Panama City Beach

 

Panama City

     It was the start of my college spring break and my friends from Kennesaw State, and I decided to take a trip to Panama City Beach. I was excited because this would've been my first time traveling there with friends. It had been the six of us and out of all of us, two had already been to Panama City Beach. I had asked my good friend Nina what it was like when she first went, and she had said "It was super fun! I had gone with my family, and we all enjoyed the beach" When she told me that, my excitement for going went through the roof. After getting our Airbnb, we all decided to drive to the place. The drive was from Marietta, Georgia to Panama City Beach, Florida which took about five hours and twelve minutes. The drive was fun and short especially when traveling with close friends. As we reached Florida, it was full of beautiful tropical colors. From teal gas stations to coral restaurants, it was truly a beautiful sight to see.  

Panama is a beautiful coastal city and is popular for their great beaches, activities, and beautiful scenery they have. The city is located along the Gulf of Mexico located in the Florida Panhandle. They even have an airport called Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport, which is located not too far from Panama City Beach. Panama City Beach wasn't always a popular place to go on vacation at. This city became known as "Panama City Beach" back in 1906. Filled with vibrant colors, it brings so many people from all over the world, even young people that are on their spring break. The attractions they have are one of the other things that make Panama City Beach so popular. They have boat rides where you can go sightseeing for dolphins, paragliding in the air, and even jet skiing. 

The Gulf of Mexico

     Panama City Beach is a great place to vacation for several reasons. First, the city is known for its beautiful beaches, which are some of the cleanest in the United States. If you enjoy swimming, sunbathing, or even walking on the sand, there are so many things to do for everyone, including all ages in Panama City Beach. When we first arrived, we headed straight for the beach. They had provided beach chairs, so the hassle of bringing one down was a thing that was not necessary. Panama City Beach is known for its clean beaches that offer travelers the perfect spot to sit in the sun, swim in the clear waters, and enjoy a vast amount of water activities. They had banana boat rides, regular boat rides, and even jet skiing. As a group, we all decided to do the jet skiing activity. Since it was my first time, I was a little nervous. The waves were aggressive that day, so it made my skin crawl with chills. Once I got on the water though, my friend's energy made me enjoy the ride. It was such a great experience in the end, so I had no regrets, especially since everyone enjoyed themselves. The beach in Panama City is ranked one of the best beaches in the United States. It's understandable since that is the main attraction when it comes to this location. Put together the beach is about 27 miles long going down the strip. People that come to visit can locate a perfect spot to sit, relax, and enjoy the beautiful sight it has. To add to the wonderful sight, the beaches are filled with so many beautiful marine animals. That's including dolphins and sea turtles, which is one of the popular activities people love to do.

   On our third day in Panama City, we all decided to go on a boat ride and go sightseeing for dolphins. When we got to the boat place, we were all led down the dock to a small boat. The whole tour was about two hours long. As we were on the water, we saw other boats in the water sightseeing as well. As we were traveling towards the Gulf of Mexico, we saw some dolphins peeking. It took them a while to pop out though because the tourist had said they might be a little shy. After about an hour, we made it to this area where there had been a path on the dock and another path that had been sand. The tourist had told us if we were to walk on the dock wed be able to see the Gulf of Mexico. We all walked over, and it was such a beautiful sight. The sand was soft and had a soft white color to it, and the water was as blue and clear as the sky. There was no one there but us and the sun had just started to set. We took our pictures and decided to head back to the boat. I had asked the driver "How often do you drive your boat out here?" He had told me "I like to come here often, even by myself. The waves sound nice at night." This tour was the greatest I've ever experienced yet. Everything was well described, and the weather was amazing. 

Pier Park Entrance

     Another reason why Panama City is a great place to vacation is because of how affordable it is. It has a wide range of motels, hotels, and vacation rentals. This allows people who want to travel here and choose a place that fits their budget. They also have affordable places to dine, from fast food restaurants to fancy restaurants. Panama City Beach has a great tourism industry. They had a strip called Pier Park which is full of bars, restaurants, and every souvenir shop you could imagine. As we were walking through the street, you could see people outside showing off their unique cars. Some businesses offer discounts and deals to attract their customers. When we visited this gift shop, they gave my friends and I free appetizer cards for the restaurant that had been located down the strip called Dick's Last Resort. It's a restaurant where the servers and employees are sarcastic and mean to you on purpose. Since it was my first time going, it had caught me off guard, but it was such a funny experience. The food was also definitely worth it. When given deals like this, people that are visiting can take advantage and save some of their money. For a group of college students, that made us want to go back.  

      In conclusion, Panama City Beach is one of the ideal vacation destinations for anyone. If you're looking for a place to come to relax, have some fun, and enjoy the beautiful beaches that are around the Florida Panhandle. Panama City offers something for all ages, from college students that want to take a spring break trip, to a family with young children and even elders who deserve a relaxation. It's very affordable and has such great amazing food place with great service. The people are patient and willing to give you any information on what to do for fun. So, if you're having a hard time wondering where your next trip should be, take a trip down to Panama City. This is one of the places that you'd definitely want to talk about and travel to again.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources:  

https://www.vacationsperfected.com/panama-city-beach-info/the-history-of-panama-city-beach/ 

https://nationalpost.com/life/jane-macdougall-after-spring-break-summers-go-mild-at-panama-city-beach