Panama City, Florida
Beaches, Dolphins, and Deep Sea Fishing
Panama City, Florida
Resort: Wyndham Panama City
Duration: 6 days
Budget: $2,100
Panama City is a resort town along the Panhandle of Florida. Once known as the hotspot for spring breakers, this town has undergone a transformation over the past ten years and is now a perfect place for vacationers of all ages. Its white sandy beaches and turquoise waters now also offer a variety of family activities, luxury vacation rentals, natural hikes, guided tours, and a plethora of restaurants and shopping.
We have always vacationed in Destin and decided to give Panama City Beach a try this year. We’re so glad we did! Whether you’re a family with kids, sports enthusiast, or snowbird, this town should be considered. It is now one of my favorites along the panhandle.
6 Day Itinerary in Panama City Beach
- Day 1: Check in at the resort, head to the beach
- Day 2: Beach Day: swim, walk to a shop like Alvin’s for some saltwater taffy and body boards, enjoy a beachside restaurant for dinner
- Day 3: Deep-sea Fishing
- Day 4: St. Andrews Bay, Enjoy our catch from the day before for dinner
- Day 5: Shopping at Pier Park, Sunset Dolphin Cruise
- Day 6: Travel home
What to Know Before You Go to the Beach
BE PREPARED
A little planning in advance will make your vacation to Panama City Beach a lot more enjoyable. There are a few things that we always plan to buy when we get to the beach. These include sand toys and body boards, because they never seem to be found from last year’s vacation. However, for the most part, the rest of these items are things you can purchase beforehand and bring, if you have room.
Goggles & Snorkle Gear – this will keep your children happy for hours. Check out St. Andrews “kiddie pool” for a spot to take your children snorkeling.
Tip: Bring a 10×10 Canopy Tent
Trust me, this is a life-saver if you plan to spend a few hours out at the beach and don’t want to get scorched from the Florida sun. Don’t forget sunglasses, hats, plenty of sunscreen, good water shoes, swimsuit coverups, and light clothing. Think sundress and tanktops. If you’re heading there in the summertime, even the evenings are warm and humid.
Book tours in advance – the beaches are fantastic and you could spend all day every day enjoying the ocean, but saving up for a guided tour or two will take your vacation to the next level. There are so many options! If possible, do your research before your trip in order to book a tour or two before you get there. We found that during peak season, tours book up quickly. If you’re interested in deep sea fishing, see below for more booking tips. Check out these TOP PANAMA CITY ATTRACTIONS.
Tip: For families of small children, order your snorkel gear online so that you can try gear on and do some practice sessions in a pool or bathtub.
My Favorite Things to Do in Panama City Beach
Private Deep Sea Fishing Charter
GO DEEP SEA FISHING
AT LEAST ONCE IN YOUR LIFETIME!
Ready for an experience of a lifetime? Deep sea fishing is a way to enjoy the fresh sea air and expansive waves of the Gulf of Mexico, while pulling in some of the biggest fish you will every see. You can take the fish home and cook it up for the rest of your vacation. Kids flip out over this!! We had a last minute thought to take Grayson deep sea fishing for his 10th Birthday and were disappointed to find out that charters book up months in advance, especially since it was Red Snapper season. However, after hours of phone calling and contacting a local friend, I was finally able to find the perfect 6-hour sunset fishing charter through Killen Time Fishing Charters.
Killen Time Deep Sea Fishing Charters were amazing. We caught 70 lbs. of red snapper, grouper, vermillion snapper, white snapper, and trigger fish… and that was with two sick adults and four children. The deck hand, James, was incredibly patient as he taught the kids (and us) how to deep-sea fish. He baited hooks, untangled lines, pulled fish in, and made our experience one that we’ll never forget.
Captain Chris Sours took us to the spots where the fish were biting! Their boats are overload boats so they can accommodate more people and are built for speed which, in their words, means “less riding time and more time to catch some amazing deep sea fish!”
The boat had a restroom, bunks, a fully air conditioned cabin, and was nice and clean. We recommend this company.
MORE DETAILS
The experience – we chose a private charter because we wanted this day to be “over the top” special. It surely was!
