Friday, June 29, 2012

Paddleboards!


Everyone out on the water seems to be up on the newest trend. Paddleboarding! There are lots of new companies opening up offering paddleboard rentals. Here are a few of the newest deals we have found.

Guided Tour from Walkin' on Water Paddle Boards ~Deal of the Day! $22

Mr. Surf's Surf Shop~
Stand-Up paddle Boards - Hourly $15 / Daily $60
Surfboards - Hourly $8 / Daily $40
or
Mon. - Surf-Skim-Paddle Lessons at OSPREY & Driftwood Resort (Guests have priority for slots but it is OPEN to Public)
$35 for Guests $45 for Non-guests (2 Hour lesson)

Tues. & Wed. & Thurs.:
"Mr. Surf's SURF & BEACH Summer Day Camps"
(pending weather)
What to expect: Instruction in Surfing - Skimming - Paddle boarding + other water activities for the kids all set to Beach Music. Pictures included.
Location: Rick Seltzer Public Park Time: 8am till 11am
Limit: 12 persons - Open to ALL AGES
What to Bring: Swimsuit, Sunscreen, Towel, Surfshirt / Rashguard, Drinks & Snack, & a HUGE Smile!
Cost: $40 per camp / day


Panama City Paddle Board ~
Paddle board at Shell Island for just $60/board. Boat ride is included. 
Don’t wanna board? Join the boat ride for just $25!

WOW Paddleboards~
Gulf/Lake Tour: $45.00
Sunset Tour : $45.00
River Tour : $75.00

Private lesson: $60(1hr.) or $120 for 3 lessons
Group Lessons:$35(1hr.) Per Person (max of 6), we do have group discounts

Thomas Dr. Paddle Board RENTALS near Schooners and Seychelles
$20 per hour or 3 hours for $50
Call Flo for reservations or just show up...... 850-688-3878


Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Leave No Trace~ Means Exactly That!!!!

This article was borrowed from PCB DAILY.

A couple weeks ago the Panama City Beach City Council passed an ordinance dubbed Leave No Trace that prohibits beach goers from leaving personal property on the beach overnight. Also known as the Tent Ordinance, the initial goal was to eliminate the left over tent skeletons that sometimes seem to pollute our shimmering white sands.
What the ordinance includes.
Specifically, the ordinance states that personal property left on the beach between the hours of 9 pm and 5 am will be considered abandoned and will be disposed of. Some of these items may include tents, chairs, coolers, towels, etc.
On public beaches or with the upland landowner’s permission, guests may store personal property overnight at the Toe of the Dune at their own risk.
The Toe of the Dune is the area of the beach immediately seaward of the dune and beach vegetation. To be specific, it is the area of the beach that is furthest from the water that is not in a sand dune or beach access point.
Items left at the Toe of the Dune will not be removed by the contractor. However, the owners of the personal property storing items at the Toe of the Dune, do so at their own risk. The County, City, TDC and its beach maintenance contractor, do not assume any liability for any items left on the beach after 9:00 pm.
When does the ordinance take effect?
The ordinance is in effect now. However, it’s not being enforced until Sunday, July 8, 2012. Local officials and the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau are getting the program prepared and beginning an awareness campaign so no one’s caught off guard.
How will the program work?
Each evening the beach maintenance contractor will travel the length of the beach and remove any items from the beach that are in violation of this ordinance.
The contractor may issue courtesy warnings for items left on the beach as they begin the implementation. When a courtesy warning is issued the material will be tagged informing the owner of the ordinance and the intent to remove the item the following evening if it is not removed.
However, officials are saying these warnings are a courtesy and that the contractor may remove any item from the beach whether or not a prior warning has been issued.
The release states that there may be times and circumstances that the contractor is unable to remove items from the entire length of the beach in a single evening. This inability to fully enforce the ordinance will not change or prevent the contractor from removing the items the next evening without notice.
A couple weeks ago the Panama City Beach City Council passed an ordinance dubbed Leave No Trace that prohibits beach goers from leaving personal property on the beach overnight. Also known as the Tent Ordinance, the initial goal was to eliminate the left over tent skeletons that sometimes seem to pollute our shimmering white sands.
What the ordinance includes.
Specifically, the ordinance states that personal property left on the beach between the hours of 9 pm and 5 am will be considered abandoned and will be disposed of. Some of these items may include tents, chairs, coolers, towels, etc.
On public beaches or with the upland landowner’s permission, guests may store personal property overnight at the Toe of the Dune at their own risk.
The Toe of the Dune is the area of the beach immediately seaward of the dune and beach vegetation. To be specific, it is the area of the beach that is furthest from the water that is not in a sand dune or beach access point.
Items left at the Toe of the Dune will not be removed by the contractor. However, the owners of the personal property storing items at the Toe of the Dune, do so at their own risk. The County, City, TDC and its beach maintenance contractor, do not assume any liability for any items left on the beach after 9:00 pm.
When does the ordinance take effect?
The ordinance is in effect now. However, it’s not being enforced until Sunday, July 8, 2012. Local officials and the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau are getting the program prepared and beginning an awareness campaign so no one’s caught off guard.
How will the program work?
Each evening the beach maintenance contractor will travel the length of the beach and remove any items from the beach that are in violation of this ordinance.
The contractor may issue courtesy warnings for items left on the beach as they begin the implementation. When a courtesy warning is issued the material will be tagged informing the owner of the ordinance and the intent to remove the item the following evening if it is not removed.
However, officials are saying these warnings are a courtesy and that the contractor may remove any item from the beach whether or not a prior warning has been issued.
The release states that there may be times and circumstances that the contractor is unable to remove items from the entire length of the beach in a single evening. This inability to fully enforce the ordinance will not change or prevent the contractor from removing the items the next evening without notice.

