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It’s officially Fall! It definitely doesn’t fe It’s officially Fall! It definitely doesn’t feel like it in Miami, it really never does but that just gives us a reason to explore other states. West Virginia is one of them, fun fact I actually lived here between undergrad and grad school! Here are Things to do in West Virginia (SAVE + SHARE): 

1. Enjoy New River Gorge National Park & Preserve, or visit any of the states 35 state parks as West Virginia has 1.5 million acres of parks and public land. We personally walked the Shavers Lake Trail and canoed on the lake. 

2. Enjoy some serious adventures! We’re always trying something new and West Virginia offers a lot of options from whitewater rafting, to 1,000+ miles of off-road ATV trails, to rock climbing, caving and mountain biking . 

3. Take a train ride on the Cass Scenic Railroad which stops at the Whittaker Camp where those who worked in the lumber and coal industry lived during the work season. 

4. Explore Cranberry Glades Botanical Area where you might just get to see some black bears! 

5. Walk the Falls of Hills Creak trail to get up close to some gorgeous waterfalls! 

This week I’ll be sharing various cities and states you can experience a beautiful Fall getaway. What are some of your favorite places to enjoy autumn?

Tap the link in my bio for my West Virginia blog post and a blog post of the best places to experience Fall in the US!
Still not over our day exploring the waters of For Still not over our day exploring the waters of Fort Pierce. We danced, snorkeled, fished and went tubing. Definitely want more days like this and still pinch myself that this is what a day of work looks like for me sometimes. Thank you @seadoo for the opportunity.
If you know my husband you know water activities a If you know my husband you know water activities are his favorite! Fishing, jet skiing, just being on a boat on the ocean relaxing, name it, he’s there. So we couldn’t be more excited than to not only get the chance to test out the new @seadoo Switch but be the stars of a whole commercial for it. We had entirely too much fun filming this. Of course now he wants to buy one!

Do you like getting out on the water? Favorite activity?
Our 3 Day London Itinerary (SAVE + SHARE): 

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Day 1: Walked across the Tower Bridge (you can take a tour of London of Tower as well), walked along the River Thames and took a make a fascination hat class with @create_your_own_hat! 

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Day 2: Harry Potter walking tour, checked out Borough Market and went on a night ghost bus tour. 

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Day 3: Morning Tea at Peggy Porschen, Buckingham Palace for Changing of the Guards, and explore Westminster for the infamous red telephone booths, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey.

If you have more time on previous visits to London we have taken a day trip to check out Stonehenge, Bath and Windsor Castle, rode the London Eye, took a ferry ride down the Thames River, checked out Warner Brother Studios, and did a graffiti/street art tour.

Is London on your list? If you’ve been what did you do that you think is a must for visitors?

Things to do in London, London with kids, family travel
Then vs Now (swipe left)!🥹🥰 My babies are no Then vs Now (swipe left)!🥹🥰 My babies are not babies anymore. Where has the time gone? Excuse me while I go cry in the corner 😭😭😭😭. 

Too in my feelings to provide an informational post, I’ll be back tomorrow.
Why is this man always trying to stop my fun? List Why is this man always trying to stop my fun? Listen replace husband with whoever you need to but why these ppl keep acting like we can take our money when we’re gone?!? Y’all feel me or nah? 😅😬😩
Morning Tea in London! Afternoon or High Tea is us Morning Tea in London! Afternoon or High Tea is usually on everyone’s things to do in London list but since the girls and I don’t eat beef or pork the menus for most places didn’t make sense for us as they are filled with ham sandwiches and other things we don’t eat. I ended up finding Morning Tea at Peggy Porschen instead which offers a tea menu with breakfast items, while not traditional it worked best for us! It cost £35 pp.

For a traditional Afternoon or High Tea Try:

🫖Palm Court at The Ritz
🫖The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon at Fortnum & Mason
🫖Theatre Royal Drury Lane
🫖The Grill Room Hotel Cafe Royal (has vegetarian an vegan options)
🫖Coronation Afternoon Tea at Cellarium, Westminster Abbey
🫖The Rosebery Coronation Afternoon Tea at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park
🫖The Goring Hotel

Afternoon Teas Geared Towards Families:

☕️Peter Pan Afternoon Tea at Aqua at The Shard
☕️Jurassic Afternoon Tea at the Ampersand Hotel
☕️Jungle Book Afternoon Tea at Brown’s Hotel
☕️Secret Garden Afternoon Tea at Taj 51
☕️The Buzzy Bees Afternoon Tea at St. Ermin’s Hotel
☕️Grover’s Children’s Tea at Grosvenor House Hotel
☕️The Peppa Pig Afternoon Tea Bus Tour
☕️Sherlock Holmes Inspired Afternoon Tea at the Mind Palace
☕️Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Tea at One Aldwych
☕️Mad Hatter Afternoon Tea at The Sanderson
☕️Wizard of Oz Afternoon Tea at The Soho Hotel

Have you done a proper Afternoon or High Tea in London before? Was the one you did on this list, if so what did you think of it? If you have additional recommendations please do leave a comment!

