Beach Reads

Picture this.You pack up the family, load everyone up in the SUV and head down to the beautiful Gulf Coast. Sure, you have researched your vacation a little online and have even visited this very website.  You may have gone as far as to load up the trusty GPS with all...

Sugar white sand. Seashells. Sand Dollars. Pristine. I’d like to share 5 different ways I found to see famous Shell Island in Panama City Beach, Florida. Shell Island is a gorgeous 7-mile long undeveloped barrier island lying between the Gulf of Mexico and St. Andrews Bay. No hi-rise condos here.  Actually, you won’t find amenities at all – for a reason.  This beautiful island has been kept as pristine as possible.

A slice of heaven isn’t hard to find here on the beach if you know where to look. Nestled between the sky-high monoliths and abundant t-shirt shops, there are more than a dozen pizzerias–each with their own ideas of how to slap, sauce and bake the perfect pie. 

Here’s the skinny on the six we tried–all between the bridges. (East of Phillip Inlet and West of the Hathaway Bridge). Starting from the west end, working east…

We love living here in Panama City Beach.  Although many of our staff members are not originally from this area, the beautiful beaches, the shimmering crystal clear waters of the Gulf, the breath-taking sunsets and some truly amazing weather has become the place we call home.

Since we jumped on the web last year we have had so many ideas about how to spread our affection for our community, introduce readers to some of the amazing people from around the country that now live and work here and give a little insight as to what it’s like to both vacation and live here.  Sure, Panama City Beach is growing at an exponential rate and businesses are popping up all over the place, but it still is very much a small beach town.  After some deliberations it finally hit us.  Even though we probably work a little too much, surround ourselves in technology, and get caught up in the big-ness of it all, we are really living the beach life.

We moved 1200 miles to live 3000 feet from the Gulf of Mexico and we probably stick our feet in the sand about once a season.  What a crime!

We all take for granted what we see every day.  And after living in a vacation town for more than a decade,  it’s fun to visit other places and ask the locals there about what they enjoy and how they like being in a vacation destination.   Believe me; I’ve heard some funny stories.

Are you a food fan like we are?  If so, the St. Andrews Waterfront Market is a do not miss event.  Held every Saturday when the weather is nice and warm, the Marina in St. Andrews transforms from a popular boat dock and fishing spot to one of the best Farmer’s Markets in North Florida.  

In our house, trekking down to St. Andrews on a bright and shiny Saturday morning has become a bit of a tradition.  Sure my wife wants to sleep in and the little one wants to lounge around and watch cartoons,  but I am always determined to get to the market early because you never know what the produce vendors are bringing in or if they will sell out of those very exclusive garden finds!