Love the site

:welcome:

Welocme SB...is this your first trip to the area?

:welcome: How old are your kids?

:welcome: How old are your kids?

This is our first trip to the Florida Gulf Coast...we are excited. Our kids are 3, 9, and 10. I have looked at TripAdvisor for some lodging suggestions. We want to stay on the beach (of course), in a nice clean hotel/condo.

Any suggestions on where to stay and what to do would be appreciated. We are pretty much open to about anything...the kids are not good swimmers yet...and we are willing to pay around 300 dollars per nite (more if the place is really nice and worth it).

Again, this site has been so helpful. Getting info from locals is a lot better than guessing through a magazine or website.

Scott

Do you know if you want to stay on 30A or in Panama City or Destin? Since you know you want to go to Shell Island, then I would assume Destin is out. When my son was little it was just easier to stay in Destin or Panama City. We always rented from an agency that had a free round of golf for each night's stay, beach chair set up, and amusement park tickets as part of their amenities package. But to be honest, I have not stayed in Panama City Beach in about 6 years. So I really couldn't recommend any place and feel good about it. We used to stay at Largo Mar, Moonspinner,the Dunes or a family friend's beach house. (All of which are located on Thomas Drive[east]) If you stay on Thomas Drive in Panama City you will be close to where you get on the boat to go to Shell Island. For what you are willing to pay, you shouldn't have a problem finding something that is nice. It really just depends on what your family likes to do.
(1) We have lousy shopping in my town, so I do like to shop on vacation.
(2) We don't have amusement parks and such around here, so after dinner it was a treat to take Tyler (my son) to the amusement parks for an hour. What I am trying to say is, at the time it was just easier for us to stay in Destin or Panama City, although we did stay in Seagrove a couple of times. And now that my son has graduated from high school, it looks like mom and dad can head for 30A.:clap_1: Sorry, I didn't mean to write a book, but hey, I take vacations seriously.:wub:

I take vacations seriously too...what is the amusement park in the area called? Can I get a place there that is just as nice for less than what I stated...I like cleanliness and on the beach...those are two musts for us...


What part of Ky are you in? I am in the Pikeville area.

Thanks.

Is there any difference between 30a and PC? What are they? Need to know so I make a good decision. Thanks.

How about One Seagrove Place. Two bedrooms, two baths, and a roll-out sofa. should be around $300/day. Nice beach.

Destin, PCB, 30A...there is NO WRONG ANSWER! :clap_1:

honest answer:

pcb is a tourist trap with a strip of loud garishly tinted stores designed to suck in your children and repel you as much as possible, so your kids will love it cause you hate it so much - loud traffic and unsupervised, sometimes drunk, teens make it a kids favorite - there are multiple places where your children can ride things that make you puke just to watch them oscillate

the state park (st andrews) is at the end of the strip (where you will catch your boat for shell island) and to me about 20 years ago was a quiet heaven and is pretty much the same today, but i am a total freak for salt water bogs, big boats and water critters - i would prefer a leaky tent in a thunderstorm (been there, done that) at the state park over any of the fine hotels and condos anywhere on the strip - for me and mine the only thing the strip is for is a place to sleep (if the state park camping area is full) or eat so you can get back to the state park, and all shopping should be done with a rod and reel

30A is more for grown-ups, kids are on leashes and people are polite and mostly responsible, and if they drink too much they usually just pass out quietly in some bar rather than trying to body-surf naked

grayton beach state park and topsail are nice, but have no bay full of superb critters to boggle and amaze the budding biologist in your kids who, if they are anything like me, will immediately demand a trip to half-hitch tackle for both the fish and shell identification book (not just the kid's pamphlet, but the real field-guide BOOK!)

Is there any difference between 30a and PC? What are they? Need to know so I make a good decision. Thanks.

Differences:scratch: As far as the water and sand, I would say no difference. BUT, Panama City Beach is a busy beach town. You have all the amusement parks, water slides, many restaurants, just the usual beach town stuff. Busy, busy, busy, but that's what summer vacation is all about. It's all there just waiting for you to drop your hard-earned cash. 30A is a road with different beach communities, Blue Moutain Beach, Grayton, Seaside, Seagrove, etc. You have restaurants and convenience stores - actually that area has really grown, but still if you want to do any of the go cart, amusement park stuff, you are going to have to drive to either Panama City or Destin. I have always preferred Destin over Panama City, but that's just my preference. I figured if I was going to drive every evening we may as well stay there. But now, I can truly enjoy the slower pace. But, as Skunkape mentioned before, you can't go wrong. You have 3 kids you are going to make great memories with.:wub:

BTW, I'm from the western end of the state.....Murray.

Thanks. I am looking forward to it more than ever. I can't wait to see the white sandy beaches...rather than than brownish colored beaches of Myrtle Beach. We will certainly explore the area...prob will stay in PCB...because of the kids...any good italian restaurants or Mexican restaurants in that area? Thanks.

Can't wait until I am no longer a crab!!!

Looks like you are a Tourist now......

Sb...you can always stay in sowal and drive to PCB when you want to do more things, or drive to destin......not very far either way. Personaly I think you and your family would love staying in Grayton or Seagrove !!! :clap_1:

Sb...you can always stay in sowal and drive to PCB when you want to do more things, or drive to destin......not very far either way. Personaly I think you and your family would love staying in Grayton or Seagrove !!! :clap_1:

Ditto on Seagrovelover's comments. We stay in Segrove area and go to the "big" towns when we want something different. Much less "stuff" in the area. We enjoy the the beach, and it is wonderful!

Ditto on Seagrovelover's comments. We stay in Segrove area and go to the "big" towns when we want something different. Much less "stuff" in the area. We enjoy the the beach, and it is wonderful!

:lolabove: Or you could do what I do...stay in Seagrove and send the husband to PCB or Destin with the kids!!!

:lolabove: Or you could do what I do...stay in Seagrove and send the husband to PCB or Destin with the kids!!!

:bang: I never thought of that.

or I could send the wife off to PC or Destin while I enjoy a little solitude in paradise....ahhhh...now that is an idea....only problem she would NEVER allow me to get off that easy

My sister and I and husbands have travelled to Grayton Beach annually with our children, who now are 18, 16, 11, 8, 7, 3, and 7 months for the past 5 or 6 years. Previously, we had stayed at Sandestin. Our families absolutely prefer the Grayton Beach area, and their favorite place to play is in the brackish water at the beach in Grayton (the little area where the lake ends at the beach). They take nets, find crabs and small fish, and you don't have to worry about the little ones in the waves. We bring a kayak and bikes, and there is somthing for all age groups.

If they need a day to do something else, we tried Shipwreck Island Water Park in PC last year, and the kids enjoyed it. It's easier to get there than Destin, and the water park is much cheaper and less crowded than Big Kahuna's in Destin. I could skip it and lay on the beach every day, but we're there 2 weeks and the kids like to have a little variety. If you golf, our husbands like the Bay Pointe course in PC, and it's less expensive than the Santa Rosa Golf Club, which is on 30A.

We take advantage of the local seafood and cook most nights, but for restaurants we like the Seagrove Market Cafe for grouper sandwiches (D & K's are better, but we hear they're closed for remodeling), Snapperheads is a low-key place to get a great burger, and the grown-ups enjoy the Red Bar in Grayton.

Our whole gang, plus Nana for babysitting, will be staying at a big house in Grayton June 24-July 8th. We have our new SoWal t-shirts ready!! Hope you and your family have a great vacation.