SwagBucks.com~Travelocity On Sale!

ON SALE NOW! Travelocity gift cards on SwagBucks.com The $25 card is on sale for only 299 SB (points)...this is a great deal.  You can earn 299 points in just a few days! Can only be used on a hotel purchase or 2 or more nights! Snag yours or other deals now! Don't have a SwagBucks account...click HERE to get started. It's a free site that rewards you points to buy things (items or gift cards) by searching, watching videos, participating in surveys, etc. My favorite is to save up for dining cards to eat out on, or Amazon cards to do my online shopping at Christmas.

BEACH TV

Local channel 7 is one of the best resources to check out local restaurants and shops in Panama City Beach. They take you on a tour, so to speak, of the beach. I can sit and watch for hours! I love when they go behind the scenes at restaurants and you find out the history and famous recipes of all the local places. Truly fascinating. So, even if you are not in PCB right now, you can still watch streaming video LIVE on your computer. Remember its Channel 7 on local channels or you can access HERE on the web.

Sunday, June 24, 2012

The Rain is here...now wadda ya gonna do?

Not the ideal weather for a vacation, but you still wanna have some fun while in PCB, right? Here are some ideas for those rainy days!
#1 Gulf World is open everyday, rain or shine. They have lots of fun things to do and see.
#2 Wonderworks
#3 Ripley's Believe it Or Not
#4 Pier Park
#5 Movie Day~ Be sure to check here for the cheap movie days too! Or how about a new film in IMAX at the GRAND?
#6 Indoor Glow in the Dark Putt Putt at Race City
#7 Man of the Sea Museum
#8 Discovery Science Museum
#9 Panama City Mall
#10 Check out the little shops along the beach
#11 Art Class
#12 Paint your own pottery
#13 Shipwreck Island...most days they are still open if its just a sprinkle here and there with NO lightning. Coupons available at Walmart for $4 off.
#14 Visit some of our fine restaurants
#15 Bowling at Rockit Lanes
#16 Skating at Rockit Lanes
#17 The Haunted House at Race City
#18 Make some Jewelry at the Sterling Sun (next to Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant)

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Free Beach Towel With Pillow!

Heading to the Beach soon? Need a new towel? Sign up on Florida Fence for a free one with a pillow. This looks like a great towel!
This is what my confirmation said and what the towel itself looks like!

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Coming To Town For The 4th of July?

Panama City Beach, FL

Fireworks, music and special events are planned at Pier Park. Family fun includes free concerts, contests and fireworks!

Several bands will be spread throughout the property.. Admission is free and open to the public.

Fireworks Cruise

The Lady Anderson Dining Yacht is an elegant and graceful vessel, cruising from Panama City Beach. Experience evening cruises that tour the inland waters of Grand Lagoon and St. Andrews Bay. Feast on our delicious buffet with prime rib and shrimp and so much more…served on each of our evening cruises! Great food! Great price and always great family fun!

TWO ways to enjoy the 4th.

Take the dinner cruise, featuring a delicious buffet, and enjoy the firework display from the water. Tickets start at $65.00 for adults. Boarding is at 6:30 pm and the cruise runs from 7:00pm to 10:15pm.

Just want to enjoy the fireworks show, Board Capt. Anderson and watch the amazing displays from the water! Boarding starts at 7:30pm and cruise runs from 8:00pm to 10:15pm. Call for pricing.

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Panama City, FL

A festival celebrating America's Independence. This year’s July 4th event is called “Salute to Freedom” and will feature “LIVE” entertainment all day concluding with the $25,000 Fireworks display on Wednesday, July 4th. The event will be simulcast on local radio stations. This event attracts up to 50,000 spectators to the Panama City Marina each year.

