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Miracle Strip to disappear forever

Matt J avatar
SWGB
9,345 views1
Honestly got a little choked up.

What?s Ahead for the Former Miracle Strip Property?
08/10/09 - 02:29 PM
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Jerry Brown - bio
jbrown@wmbb.com

Panama City Beach, Fla:
A long-time, well-known beach amusement park is now just a memory. But, the site on which the former attraction is located looks terrible and is only getting worse. Is there anything being done about it? Answers in this on your side Problem Solver report.
The Miracle Strip Park in Panama City Beach closed just a few years ago to make way for a new project. But, that project did not happen. So now, the property is a huge eyesore. However, there is a plan to deal with the property.

To walk now on the site of the old Miracle Strip, it is hard to believe that this park in its heyday was one of the great reasons to visit Panama City Beach.
The miracle strip opened in 1963 and provided a great time for anyone who ever dropped by for a visit. It was small at first, but then grew over the years, offering rides, shows, music and much more.
The site is located on Alf Coleman Road near the intersection of Front Beach Road. Beach Code Enforcement Officer Mark Williamson used to visit the park before it closed. He says, ? it was a wonderful place?everybody had fond memories from this?it was the place to go.?
But the Miracle Strip closed in 2004. The property was purchased by new owners. According to Williamson, ?It was a big condo project that was supposed to be out here and that failed. It was right at the end of the Miracle Strip.?

In the last four and a half years, the property has been the subject of numerous code violations. But time is running out for the eyesore and changes are coming. ?It is terrible and now that the graffiti has sprung up, this is not what we want out here. We are going to do everything we can to get this taken out.?
Williamson says the time frame for action by property owners on the site is 120 days. He also says, ?It has already been rezoned so the park can?t come back. So there is only one way and that?s to take the whole thing out.? The plan at this point is to remove the remaining structures and level the site.
Mark Williamson tells me code enforcement is also working on resolving other eyesore issues on the beach. We will have their stories in the weeks to come.


wmbb.com - What’s Ahead for the Former Miracle Strip Property?

Replies

43
Douglas the Intrepid avatar
Beach Fanatic
#2
Its pretty lousy the park can't come back because it was rezoned. Rezone it back!
DuneLaker avatar
Beach Fanatic
#3
Its pretty lousy the park can't come back because it was rezoned. Rezone it back!

I agree. That would be wonderful. I went on the last night it was open. Kept my armband.
North Lake avatar
Beach Lover
#4
I agree. That would be wonderful. I went on the last night it was open. Kept my armband.


I miss it too DL. We used to come down and camp for a week on the west bank of Deer Lake on a bluff back in the early 60's when it was St. Joe property. Every year, the itinerary included a night at the "bright lights"... which for the 11-12 year old kid that I was included the Miracle Strip Amusement Park and Goofy Golf. When we came back home in 1997, I was so glad to be able to take our kids to the Miracle Strip. So sorry it closed in the name of "progress." It was still great fun to visit, even in the latter years.
Hop avatar
Beach Fanatic
#5
our area needs a real amusement park...i wish they had kept and upgraded Miracle strip...it's like the Cooney Island of the south.:cry:
SHELLY avatar
SoWal Insider
#6
our area needs a real amusement park...i wish they had kept and upgraded Miracle strip...it's like the Cooney Island of the south.:cry:

...the beach, shopping, and dining pretty much now sums up what many of today's kids will envision as the good ole days of summer.

I swear that if I ever hit the several-hundred-million powerball, I'd buy out one of these ghost condos, implode it, and build a 50's style amusement park (consisting simply of cheezy, brightly painted rides; heart-stopping-artery-clogging food; games to win stuffed animals; hokey carnival music; and lots (LOTS!) of colored lights at nightime.) My number one choice for the condo I'd implode would be the craptastic Emerald Grande. You're all invited to attend.

.
Matt J avatar
SWGBAuthor
#7
:lolabove:

SHELLY used the word "craptastic"! :clap::clap:
Yarmap avatar
Beach Fanatic
#8
...the beach, shopping, and dining pretty much now sums up what many of today's kids will envision as the good ole days of summer.

I swear that if I ever hit the several-hundred-million powerball, I'd buy out one of these ghost condos, implode it, and build a 50's style amusement park (consisting simply of cheezy, brightly painted rides; heart-stopping-artery-clogging food; games to win stuffed animals; hokey carnival music; and lots (LOTS!) of colored lights at nightime.) My number one choice for the condo I'd implode would be the craptastic Emerald Grande. You're all invited to attend.

.

Shelly
This is what I remember in PC Beach in the 50's & 60'S. "Build it and they will come".:cool:

Long Beach Resort and The Hang Out, Panama City Beach Florida - a set on Flickr
ShallowsNole avatar
Beach Fanatic
#9
Rezone it back, bring back the Starliner (from what I understand, it is homeless again :pissed:) and the Snowman and whatever else can be found.