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Things to Do in Panama City Beach With Kids

August 11, 2019      Destinations, Florida, North America

This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission at no cost to you. Please see our disclosure policy for more information. All opinions are my own.

Each year I take each of my daughters on a trip with just the two of us. This allows me to give my undivided attention to them and cater to the trip specifically to their wants. Since my eldest was starting kindergarten it was only right we went on her last hurrah before she’s limited to mostly traveling on school breaks. Thanks to our partnership with Visit Panama City Beach Florida we were able to have the most amazing time. Here are the best things to do in Panama City Beach with kids.

Like our mommy and me matching swimsuits? Purchase this specific suit here and see the many other options here. We love matching on vacation and have gotten outfits for other trips including to Kenya, Door County, WI, and Chicago.

Things to Do in Panama City Beach with Kids When the Sun is Out

Shipwreck Island Waterpark

Shipwreck Island is rated one of the best water parks in Florida so it’s a no brainer to include it on your itinerary when visiting Panama City Beach with kids. There is fun for everyone regardless of age with thrilling water slides, a wave pool and a kiddie section that even babies can enjoy splashing in the water.  

I love that you won’t feel cheated here bringing kids that can’t enjoy the water slides as those under 35” are free. Admission at Shipwreck Island Waterpark is $37.98 those over 50” tall, $29.98 for those under 50” and seniors 62+ are $24.98. 

Things to do in Panama City Beach with kids Shipwreck Island Waterpark (1)

Go Fishing at Panama City Beach Pier

Fishing is such a great bonding activity with kids. There is a pier right across from Pier Park where you are allowed to fish. You will have to pay $7 to fish on the pier but as the pier costs $3 in general to walk you shouldn’t have the massive crowds you’ll find at other piers.

Wild Thang Airboat Tours

If you’re looking for some wild fun you have to take a Wild Thang Airboat tour. Even though we’ve been on airboats before living in Miami it was different and very unique. We are used to seeing alligators on the airboat rides near our home. Instead we came across dolphins and crabs. We were even able to stop near a sand dune where our guide searched for crabs and brought them onboard for the kids to hold before releasing them back.

The airboat ride was so much fun and you can ask your driver to be as wild or calm as you’d like depending on your thrill level. We did donuts which had the kids laughing so hard! When the ride is over you can hold Zeus who is a baby alligator that was rescued. We really enjoyed our one hour ride which costs $34 for adults and $22 for children.

Things to do in Panama City Beach with kids Wild Thang Airboat Tours

Go Hunting for Shells at Shell Island

What better place to search for shells than Shell Island! It’s a barrier island that is home to one of the largest population of bottle-nosed dolphins and gorgeous shells. You will need to take a boat there from St. Andrews State Park. Most people takes the official Shell Island Shuttle which runs every 30 minutes from 9:00am-5:00pm during the summer and 10:00am-4:00pm during the spring. The basic shuttle costs $19.95 for adults and $10.95 for kids 12 and under. You can upgrade your ticket to include snorkeling or kayaking. 

Sea Dragon Pirate Cruise

The Sea Dragon Pirate Cruise was my daughter’s favorite activity on our trip and easily one of the best things to do in Panama City Beach with kids. I highly recommend adding it to your itinerary. The cruise lasts 2 hours and Sea Dragon keeps the kids busy from the time they step foot on the ship until the time they get off.

The first activity was a water gun fight towards the front of the ship. All the kids were having so much fun and it’s early enough in the cruise where they will dry off completely before it gets dark and cool. After spraying each other with water the kids are able to get their face or arm painted in cute pirate themes. They are also crowned with a pirate hat to really get the theme going.

The rest of the evening includes a sword fight (little plastic swords provided), firing cannon balls, pirate stories and going on a treasure hunt. The Sea Dragon Pirate Cruise goes all out for the treasure hunt and the kids literally help to pull a treasure chest from out of the ocean. Of course there is treasure in there that the kids each get a piece of. The cruise costs $27 for ages 15 and up, $19 for children 3-14, and $23 for seniors 60+.

Explore the Pier Park SkyWheel & More

Pier Park is an outdoor shopping area with restaurants and tons of activities. One of the main attractions is the SkyWheel, a massive ferris wheel that is 100% enclosed and air conditioned. It gives you amazing views of Panama City Beach. If you’re really adventurous you can even request the enclosure with a glass bottom. In addition to the wheel there is also an SkyTrail which is a ropes course you can complete. The wheel is open until 9:00pm but going in the day will give you better views of the city. Tickets for adults 12 and up are $15, children 3-11 are $10 and kids 2 and under are free. 

Zoo World

If your kids love animals you have to make a stop at Zoo World. Here they can hold lemurs or feed giraffes. The zoo has over 200 animals so while they’re guaranteed to spot quite a few they know, they’ll most likely learn about some new ones as well. The zoo is open daily from 9:30 am – 5:00 pm. Admission prices for adults are $19.95 while children 2-12 are $13.95, seniors 65+ are $18.95 and kids under two are free.