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Lynn Haven, FL
Lynn Haven will be hosting its “Lynn Haven Centennial” celebration on July 4th, 2012. The annual parade will be held on July 4th at 9am.

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Mexico Beach, FL

"Best Blast on the Beach" Independence Celebration is a day full of family activities! With a 5K Race, Kid's Fishing Tournament and a Firework Show that will take your breath away, this will be the place you want to be when we celebrate our Nation's Birthday!

Thursday, June 14, 2012

June 15th ~National FLIP FLOP Day~ Free Smoothies~

Tomorrow on National Flip Flop Day, Tropical Smoothies will be giving away a Free 24oz. Jetty Punch Smoothie to all customers who come in wearing Flip Flops between 2-7pm. Grab those flip flops and head to Tropical Smoothie (next to publix on back beach rd)
11260 Panama City Beach Pwky. Unit 101
Panama City Beach, FL 32407
Find Tropical Smoothies on FB HERE

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Gas Prices~Alabama/Florida~Know What To Expect

Before you head out in the wagon family truckster, heading for the beach, stop by these 3 sites to brush up on your knowledge of what to expect in gas prices. We always like to set a budget for vacation, and knowing what we will spend on fuel is always included in that. Currently, gas prices here on the beach are at or near $3.29 on average. Gas here is usually about .10 higher than on the mainland. Use these sites to figure what you will pay on your trip.
Georgia
Florida-PCB
Alabama

#1-Figure (or look on your car if it tells you) how many miles you get per gallon...if you don't know how to do this...then here you go:

Here's how to figure out your own personal MPG: First, fill your gas tank and then reset the trip odometer. Drive until your car's gas tank is nearly empty, or close enough to it that you need more gas immediately. Look at how many gallons of gas it took to fill up the tank completely. Now take the reading on the odometer -- the number of miles you've driven since your last fill up -- and divide it by the number of gallons used.
In other words, if you have an empty tank and put 10 gallons of gas in it, then see that you traveled 350 miles, you're getting 35 miles per gallon. Over time, this will give you an accurate measurement of how efficiently you drive your car in real-world situations.

#2- Figure out how many miles your trip will be. Use Mapquest or Google Maps

#3- Divide your total number of miles in #2 by your MPG in #1 this will equal the # of gallons required for the trip.

#4- Multiply the answer in #3 (total gallons needed) x the average cost of gas along your route (I like to combine the cost of gas where I live, with the cost about halfway, and with the cost of gas at my destination and average the 3)

Now you know your total cost for the trip!

Here is an example: #1-my car gets about 40mpg on the hwy
#2- Its 486 miles to Middle Tennessee (where we are from)
#3- If I divide 486 by 40 mpg...that means I will need 12.15 gallons of gas
#4-Cost of gas is about $3.34 if I average the cost of Panama City Beach, Montgomery AL, and McMinnville, TN.    Multiply 12.15 x $3.34= $40.58
$40.58 is how much I will spend one way to McMinnville, TN from Panama City Beach!

Urban Spoon's Cheapest Restaurants

Urban Spoon has rated most of PCB's restaurants, and these made the cut as the "cheapest" places to eat. Check it out and try one of them today. Nothing better than saving some dough.
Here is the top 5:

 
See the rest that made the list and reviews at URBAN SPOON

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Boardwalk Beach Bash ~FREE~July 6-8th

If you are planning to be in PCB on July 6th-8th, The Boardwalk Beach Bash begins! Featuring lots of fun and fireworks for the whole family – and it’s free!
  Check out some of the offerings:
  • Festival food
  • Fireworks
  • Sandcastle competitions
  • Sunset Cinema beach movie
  • Games and attractions
  • Beach inflatables
  • Kids’ activities
Click here for more information. or here for a schedule of events.
If you don't already have a place to stay...Boardwalk has some awesome new condos that are really beautiful!

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Southwest Has Some New Deals

Southwest is offering some good deals right now to PCB! I was browsing and did a Nashville to PCB flight and came up with some dates that flights are only $86-$100 each way. Most seem to be from Tues-Thursdays. The best way is to put in tomorrows date in the search, enter your number of people, and airport and click search. The results will be very expensive, but hang on....at the top of the results, there will be a section that says, "Try our low-fare finder"....you need to click this and it will show you the fares everyday for the next 2 months. Here's where the deals are hidden! If you are single or have a small family...these are really great prices. If your family is large, maybe not so much. If you are not a fan of driving or not sure the old family wagon will make it, this might be a great option for you!! You can always snag a rental on priceline from $10-$20 a day! GOOD LUCK!

2 Kids Eat Free on Lady Anderson Yacht

The Lady Anderson is having a "Kids Eat Free" special now through August 10th. Wednesday Night is Kids Eat Free on the dining cruise.
Bring the whole family for a fun evening of dining and dancing. Special entertainment for the kids. Make wonderful vacation memories with the whole family. Great Buffet Dinner - Live music by our band Seabreze. Limit 2 free children (11 and under) per family.
Click HERE for more info and to book your cruise!

