Travel experts seem to be undecided on Panama City Beach, Florida, as a budget spring break travel destination in 2025.
Silvia Lupone of Stingray Villa recently recommended Panama City Beach, Florida, as a top “budget” spring break destination in a recent GOBankingRates article. Compared to places like Hawaii, France, or even Orlando, Florida, PCB is definitely budget-friendly.
Alonso Marley of Skyluxtravel told me in an email interview, “In the past, it was known for its budget-friendly accommodations, spring break party atmosphere, and beautiful Gulf Coast beaches that attracted middle-class families, college students, and groups of friends.”
However, that’s changing. “Today, the area has experienced significant increases in hotel rates, upscale developments, and overall cost-of-living, which has led to higher costs for travelers.”
When I compared hotel prices between 2022 and now, they were comparable. Even then, PCB wasn’t as cheap as Daytona Beach or Myrtle Beach. But you can still enjoy PCB on a budget if you choose your travel dates, accommodations, and activities wisely.
Find out how my family and I spent 48 hours in PCB – and what we’d do differently when we visit again.
PCB is a tourist town with tons of beachfront hotels, water activities, attractions for the kids, and shopping. It borders Saint Andrews State Park if you are the camping or outdoor adventure type. A vacation of hiking, camping, swimming and enjoying the Gulf Coast beaches is one way to save money while appreciating the city and the Florida sun.
If you’re up for spending money on your trip, here are some of my favorite attractions!
Our family trip to Panama City started as a side quest during our road trip that encompassed 15 states and nearly 6,000 miles. (I chronicle these adventures in the bestselling travel anthology Outside the Box: Traveling Families that Work, Educate, and Live on their Own Terms.)
My daughter is a roller coaster fanatic. Yet, she has always been short for her age. Our local amusement park, Adventureland, for years had a roller coaster called “The Hurricane,” with a height requirement of 48 inches.
The year before she was old enough to ride, Adventureland sold the ride and moved it.
My husband tracked it down: Race City in Panama City Beach, Florida.
It was a perfect stop on the home from Brownsville and South Padre Island, where we traveled to the very edge of Texas to see the SpaceX Starship.
When Marley talked about expensive tourist attractions, Race City must top that list. Pay-one-price wristbands cost $53 for those over 54 inches and $43 for kids under 54 inches. That’s not bad if you consider all the park has to offer, including miniature golf, a very cool dual-level go-kart track, a haunted house, bumper boats, and a nice collection of thrill rides and roller coasters. But it can add up for larger families.
Our two days in PCB were, unfortunately, hampered by rain. We had just enough time to ride the Hurricane and take a few rounds on the go-kart track. We didn’t get pay-one-price bracelets and, if you pay ala carte for the attractions, it costs a small fortune! Next time, we’ll get the wristbands and expect to spend a few hours enjoying all the activities.
Gulf World Marine Park is an adorable aquarium right on the main strip, featuring shows, sea life attractions, stringray petting and feeding sessions, and dolphin encounters where you can swim and play with the dolphins. A Dolphin Encounter is on our list for when we return!
If you’re in a tourist city and notice an upside-down building that seems to mimic Classical architecture – you’re in for a treat! It’s a WonderWorks amusement park, blending science, optical illusions and fun (literally for all ages, as cliché as that sounds). We recently visited WonderWorks in Syracuse at Destiny USA and “kids” from ages two to 50+ all had fun!
If you’ve been to WonderWorks in Myrtle Beach, Orlando, Syracuse or other locations, you might want to skip this attraction, as they are all similar. But the PCB location has an indoor ropes course, the Grave Digger virtual reality ride, and a few other attractions I haven’t seen elsewhere.
Pier Park, owned by Simon Malls, is an outdoor shopping and entertainment complex just a short walk from Front Street, where you’ll find most of the beachfront hotels and restaurants. We drove because of the rain, but it was less than a mile away from our hotel.
We loved browsing the local shops that are part of the complex. There is also an IMAX Theater and a Dave & Busters. For more family fun, you’ll find laser tag, a mirror maze, and axe-throwing for kids (with soft axes) at the Emerald Coast Mirror Maze & Laser Craze.
When we go back, I want to return with a larger entertainment budget, as the price of all these attractions adds up and there was a lot more we wanted to do. Our main goal was to ride the Hurricane, which we did.
Pier Park has a ton of chain restaurants, including Chipotle, Buffalo Wild Wings, Panera, Longhorn Steakhouse, Red Robin, and other family favorites. There are also “tourist” oriented chains like Dick’s Last Resort and Margaritaville.
But if you’re staying on the Gulf Coast, you likely want to enjoy fresh seafood. Choose from local landmarks like Back Porch Seafood & Oyster House in Pier Park, or venture to beachfront establishments.
As dinnertime approached on our first day in PCB, my son got it in his head he wanted to taste alligator. Sharky’s advertised Gator Bites and was a short walk from the Hampton Inn & Suites where we stayed. It turns out they were out of gator – in fact, the waitress told us there was no alligator to be found anywhere in the area.
But the extensive menu of locally caught seafood, plus a kid-friendly menu, and the beachside ambiance had us return to Sharky’s twice on our two-day trip.
If you’ve never had rolled ice cream, take the opportunity to try it at Curly Cream, right in the Town Center at Pier Park. They start with fresh vanilla or chocolate ice cream and then mix in your favorite toppings, fruits, and sweet treats. It’s really fascinating to watch someone make rolled ice cream by hand!
Like other beachfront, spring break cities, PCB has its share of affordable two- and three-star beachfront hotels. But, affordable is relative. You’d be hard-pressed to find a double room for less than $200 a night during spring break 2025. But prices haven’t gone up much since we traveled in 2022.
We chose the Hampton Inn & Suites Panama City Beach – Beachfront for our two-night stay and we weren’t disappointed. We had a balcony suite, which gave us plenty of room to sprawl out, and the service was exemplary.
The hotel gave off pricier “Hilton” vibes, probably thanks to the spacious lobby, on-site bar overlooking the outdoor pool and hot tub, and private beach access. We always love the Hampton Inn’s complimentary hot breakfast.
The Holiday Inn Resort, which is close to Wonderworks, the Shipwreck Island Waterpark, and other attractions, would also be a good choice for families. For around the same price as the Hampton Inn, the Holiday Inn has a lazy river, three outdoor pools, and a free children’s club.
When we go back, I don’t think I’d waste time looking for a different hotel to save a few dollars. But you can choose from virtually any of the major mid-priced hotel chains or rent a condo for a larger group.
As you can probably tell, PCB is one of my favorite beachfront cities. I just wish it wasn’t so far off the beaten path from Long Island. It would make a great weekend road trip with all the attractions my family loves, plus fresh local seafood and beautiful beaches.
If you’re looking for a family road trip or a spring break getaway, consider Panama City Beach, but make sure to shop around or cash in travel rewards to save on your stay.
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