When I was sixteen years old, the corner of Alf Coleman and Front Beach Road was THE place to be. Things change, I guess. But the Strip was special...:wub:
mikecat adjuster avatar
Beach Fanatic
#10
I was so disappointed when I moved here and tried to find it, only to learn of its closure. The haunted house was great, along with the roller coaster that was actually dismantled and moved to another park, I believe somewhere else in Florida.
SHELLY avatar
SoWal Insider
#11
Rezone it back, bring back the Starliner (from what I understand, it is homeless again :pissed:) and the Snowman and whatever else can be found.

I thought they relocated the Starliner to Cypress Gardens--what did you hear?
.
2bohemians avatar
Beach Fanatic
#12
Thanks for the memories everyone --- those were good times indeed!
2bohemians avatar
Beach Fanatic
#13
I miss it too DL. We used to come down and camp for a week on the west bank of Deer Lake on a bluff back in the early 60's when it was St. Joe property. Every year, the itinerary included a night at the "bright lights"... which for the 11-12 year old kid that I was included the Miracle Strip Amusement Park and Goofy Golf. When we came back home in 1997, I was so glad to be able to take our kids to the Miracle Strip. So sorry it closed in the name of "progress." It was still great fun to visit, even in the latter years.

:wub: Goofy Golf !
SHELLY avatar
SoWal Insider
#14
:wub: Goofy Golf !

There's also an original Goofy Golf in FWB (on Eglin Parkway); it's a HUGE hit with the little ones everytime they're down for a visit.

.
Miss Kitty avatar
Meow
#15
...the beach, shopping, and dining pretty much now sums up what many of today's kids will envision as the good ole days of summer.

I swear that if I ever hit the several-hundred-million powerball, I'd buy out one of these ghost condos, implode it, and build a 50's style amusement park (consisting simply of cheezy, brightly painted rides; heart-stopping-artery-clogging food; games to win stuffed animals; hokey carnival music; and lots (LOTS!) of colored lights at nightime.) My number one choice for the condo I'd implode would be the craptastic Emerald Grande. You're all invited to attend.

.

You have inspired me to start buying lottery tickets in your name.
DuneAHH avatar
Beach Fanatic
#16
...the beach, shopping, and dining pretty much now sums up what many of today's kids will envision as the good ole days of summer.

I swear that if I ever hit the several-hundred-million powerball, I'd buy out one of these ghost condos, implode it, and build a 50's style amusement park (consisting simply of cheezy, brightly painted rides; heart-stopping-artery-clogging food; games to win stuffed animals; hokey carnival music; and lots (LOTS!) of colored lights at nightime.) My number one choice for the condo I'd implode would be the craptastic Emerald Grande. You're all invited to attend.

.

and will you have lots and lots of balloons???? ;-)
Beach Lover
#17
I'm with all of you in missing Miracle Strip. Every time I see Buddy Wilkes I bemoan his decision. It also provided lots of jobs for the teenagers. What fun to spend all day at Shipwreck and then go across the street for the bright lights. (Kurt, is this enough?)
ShallowsNole avatar
Beach Fanatic
#18
I thought they relocated the Starliner to Cypress Gardens--what did you hear?
.

Unless something has changed, Cypress Gardens closed all their non-water rides at the end of the 2008 season. :bang:
MRBS avatar
Beach Lover
#19
Oh oh oh

Thank you thank you for acknowledging Miracle Strip and Goofy Golf!!! My memories!!! The Spider (on a cable) hole; the fish you walked through; the breeze on a dark night illuminated so brightly - what else, what else??

The Miracle Strip: the WALK through haunted house with room of a dozen doors and only one way out; the unsettling swinging hallway with blasts of air from below. And the cars you actually "drove" on the "highway" despite the ridge in the middle that I ignored once I knew it was there!!! The bumper cars, log ride and the Abominable (sp?) Snowman finally, where it was so cold.

Does anyone remember more? I would love to remember!!!! Thank you,

unabashedly sentimental on this topic.
Beach Fanatic
#20
Thank you thank you for acknowledging Miracle Strip and Goofy Golf!!! My memories!!! The Spider (on a cable) hole; the fish you walked through; the breeze on a dark night illuminated so brightly - what else, what else??

The Miracle Strip: the WALK through haunted house with room of a dozen doors and only one way out; the unsettling swinging hallway with blasts of air from below. And the cars you actually "drove" on the "highway" despite the ridge in the middle that I ignored once I knew it was there!!! The bumper cars, log ride and the Abominable (sp?) Snowman finally, where it was so cold.

Does anyone remember more? I would love to remember!!!! Thank you,

unabashedly sentimental on this topic.

What about the Scrabler Ride that was in an enclosed building lit with black lights..so scarry and Bumper Cars A good way to take out your aggression. I just read on an Alabama chatroom, that a place named the Hangout, is open in Gulf Shores...I thought that name should belong to PC
Beach Fanatic
#21
Thank you thank you for acknowledging Miracle Strip and Goofy Golf!!! My memories!!! The Spider (on a cable) hole; the fish you walked through; the breeze on a dark night illuminated so brightly - what else, what else??