Learn How to Make a Real Sand Castle with Beach Sand Sculptures

I know this post is about things to do in Panama City Beach with kids but can I just say this was my favorite activity! After years of making sand castles on the beach and wondering why ours didn’t look the beautiful ones we saw on our trip to Rio de Janeiro I finally realized we’d been doing it wrong all along. Beach Sand Sculptures showed us the right way and while our carving skills need a little work we now know how to make a  solid structure!

Beach Sand Sculptures bring everything you need to make a proper sand castle right to the beach you’d like to do this activity at. They taught us step by step how to construct our castle towers and how to make doors, windows, and even stairs on our castle. Literally everyone near us was watching and so many people walking by stopped to see the magic we were making! Lessons start at $220 but cover a minimum of five people with kids four and under free.

Things to Do in Panama City Beach with Kids When it’s Raining

Florida is Florida which means if you’re visiting during the summer you can expect scattered thunderstorms on most days. Before you get scared, rain in the forecast, even every day, does not mean your Panama City Beach vacation is ruined. It often rains for 10-60 minutes followed by sunshine so bright you won’t even be able to tell it rained later on. Still if the rain causes you to delay an outdoor activity that doesn’t mean the fun has to stop. Here are things to do in Panama City Beach with kids when it’s raining.

Swim with the Dolphins at Gulf World

While the Gulf World Marine Park has indoor and outdoor exhibits the area to swim with the dolphins is indoors. This makes it the perfect rainy day activity for Panama City Beach especially since it’s open every day except Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The park offers three different swim with the dolphin options and the prices varies based on the interaction level.

Dave & Busters

Located inside Pier Park Dave & Busters is the perfect thing to do in Panama City Beach with kids on a rainy day. We actually ended up here every day on our trip because my daughter had so much fun playing the arcade games. Ok I may have had a lot of fun too and low key addicted to the Let’s Bounce game. I’m not sure how long the promotion lasts but while we were there, a sign said games are half off on Wednesdays plus they had a summer promotion of half off games everyday before noon.

girl playing games at arcade

Ripley’s Believe it or Not 

We visited Ripley’s Believe It or Not on a trip to Key West and both my daughters loved it. They were so intrigued by all the real strange things that have happened in this world. Ripley’s Odditorium really gets the imagination running. All indoors it’s perfect for a rainy day.

Best Places to Eat in Panama City Beach with Kids

My daughter is a foodie so when looking at things to do in Panama City Beach with kids finding the best restaurants was on my list. Out of the places we ate here are the restaurants she said were the best.

Schooners

My daughter loves to dance so she loved the live music at Schooners. Schedule your meal around the sunset and you’ll be able to watch/hear the ceremonial blasting of the cannon right at sunset. It’s a really fun experience for kids.

Runaway Island

Runaway Island was my daughter’s favorite restaurant because she loved playing at the beach while we waited for our food. The scenery is beautiful and we sat outside where the restaurants has its own pathway straight to the white sand beach. Don’t worry about your sandy toes as Runaway Island has a water hose you can wash your feet off before returning to your table for your meal.

kids playing on the beach

You May Be Interested in Reading: Tips for Taking Family Vacation Photos

Thomas Donut & Snack Shop

Donuts, need I say more?! Thomas Donut & Snack Shop has such a variety of donuts that are baked fresh daily. My favorite is the red velvet donut and my daughters was the strawberry frosted glazed with sprinkles. Besides donuts there are plenty of snacks you can get like sandwiches and ice cream. It was so good we actually ate here twice on our trip.

Things to Do in Panama City Beach with Kids Eat Donuts

Andy’s Flour Power

If your child has a sweet tooth they will love Andy’s Flour Power. I highly recommend starting your mean off with some fresh baked muffins! The french toast is the best french toast we’ve eaten earns every recommendation it’s gotten.

Staying in Florida for an extended time? Here are our itineraries from some of our other favorite Florida cities: Tampa, Orlando, Fort Myers and Sanibel Island, and Key West.

How to Get to Panama City Beach, Florida

Panama City Beach, Florida, not to be confused with Panama City, Panama is in the panhandle of Florida. The closest airport is NW Florida Beaches International Airport. Even though we live in Miami we had to first fly to Atlanta to then get on a 36 minute flight to Panama City Beach. It was still better than driving the 9 hours from home! The airlines that fly here are Delta, Southwest, American and United. If you aren’t driving here from home you will need a rental car to get around and there are several at the airport such as Alamo, Budget, Hertz and all other major brands.

We had an amazing time exploring Panama City Beach, Florida. While the white sand beaches are gorgeous we hope you discovered the city offers much more. Did you find this guide helpful? Please share it so others looking for things to do in Panama City Beach with kids can benefit.

This trip was sponsored by the Panama Beach City Tourism board and our accommodations and activities were provided to us free of charge. All opinions of them are my own and true.

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  1. Devesh says

    August 30, 2019 at 11:40 am

    Great Post!
    Thanks for sharing..

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Hi! We’re The Hambricks

Hi! We’re The Hambricks

If kids live there, kids can visit! That's our motto and you'll often find us exploring destinations most don't find "kid friendly". We've traveled to 35 countries on 6 continents with our children since they were 10 weeks old and share tips to make it easier and affordable. But mom and dad are people too so we also write about solo travel, baecations and girlfriend getaways.

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