Sundial Suites / PCB Guide / Things to Do
Things to Do
Beach mornings are obvious. Here is everything else.
This is the “I want to do something today” list. Beach mornings are obvious. Here’s everything else.
On the water
Shell Island via Capt Anderson’s ferry
From St Andrews State Park, take the ferry across to Shell Island (technically an undeveloped barrier island, no buildings, no anything except white sand and emerald water). Spend three hours on a beach you have mostly to yourself. The ferry runs every hour in season. $24.95 per adult, $17.95 per kid. Bring a cooler. Bring water. There’s no shade. We mean it.
Sandbar tour
Several local companies run pontoon trips out to the sandbar in the bay. Two to four hours, calm water, kids can jump off the boat, captains will point out dolphins (often) and stingrays (sometimes). Best summer activity for groups. Book ahead.
St Andrews jetties (snorkeling)
Included with the $8 park entry. The jetties are a manmade rock barrier between the Gulf and the bay. The water is calm on the inside, you can see fish, sometimes baby sharks (tiny, harmless), often crabs. Bring a snorkel mask. This is one of the best free family activities in the area.
On the beach
Beach walking
West End beach walks at sunrise and sunset are the actual reason to come to PCB. The water glows. You’ll find shells. You’ll see dolphins (we see them weekly). Bring coffee. Don’t bring your phone.
Rainy day or too hot
WonderWorks
Upside-down building at Pier Park. Indoor museum / play space with hands-on exhibits, ropes course, laser tag. Good for half a day with kids when it is raining or too hot. Around $35 per adult, $29 per kid. Crowded in peak season.
Skywheel at Pier Park
The 200-foot Ferris wheel. Climate-controlled gondolas. Worth doing once at sunset, the view is good. Day passes are too pricey for what it is, get a single ride.
Pier Park (the whole complex)
Outdoor shopping plaza, restaurants, movie theater (Grand 16), arcade, mini-golf, the Skywheel, the pier itself. The “I’m bored, take me somewhere” answer for kids and teenagers. Free to walk around, pay-per-attraction.
Outdoors and nature
Conservation Park
thousands of acres of preserved Bay County wilderness with miles of trails (paved, gravel, and boardwalk), wetlands, pine forests. Free. Bring bug spray. We come here on rainy mornings when the kids need to burn energy.
Camp Helen State Park
One of Florida’s quieter state parks. Lake Powell on one side, the Gulf on the other. Trails through old-growth coastal forest. Historic lodge. Great for a slow morning walk. $4 per vehicle (honor system).
Off the beaten path
Bay County Public Library (12 min by car), real library with kids’ programming, A/C, free WiFi. Underrated rainy-day option for parents.
The pier (M.B. Miller / Russell-Fields), $4 to walk the pier, $7 for a daily fishing license. Pelicans, sunset shots, kids love watching people fish.
Edgewater Beach Resort’s tiki bar, not a guest, no problem. Drinks, live music, way mellower than the high-rise resort bars.
Want more like this?
The full Sundial guide to Panama City Beach has more sections, all written by people who live three minutes from the door.
Back to the full guide