Local Businesses Boost Appeal with Webcams

LIVE – From Panama City Beach!

Thousands of families make their way each year, to the 27 miles of white-sand beaches of Panama City Beach, Florida. It should come as no surprise, then, that when those families’ return home, a little part of Panama City Beach is always in the back of their mind.

Now, thanks to a variety of enterprising Panama City Beach businesses, vacationers can satisfy their craving for a daily-dose of the “world’s most beautiful beaches”. Hotels, bars, restaurants, and even nightclubs are now broadcasting live, 24/7 video streams showcasing the natural beauty of Panama City Beach.

One example is the Sandpiper Beacon Beach Resort; a family-friendly hotel located directly on the beach. “We’ve had a lot of positive feedback from guests staying with us now, as well as those with reservations for later in the year”, said Patrick Hazard, general manager of the resort. “It’s another great opportunity to entertain our guests even when they aren’t here staying with us”.

If the old adage is true, and a picture really is worth a thousand words, the value of live video cannot be underestimated. With the summer season almost underway, and many local business owners hoping for a successful year – initiatives like these can only help drive tourism to the area.

Area webcams

Sandpiper Beacon Beach Resort

Historic Grand Lagoon Cam

Spinnaker Nightclub

Pineapple Willy’s

Holiday Inn

You Missed a Great Season of Pops, Or did you?

The final show for this season’s Panama City Pops was last Saturday evening at Arnold High School, and let me tell you, it was amazing. I’ll be the first to admit, I didn’t think the “orchestra” was my cup of tea. I had really never considered going. It had been recommended to me for literally years, but I always just brushed it off as something I wouldn’t be interested in.

Boy was I wrong.

My years of neglect to attend the Pops was a large mistake. I’ve missed countless performances and unforgettable experiences. There is just no words to describe the feeling you get as raw emotion washes through you as the pure sounds of live instruments fill your ears and everything around you. My wife and I had a fantastic time and we’ll definitely be back.

You know how it is. Is watching football on TV ever as exciting as actually going to the stadium and watching it live? Of course, the real frequencies, as nature intended them, pulsating through your body helps too. You can feel the bass in your gut and violin strings in your tear ducts.

There are only four shows a year.

The season finale was last week, and the next season doesn’t start until the fall (October, maybe?), so you still have plenty of time to resolve that you’re going next year. This past season, the shows were in October, January, March and May, respectively.

Here were the shows of this past season:

Symphonic Jubilation
Battle of the Batons
Pops Magic
Moonlight Serenade

The shows were always at 7:30 pm.

Pops is on the beach.

For you beach people, the Pops is close at hand – at Arnold High School’s auditorium. Obviously, this is convenient. The venue was great, easy to get to and really lent itself well to the event.

If you’ve not gone in the past, you need to make it a priority to go in the future. You’ll be glad you did.

In my wife’s words: “It was unbelievable, I had a fantastic time.”

For more information on the Pops, visit their website. PanamaCityPops.org

Video of some of the more dramatic parts.

Another Successful Thunder Beach Rally

Thunder Beach Productions, Inc. (TBP) held the 11^th annual Spring Thunder Beach Bike Rally. Riders from across the country traveled to Panama City Beach to take part in the most biker-friendly free rally in the U.S. The vendor sponsored event attracted cheerful, playful and bizarre characters from all walks of life.

Local businesses welcomed the high-spirited riders with open arms. Restaurants served the comrades on wheels with concerts, beauty pageants, and karaoke that was wildly entertaining. Frank Brown Park was the main site of the rally, where sponsors of the event catered to the cyclist’s every need. The roaring motorcycles covered local businesses throughout the 27 plus miles of premier beaches.