You ride for 1-2 hours out before you ever drop a line. When you start fishing, it’s fast and furious, so be prepared for that. They only stayed in one spot for about ten minutes, and if they fish weren’t biting, they moved on quickly. On a 6-hour trip, count on about 2 hours of actual fishing. If you really want alot of fish, opt for the 8-hour charter. It was our first time, so we went with the least amount of time.
Make sure to take sunscreen, hats, sunglasses, and some good shoes with non-stick soles. The kids wore flip flops bc we didn’t want their tennis shoes to get wet, but next time, we’ll wear either tennis shoes or water shoes. Take food in a cooler and plenty of water. Whatever charter you choose, make sure they allow you to take your fish home.
Deep Sea Fishing with Kids – this was an incredible experience that the kids will cherish for their entire lifetime. There’s just something about holding a fish that’s bigger than your head that is just good for a boy. I recommend watching some videos in advance to learn the techiniques beforehand. We had a big learning curve since we haven’t even really taken the kids fishing before. Also, we left the younger kids behind, but they probably would have been fine.
Getting Sea Sick – if you think there’s a chance you will get sick, go ahead and plan that you will. The two middle-aged dads that went on the trip both ended up hanging over the edge of the boat for a part of the trip. My brother had been prepared and still got sick. Kyle didn’t see it coming until it was too late. Here’s what you should do: Take dramamine the night before and the morning of your trip. This drug neeeds time to get into your system and will not help if you try to use it out on the water. If you get sick while out there, stay hydrated and stand towards the back of the boat keeping your eyes on the horizon. Good luck! The kids did great! I didn’t get sick either.
Tip: During red snapper season, fishing charters book up fast, so plan in advance and book as early as possible.
Cost – Our total cost including the charter, the tip, and getting the fish cleaned and ready to eat was $1,400. The breakdown:
Charter: $1,100
Tip: $250 (should be at least 20% of the cost of the charter)
Cleaning: $35 (they charge $.70 per lb)
We split this between three families, so the cost per family was about $475. There are cheaper charters if you have six or less people. If this price is too high, you can also consider a party boat fishing trip. Eith this experience, you’re on a boat with up to 70 other people and you don’t go out as far. Also, there is a greater risk of lines getting tangled. But, it’s quite a bit cheaper. We haven’t done this, so I can’t compare experiences.
St. Andrew’s State Park
A Family Favorite
We came to St. Andrew’s State Park looking for something to do on a bad-weather day. All the beaches in Panama City were flying a DOUBLE RED FLAG, which means no swimming allowed. None. Zilch. The kids were disappointed as we had just arrived on our vacation. In an effort to keep the spirits high, we made the short drive from our condo to St. Andrews. What a fun day!
Pack a lunch, bring hiking shoes, or your snorkel gear (if weather is nice), and plan to spend the day here. Use this day to save your vacation budget for other more expensive activites. You can have access for only an $8 per car entrance fee.
Activities
The park offers a large campground, fishing pier, public boat launch, watersport rentals, and the official Shell Island Shuttle. Visitors can choose to hike, bike, view wildlife, boat, kayak, paddle board, and snorkel, and so much more. There is plenty of parking and excellent restroom facilities.
Trails
There are plenty of trails to hike, but two of our favorites are the St. Andrews State Park Loop and the Gator Lake Trail. We took the Gator Lake trail this time with our kids and a few cousins. They loved it! Watch out for gators, snakes, lizards, and wading birds. The trail is very short and winds around the lake. There are small twisted trees that are perfect for climbing and make for great pictues. They are called Sand Live Oak trees.
The Rock Jetty
This jetty is located in an inlet, making it an ideal spot to snorkel. It’s considered one of the easiest places to snorkel in Florida. Wooden sidwalks allow for an easy walk from the parking area to the Gulf beach. Feel free to bring your chairs, coolers, and tent to set up for a few hours of fun in the water.
It is recommended to use a dive flag when snorkeling for safety, and to keep a watch out for fishermen, who can come to the inlet at times, as well.
Kiddie Pool
The St Andrews West Jetty lagoon was nicknamed the “Kiddie Pool” by locals and is the best place for beginners to view Florida’s sea creatures at play. Because of the rocks that form a natual barrier, this area is sheltered from the heavy currents and considered a great choice for families with children.
