Exploring Panama City

Mardi Gras Season

Yesterday we bought a pair of $4 all-day trolley passes to tour Panama City Beach on the cheap. The trolley stops within a block of our marina which made it pretty convenient. The plan was to ride the trolley system from 10:00 a.m. until lunch time when we would hop off at a restaurant called Schooners.

The wheels on the bus go round and round.

We travelled from St. Andrews across the bridge to PCB and then rode all the way to the west end of route. As we headed back eastward, we commented that there really wasn't anything along the route (except the occasional glimpses of the beach) that made us want to get out and explore. It is mostly condos and mega-souvenir shops with restauant/bars in between. It all seemed tired and a bit run down to us.

We asked the driver to drop us off at the stop closest to Schooners restaurant and he assured us he would tell us when to jump out. Good to his word he let us know when to exit and we thanked him for his help. We walked in the direction he pointed until we decided there was an issue. The only restaurant there was called Spinnakers and it was closed for remodeling. Brenda Googled Schooners and found out it was over three miles from where we were. The trolley runs hourly, so we decided to get some walking in. By the time we reached Schooners we were both pretty darn hungry. We ate a big lunch while enjoying the beautiful view of the gulf.

St. Andrews farmer's market.

Today we wandered around historic St. Andrews enjoying a farmer's market as well as art, antique, gift and other local shops. We particularly liked walking through a salvage shop with all it's collectibles, antiques and junk. Mike's sisters, Lisa and Kim, are in this business and would have loved it. We took several pictures just for them.

We decided to eat lunch at a waterfront restaurant called "Uncle Ernie's". Any place named after Brenda's late father deserves our business. It was a bit cool sitting outside, but the food was excellent and the view of St. Andrews Bay and our marina made it a great lunch. Brenda highly recommends the Clam Macaroni and Cheese soup.

After lunch we walked up to a "hippie" looking spot called Little Village and Finn's Restauant for some live music. We checked out the cute little shops and then found a couple of chairs in the sunshine to listen to the music. The only big purchase was a pair of much needed comfy slippers for Brenda at 50% off.

Sitting in the sunshine and listening to live music while we drank our hot tea and coffee made for a very relaxing afternoon.

Finn's Restauant

 

Little Village

The day was slipping away, so we headed back to the boat. The western sky was promising a pretty sunset to cap off our fun day and it did not disappoint.

Good night Panama City.

 

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