (grand central station for madness). Parents should avoid that place at all cost during that period.
 

coachmkc

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I agree that most of those on the strip are overpriced, with average food. I really do like Hammer Head Fred's though. When we went last fall, we drank and listened to live music there almost every night. There is a place in Panama City called The Place Downtown. Looks like a hole in the wall, but had really good food, and cheap beer. Found my college beer of choice, Natty Light in the Fatty Natty bottles.
 

Strokin_Bandit

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I've always been a fan of Billy's. If you like picking apart Fla. Blue Crabs for 90 minutes and drinking cold beer, there's your place. They also do oysters about 10 different ways. I enjoy the crab baked oysters and the Cajun baked oysters. It has become "touristy" over the last decade-plus, but they pretty much stick to what they do well.

Also, Hunt's across the bridge is a nice little local oyster bar. Tourists have begun to discover it though.

Basically if you're good at what you do, people will figure it out. That's why Capt. A's has been around so long.
 
May 6, 2002
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I didn't realize non spring-breakers went there.

I had a blast when I went in college. I had superhuman to tolerance for liquor those weeks. It was probably all the blow, but I' chalking it up to PCB magic.

I was at La Vela in 1999 when Juvenile no-showed a gig and a mini-riot broke out with fights, destroyed property and arrests. My extremely intoxicated yet paranoid *** was probably one of the first 20 people out of the club when they made the announcement he wasn't coming and there would be no refunds.

For a "normal" adult being down there now, is it more hilarious or annoying seeing a bunch of ****-faced 16-23 year-olds?

I believe college Spring Break is over. Only people really here are families with their teenagers. Pretty calm and relaxing environment. Maybe I am just in a less wild area. There are just some condos where I am at and not much right around it. You have to drive or walk at least a mile to get to most any restaurants or shops. There is just a small bar and a Dollar General store and that is it. I'm between a mile or two North of the pier. Probably going to head down that way later today.

By the way, running into a bunch of people from Kentucky down here.
 

MegaBlue05

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PCB is not the same place it was in the late 90s. Those cheap beachfront hotels are all gone. There was a huge condo building flipping boom in the early 2000's and a bubble that eventually popped during the great recession. Then came hundreds of foreclosures. In the end PCB is a much more upscale place due to those dive hotels being gone. There still are the spring break weeks that cause the strip between La Vela and west along the beach down to the Holiday Inn Sunspre hotel (grand central station for madness). Parents should avoid that place at all cost during that period.

I gotcha.

I haven't been down there since then.

Good to see the hotels with concrete bathroom floors with a giant drain in the middle (great for hosing down vomit) are gone.
 

Anon1653093133

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I agree that most of those on the strip are overpriced, with average food. I really do like Hammer Head Fred's though. When we went last fall, we drank and listened to live music there almost every night. There is a place in Panama City called The Place Downtown. Looks like a hole in the wall, but had really good food, and cheap beer. Found my college beer of choice, Natty Light in the Fatty Natty bottles.

Don't get me wrong. They have their place. Its just not the best gauge of good food. A fun time, listening to music, etc.... is part of the experience no doubt. I am just giving my best advice as to real dining experience if you are looking for quality seafood etc.... The food at Uncle Ernies or Capt. Andersons does the talking... If you eat on the deck at Ernie's...then you get the whole package.
 

coachmkc

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Ernie's is on our to do list this fall. Last year, just didn't drive a lot. Got up, went to the beach, drank beer, repeat! Great trip, my family loves it. We go every year the week of Labor Day.
 

Burly

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Sep 3, 2002
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Been going for 40 years straight
I've ate in every place..No longer try to do the tourist trap thing but
Captain Anderson Seafood
Angelos Steak Pit Steak
Pineapple Willy's Bbq
Those are the old traps
Go if you want your on vacation

I like Wicked Wheel
Los Antojitos Mexican on Beck Av
All you can eat Crab Legs @ Captain Jack's
Uncle Ernie's was ok

Where you stay is much more important than where you eat
BTW PCB is back ...Looks awesome and $700 week cheaper than the snobs up the road.
 

BlueVelvetFog

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Apr 12, 2016
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PCB seems like one of those places people want to go to because there's a beach, but don't want to put up with the "real Florida".
 
Feb 24, 2017
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I don't understand why you don't spend your money here in the USA. There are plenty of good places to vacation in America. You got Branson, Gatlinburg, and Daytona Beach if that's your thing.