Beach vacations are one of the most popular types of vacations worldwide. My family has gone on lots of fantastic beach vacations in multiple states. Recently, we spent a week in Panama City Beach, Florida.

Hitting the beach can be great for families as these areas offer a multitude of entertainment options for people of all budgets and sizes. If you have the luxury of planning and booking early, you can typically save a ton of money. Why? Planning ahead lets you choose less popular—read 'slower'—times of year. This can typically yield big savings as hotels and condo owners are looking to fill empty rooms. Besides this, booking early can allow you to secure the types of accommodations you need. This is especially important for families whose necessities might include mobility needs or a shelter for a pet dog.

Of course, not everyone can plan far in advance or put down a deposit months ahead of time. Don’t worry! If you can’t pull that off this year you can still take an amazing beach trip.

Beach Fun

We booked a condo at Celadon Beach Resort by Wyndham, which has an elevator access to its various floors. For this trip, we were traveling with a 12-year-old and a 5-year-old. The beach was a great option to keep both of these ages happy. While our preteen tried out her new boogie board, our young son got to build sandcastles and learn all about jumping the waves in the shallow water. We typically ventured out in the morning hours for a couple of hours of beach fun. Then we’d head back inside during the hotter hours of the day for relaxation, lunch, and maybe a nap here and there. In the evening, we’d grab supper then head back to the beach to look for shells, walk along the ocean line, and look for sand crabs.

Other Entertainment

Like any family is bound to do, after a few days at the beach we started itching for something else to entertain us. Panama City Beach has lots of options for scratching this itch!

• Pier Park is along the Panama City Beach strip. This area has tons to do for every member of the family including hair wrapping stations, trampoline parks, miniature golf, a Ferris wheel with an amazing ocean view, as well as shopping, dining, and so much more. Because Pier Park is a paved area with plenty of wide sidewalks, it is an easy wheelchair-accessible spot and gives level and safe walking for everyone.

Speaking from personal experience, if you’re afraid of heights you might want to avoid the SkyWheel Ferris wheel! While it terrified me, my kids loved every minute of this breathtaking ride. They also enjoyed wandering through the Emerald Coast Mirror Maze and Laser Craze. Overall, it was one of the most fun days we spent in Panama City Beach.

Though we settled on Pier Park as our destination on our “off” day, there is one other consideration.

• St. Andrew’s State Park. This area has tons to do for nature and adventure lovers. Available activities include bicycling, boating, fishing, geocaching, nature trails, and wildlife galore. If you are a family bringing a dog along, St. Andrew's is a great option as they allow leashed dogs. Though we ultimately changed our minds I gave this spot hefty consideration and I put it on my KFV Bucket List for another time soon.

Everyone’s got to Eat!

The food options in Panama City Beach were plenteous and delicious. Two of our recommended restaurants were a fun barbeque joint away from the main strip and a Mexican restaurant along the beach.

• Back Beach Barbeque

• Diego's Burrito Factory

Both spots had mouthwatering meals, and the atmospheres were fun for the whole family. Should you have any special dietary needs you can search KidFriendlyVenues app, found on this website, for five star ratings. Two great restaurants are nearby:

• Saltwater Grill

• Another Broken Egg Café who have gluten free and vegetarian options.

If you’re considering where you’ll go for your spring break or summer vacation, and if you’re looking for top spots for a family with kids, we would highly recommend Panama City Beach. Using the KidFriendlyVenues app can make your beach trip all the easier as it’ll help you find the best kid friendly spots with ease!

Summer getaways should be easy and fun, and a beach trip is sure to deliver. Wherever you choose to visit this year, I can sincerely wish you happy travels!

By Katie C