FRIDAY
3 p.m.
1. Hooked From the Pier
One lovely location from which to make your initial assessment of the stunning shore is the Russell-Fields Pier (pcbgov.com/visitors_citypier.htm), jutting 1,500 feet into the emerald blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Take a stroll to the end of the pier to marvel at the miles of sugary white sand stretching in either direction as far as the eye can see. Or rent a rod at the pier’s bait-and-tackle shop, Half Hitch Tackle (halfhitch.com), and cast a line to see what’s biting. After you’ve caught your fill of pompano, whiting and Spanish mackerel, retire to Hook’d Pier Bar Grill (16201 Front Beach Road; hookedpierbar.com) at the base of the pier for a cold beer and a snack of honey-and-lime fried plantains ($5.95). On this casual spot’s sunny wooden deck, with views of the sloping sand and rolling waves, you’re sure to find a sympathetic ear for unspooling your tales about the big one that got away.
6 p.m.
2. Bayou Bites
Panama City Beach’s long main drag, Front Beach Road, is lined with a disproportionate number of stores peddling airbrushed T-shirts, cheap bikinis and gaudy souvenirs. But nestled among this neon riot of déclassé consumerism is the occasional refreshing exception, like Dee’s Hangout (10440 Front Beach; deeshangout.com), a homey restaurant speciali ing in Cajun cuisine. The no-frills atmosphere won’t transport you to the bayou, but the daily specials scrawled on the rear chalkboard might. Recently, a Cajun platter special included a sampling of fried catfish, chicken gumbo, shrimp étouffée, coleslaw and hushpuppies ($12.95). The regular menu lists winning dishes like Cajun-spiced jambalaya with shrimp and sausage ($12.99). Try a bottle of pale ale from the Grayton Beer Company, a Panhandle microbrewery that opened in 2011 less than 30 miles west of Panama City Beach.
9 p.m.
3. Tiptop Taps
During spring break, Panama City Beach plays host to thumping mega-clubs with capacities greater than small towns, wet T-shirt contests, foam parties and enough fluorescent glow sticks to signal warnings to the Coast Guard. These concentrated revelry ones are not hard to find, but those who prefer civili ed drinking to debauched dancing should visit the new Fishale Taphouse and Grill (7715 Front Beach; fishales.com), a craft beer bar that opened last year. Many rare Dixie brews cycle through the bar’s 60-some taps, so you’re bound to find something intriguing. Sample the Pensacola Sawgrass ($4.75), a refreshing pale wheat ale from just down the Florida Panhandle, or try the Southern Pecan Nut Brown Ale ($5.50) from the Mississippi craft brewery La y Magnolia. Then retire with your pint to an armchair in front of the co y fireplace.
SATURDAY
8 a.m.
4. Trails and Trees
Start the day with a brisk walk, jog or bike ride through Conservation Park (100 Conservation Drive; pcbgov.com/conservation-park.htm), a nature preserve that opened in October 2011 only two miles from the beach. With 24 miles of trails winding through 2,900 acres of parkland, there’s a path to suit every fitness level. Regardless of whether you embark on a relaxing half-mile loop or a scenic 11-mile trek, you’re bound to cross wooden boardwalks traversing the park’s wetland sections, where woodpeckers tap at tall trees and alligators lurk between cypress knees. Sprinkled along the trails and tracts of palmettos and slash pines are unobtrusive signs identifying the local flora and fauna; pause to read the informative descriptions and savor the peaceful sound of leaves rustling in the bree e.
10:30 a.m.
5. Sunken Treasures
To honor the town’s considerable naval presence and history, dive into the Man in the Sea Museum (17314 Panama City Beach Parkway; maninthesea.org; $5). The warehouselike museum was created by the Institute of Diving, a nonprofit organi ation established by divers from the United States Navy’s Sealab program. It’s an impressive repository of historical maritime items ranging from antiquated diving masks to an entire underwater living facility: the United States Navy Sealab-1, which now calls the parking lot home. Inside the museum, there are exhibitions illustrating primitive diving techniques, an old submarine and mannequins displaying the commercial diving gear of yore.
Noon
6. Muffulettas and More
The Big Easy is 300 miles away, but inside the pink house of David’s New Orleans Style Sno-Balls (13913-A Panama City Beach Parkway; davidssnoballs.com), you’ll find Crescent City specialties like meat-layered muffulettas and “Café du Monde beignets” buried under a snowdrift of powdered sugar. If your stomach is growling, dig into a messy roast beef po’boy (six inches, $6.25). But in warm weather, most patrons arrive in pursuit of a stuffed “sno-ball,” a cupful of flavored shaved ice atop a twirl of soft serve ice cream. Can’t decide among the 40-plus flavors? Go with strawberry daiquiri (10 o ., $3.75). Or to completely overload on sugar, order the Key lime “sno-ball” pie with crumbled graham crackers ($3.95).
2 p.m.
7. Beach Bliss
36 Hours in Panama City Beach, Fla.
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