The Miracle Strip: the WALK through haunted house with room of a dozen doors and only one way out; the unsettling swinging hallway with blasts of air from below. And the cars you actually "drove" on the "highway" despite the ridge in the middle that I ignored once I knew it was there!!! The bumper cars, log ride and the Abominable (sp?) Snowman finally, where it was so cold.

Does anyone remember more? I would love to remember!!!! Thank you,

unabashedly sentimental on this topic.

What about the Scrambler Ride that was in an enclosed building lit with black lights..so scarry and Bumper Cars A good way to take out your aggression. I just read in an Alabama chatroom, that a place named the Hangout, is open in Gulf Shores...I thought that name should belong to PC
rapunzel avatar
Beach Fanatic
#22
What about the Scrambler Ride that was in an enclosed building lit with black lights..so scarry and Bumper Cars A good way to take out your aggression. I just read in an Alabama chatroom, that a place named the Hangout, is open in Gulf Shores...I thought that name should belong to PC

The scrambler inside the domed building was the Abominable Snowman...and it was my absolute favorite. Every vacation, my family had a routine -- Tuesday night was for Goofy Golf, Thursday night was Captain Anderson's, and Friday night was Miracle Strip. For me, there were only two things I waited all year for -- my daddy taking me way out passed where the waves break to "ride the waves" which basically meant floating on the cheap air mattress sold at the Y gas station in water too deep for me to touch the bottom. The second -- and best -- was to ride the Abominable Snowman over and over. My sister was a teenager and cute, so it was sometimes possible for her to flirt with the dj (the Snowman was a scrambler in a big concrete igloo that was air conditioned to about 60 degrees, and there were disco lights and they played really loud music inside) and he'd play the songs we requested. I especially remember the one guy who played My Sharona and Devil Went Down to Georgia for us about 10 times each. The Starliner was so much fun -- there's nothing like an old wooden roller coaster. The log ride was so much fun, too. I think the Snowman and the Log Ride were favorites because they cooled you off. There was an old west train ride (it may have been brought over from Petticoat Junction after that place closed) and it must have been functional before Alf Coleman was built, because the bandits came at you somewhere in the vicinity of Shipwreck Island, and the old ghost town still stands at the Raccoon River Campground.

Gosh, I miss the Miracle Strip. What a loss.
kitlit avatar
Beach Fanatic
#23
The swings were always my favorite. I could ride those things all night! I loved the wind in my hair, and the breeze, and seeing all the lights along the strip as the cars drove (crept) by... :blush:

I also loved the Snowman, and Dante's Inferno, but they didn't love me... :sick:

So many great memories! Actually, the first time Swafia ever kissed me was at Miracle Strip, when we were 16. :wub:
rapunzel avatar
Beach Fanatic
#24
The swings were always my favorite. I could ride those things all night! I loved the wind in my hair, and the breeze, and seeing all the lights along the strip as the cars drove (crept) by... :blush:

I also loved the Snowman, and Dante's Inferno, but they didn't love me... :sick:

So many great memories! Actually, the first time Swafia ever kissed me was at Miracle Strip, when we were 16. :wub:

Dante's Inferno was the spider in a dome, right?
kitlit avatar
Beach Fanatic
#25
Dante's Inferno was the spider in a dome, right?

IIRC, the spiders were up toward the front, near the Snowman, and Dante's was back in the corner, next to the Music Express (that one was funn, too!)

A lot like the Snowman, it was a scrambler, and it may have had some spiderweb decorations, but it was the one with the giant devil's head; you walked through the mouth (complete with fangs, and a tongue-shaped ramp) to get inside the dome. :yikes:
Desso avatar
Beach Lover
#26
I never thought I would see such heart-warming nostalgia expressed over the loss of Miracle Strip Amusement Park. With so much anti-PCB rhetoric, it is refreshing to know so many people enjoyed, like myself, the old park so much. The Music Express, Dante's Inferno. The Toboggan, The Hammer, and The Abominable Snowman were all favorites growing up. The rattle-trap Starliner coaster had to be the best though. It was a big deal to work there in the summer when I was a kid. Didn't pay much, but you were really something on the block, and you got a summer pass to go as often as you liked. I made more "renting" the armband out than the wages (less than $3.00 an hour). I used to have to hose off the Paratrooper ride after the guest loss their lunch or dinner among other character building resposibilities. I've got pictures of us in the Sky-Tram I'll try to find. Panama City Beach was great for kids in those days, unfortunately now the smoke, knife, t-shirt, and adult toy shops wedged between high-rise condos just aren't as appealing. Does anyone remember the genie that sat in front of the Wild West Town? You hadn't been to PCB until you climbed the stairs and sat in his hand for a picture.

Edited

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