This was truly a rally to be remembered, and one that has shown consistent growth since its first rally was organized in spring of 2000. For all of us who can’t wait until next spring to participate in the rally again, TBP also holds a yearly autumn bike rally in September right here in Panama City Beach. For more information visit their website at http://thunderbeachproductions.com

Vote Panama City Beach for the Ultimate Fishing Town USA

We all know Panama City Beach is one of the best fishing towns in the country, and now we have a chance to prove it! We just discussed 4 Reasons PCB’s THE BEST Fishing Spot in the USA, today YOU have to go vote!

Yesterday we were in number 3, today we’ve slid to number four – BEHIND KISSIMMEE! Kissimmee isn’t even a coastal town!

Alright, so you can tell I’m a bit disappointed. We have to get the word out on this, we have to let people know that we’re in the running! Destin is over 1,000 and I know we can catch up.

This is what I need everyone to do.

Follow this link to go to the voting page for Panama City Beach -> click here
Vote by entering your name and email address
Make sure you confirm your email address the first time you vote
Go back and vote during every time block you can, here are the four voting blocks
- 12:01 am est to 6 am est
- 6:01 am est to 12 pm est
- 12:01 pm est to 6 pm est
- 6:01 pm est to 12 am est

The way it reads is that you can vote up to four times a day – we need to come together and do this so we can win!

The winning town gets $25,000 community donation and the title of the Ultimate Fishing Town USA! How’d THAT be for tourism. (no question mark intentional)

So, what are you waiting for? Get on over and VOTE!

4 Reasons PCB’s THE BEST Fishing Spot in the USA

This article was contributed by Brad Stephens from Sunjammers Watersports. Sunjammers is the best place to buy or rent kayaks, buy fishing gear, get the most accurate fishing advice and talk about where to get the most fish in Panama City Beach. You can visit their store a few hundred yards north of Back Beach Road on Highway 79 or you can visit them online at Sunjammers.com or Facebook.com/Sunjammers.

Panama City Beach and the immediate surrounding area offers some of the top fishing in the country. It doesn’t mater if you want to stalk the redfish on the flats of West Bay in inches of water, look for that gator trout in slightly deeper water or slide into the Gulf of Mexico and try your hand at bottom fishing or blue water trolling. Don’t think that salt water is all PCB has to offer, within a very short drive you have numerous fresh water lakes and rivers to target all the major species of panfish, bass, and strippers.

Here are four fantastic reason’s Panama City Beach is THE Ultimate fishing town in the good ‘ol US of A.

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Seabreeze Jazz Festival [PICS]

Click here for a full schedule of the 2012 Seabreeze Jazz Festival!

Wow, what a fantastic weekend. The Seabreeze Jazz Festival was clearly more packed this year than it has ever been. Crowds extended past the perimeter sidewalk and “into the forest.” With artists from Bryan Culberson, Euge Groove and Eric Darius, the weekend was rocking, smoothing, and grooving and could be heard from miles away.

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PCB’s Beaches Ranked #3 in US and #12 in World

We’ve long been known as the world’s most beautiful beaches, and it’s not because our beaches are acceptable, or mediocre, or that they are “fine”. Are beaches are considered the best because they are just simply beautiful. The emerald green waters that during most times of the year are crystal clear – all framed by our snow-white sand – make our area a place people literally come from all over to visit.

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Will the Seafood Festival be Back?

This week’s TDC meeting ended unclear of the future of the Panama City Beach Seafood Wine and Music Festival. The event last year was more successful than it had ever been, but it also had $210,000 worth of funding. There is only a prospective $60,000 on the table this year, and that’s not even certain. With nobody having stepped up to the plate to take over running the event and limited funds, at this point, the future of the Seafood Festival is totally unknown.

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Seabreeze Jazz Festival 2011 Lineup

The Seabreeze Jazz Festival is right around the corner and we’ve got the full lineup and schedule right here. This is the third year that it’ll be held at Aaron Bessant Park in Pier Park and is set up to be the biggest year ever.

We’re also giving away 4 FOUR day general admission tickets, stay tuned for the link where you can sign up.

Check after the break for the full lineup.

Continue reading “Seabreeze Jazz Festival 2011 Lineup” →