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Beach Bux Offers Great Deals

Here is a little site that offers coupons and discounts on a little of everything. From places to stay, things to do, food and drink to shopping and excursions...they got you covered. Beachbux.com has printable coupons and online purchasing of different items and coupons. Right now on today's deal, you can purchase a steak dinner for half price, or $20 worth of Dominoes for only $10! Those are some great options. Under things to do, you can print some coupons for $5 off dolphin cruises or admission to Gulf World. Hope on over and see what Beachbux.com has to offer you!

Update..... If you have trouble finding the Dominoes and Steak coupons for purchase...try deals.beachbux.com or click on BEACH DEALS in the text on the Home Page.

Monday, June 4, 2012

$1, $2 and $3 Movies~Great Rainy Day Acitvity

Sometimes that perfect beach day just doesn't happen, sometimes Mother Nature decides you might want other plans.Or in some cases, you may have just had too much sun!! In Panama City Beach, there are still fun things to do. A family movie is perfect for these days. There are 2 locations that can help you out! First is The Grand Theatre at Pier Park. Now, I  know what you are going to say, "That place is outrageous!"...give me a moment to explain.  :o)

The Grand at Pier Park

All summer long The Grand is having a summer movies for kids on Tuesday and Wednesday at 10am. Admission on these days and time will only be $3 and that includes a box of popcorn and a soda!!! You can't beat that. The movies shown will be new favorites such as Smurfs and Rio. Here is the schedule below:
6-12/6-13  Smurfs
6-19/6-20  Rio
6-26/6-27  Mr. Popper's Penguins
7-3/7-4      Horton Hears a Who
7-10/7-11  Alvin and The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked
7-17/7-18  Hop
7-24/7-25  Puss In Boots
7-31/8-1    Madagascar 2
8-7/8-8      Shrek Forever After
8-14/8-15  Kung Fu Panda 2

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Panama City Carmike 4
If kids movies are not what you are looking for, then there is another cheap option waiting for you in town. The Panama City Mall also has a theatre that is very affordable every day of the week. They show movies that have just went off at the main Carmike theatres that maybe you didn't get a chance to see. Most are not out on DVD yet, so you can't rent them just yet either.

Here is an example of what is on today...
Mirror Mirror
The Lorax
21 Jumpstreet
Safe
John Carter

They have 4 screens and offer all seats at $2 a ticket (unless you go to the 1pm show...then it's only $1...yep. I said $1.) On Tuesdays, they have $1 popcorn and $1 sodas, which make it even more affordable. No matter which one you decide, they both can offer some nice fun in the A/C when the outdoors aren't an option. 

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Panama City Carmike 10
The Panama City Carmike 10 is offering a summer kids program. They are also showing a little older kids movies and admission is only $2 and includes popcorn and drink!!!
Here is the lineup:
July5- Shark Tale
July12- How to Train a Dragon
July19- Madagascar 2
July26- Bee Movie
Aug2- Monsters vs. Aliens
Aug9- Megamind

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Regal Cinema Panama City
$1 Admission
7/3-7/4 (10am)      Cats and Dogs: Revenge       HUGO
7/10-7/11 (10am)  Adventures of Tin Tin          Puss In Boots
7/17-7/18 (10am)  Kung Fu Panda 2                  Rango
7/24-7/25 (10am)  Rio                                        Spy Kids All the Time
7/31-8/1 (10am)    Chimpanzee                         Hoodwinked TOO
8/7-8/8 (10am)     Arthur Christmas                  Smurfs

Friday, June 1, 2012

Time for the Weekend!~What will you do?

Ok, so it's Friday, time for another weekend. We are inching closer and closer to the summer season, and believe it or not, today is the first day of June. Don't forget that tonight is Friday Fest in downtown Panama City, tomorrow and Sunday are the farmer's markets,  and of course...its time to hit the beach! This weekend is supposed to have great weather and the water looks great too. Pack up a picnic and discover St. Andrews jetty area for some snorkeling, kayaking, or head to shell island and do some shelling. How about a day trip to Seaside, FL and see the beautiful town that was featured in the movie, "The Truman Show", or some shopping at pier park? Maybe rent a boat or try your hand at some Salt Water Fishing (tomorrow is the FREE saltwater fishing day...no license required)? It's gonna be a great weekend here in PCB, no matter what you do.

Deal of the Day!~Metal Detector Rental $20

Ever wondered what is under the sand? Have you saw others out there digging up treasures? WJHG's Deal of the Day is a full day rental for a metal detector for only $20. Click on the link here to pay for your rental now. Happy DIGGING!!!