A Dolphin Cruise
There are many options for dolpin cruises, but this, IMO, The Seascreamer is one of the best choices for families. It’s inexpensive and caters to children by offering them an opportunity to drive the boat and hold sea creatures that they pull up from a crab cage out in the ocean. This family-owned business has top-notch boats that cruise through the waters, slowing down to lure the dolpins to jump their wakes in their playful way. Sit in the front to enjoy a great view and the waves. As the boat takes off, you can stand right along the side to feel the waves on your face. Then, at some point, move towards the back of the boat to catch the best shots of the dolphins gracefully surfing the waves made by the wake of the boat. We didn’t book ours early enough to be able to snag a sunset cruise, but I hear those are the best.
Tip: Take videos instead of pictures.
Dolphins are only above water for few seconds at a time while surfing the waves. You can always grab your favorite shots from the videos later. Do you have a GoPro? Consider buying one for any upcoming trips. They are amazing.
Trip Planning
Wyndham Panama City Beach is part of the Wyndham family of resorts associated with Club Wyndham. We booked these rooms 1 year in advance. This trip was our annual extended family vacation with Kyle’s family, so we booked a 2-bedroom deluxe and a 2-bedroom presidential. These accommodations suited us very well. (6 adults & 7 kids). The 2-bedroom deluxe is huge with 2 bedrooms, a pull-out sofa, and a set of bunkbeds. The presidential 2-bedroom doesn’t actually accomodate as many people but has a larger living room. There’s not actually a dining room in the presidential, either. A 1-bedroom would be a good option for a family, as well and would be more cost effective.
The kitchens are great with plenty of room! We like to save money by cooking almost every meal in the room. With kids, we’ve found that this is much more enjoyable than eating out.
How to book this hotel:
1. Book through Club Wyndham or RCI, if you are a timeshare owner.
2. Contact a timeshare owner to see if they have extra points. They’ll give you a price, you pay, they book. Contact me if you don’t know anyone.
3. Book directly on the website below:
https://www.extraholidays.com/panama-city-beach-florida/wyndham-vacation-resorts-panama-city-beach
4. There are other sites that offer rooms at this resort such as www.booking.com.
Order groceries online, pick them up on your way into town, pile them into your already packed car, head to the resort, and enjoy the fact that your pantry is stocked and you don’t HAVE to go anywhere for the rest of the week, unless you want to!!
Items to toss in a bag from home: Spices. There’s no need to purchase those for 5 days of cooking. Aluminum foil, plastic wrap, cooking oil.
This category is pretty well covered in the content of this blog. I would just add that it’s fun to do the research beforehand and have your children pick a few activites that really excite them. Book them before you arrive, spacing them out so that you have a buffer day when arriving and departing and a day of relaxation in between larger activites. We typically only plan one expensive family activity, and then do lots of outdoor activities that are free or cost very little.
Driving…. if you’re within a day’s drive of your destination, this will ALWAYS be your cheapest way to vacation.
We were able to save $ on transportation which gave us more to spend on our deep sea fishing excursion.
Tips: Pack travel bags for your children with actvities. Magnet games are fun. Buy snacks and have them pack their own bag of snacks, complete with a sucker. These last forever and are great for pulling out when toddlers begin to cry. They even have healthy suckers, although we just grabbed some at the gas station on the way out of town. Consider grabbing a redbox movie for the end of the trip or whenever the kids start to loose it – surely mine aren’t the only ones! Have tablets charges up, but only allow them a designated amount of time on devices. The point of a family vacation is spending time together… the drive can be part of that fun, too. We play fun games together like racing to see who can find the letters of the alphabet on signs first & making a list of license plates from different states.
Trip Budget
- Lodging $800 38%
- Food (Groceries $250 Restaurants $150) 19%
- Activities (Deep Sea Fishing $500 Dolphin Cruise $130 St Andrews $8) 30%
- Transportation (Gas $162) 8%
- Other (body boards, t-shirts $100) 5%
Total Budget: $2,100
We hope that you can use this trip itinerary for a future family vacation to Panama City Beach! The sun and sea are waiting…
Much love, the Wells
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