What is a helicopter tour of Panama City Beach like? — featuring Scott Escapes

0:02 we are doing a [Music] m is unbelievable hello everybody and welcome to Panama City Beach another episode in my Florida series and a beach regularly named in

0:28 the top three in the United States by TripAdvisor I'll be showing you my top things to do here and all of my favorite restaurants including some breakfast spots and if you're new here please consider subscribing don't forget to hit the notification so you don't miss the next video give it a thumbs up if you're

0:44 enjoying it and of course feel free to comment below anything I've missed or any other recommendations that you have [Music] Beach and the first thing that I'm doing is taking a tour to see the Panhandle and the beach itself on this bad boy oh yeah I'm excited [Music]

1:20 on the weather all right so I'm riding on board with you and I'm doing a amazing helicopter tour this is unbelievable all right now that is one way to see

1:46 Panama City Beach absolutely loved it this morning I will be exploring Saint Andrews State Park which is a 1200 Acre state park with the Gulf of Mexico on one side and Saint Andrews Bay on the other now there's plenty of ways you can explore it you can drive around in a car and it costs three dollars to enter for

2:08 me one person one car but I've actually rented a bike and get some exercise and go and explore the state park so St Andrews State Park is a popular stopover for migrating birds and butterflies you can also see alligators and deer I've seen a few birds and some deer but I haven't seen the alligators

2:29 yet I think it's fair to say most people come here for these beaches look at that really calm Waters here just beyond the jetty if you remember on the helicopter tour just over there was where the ice cream boat is capsizing where the Dolphins were yeah it looks like coast guards checking that uh vessel out right

2:44 there pretty cool to see it now from the ground you can also rent Kayaks paddle boards deck chairs everything you need for a sunny day at the beach so my next stop I've just taken the shuttle across to Shell Island you can probably hear the waves crashing behind me now this is an unspoiled Barrier

3:08 Island loads of nature allows for really great snorkeling opportunities and marine life to flourish so I've brought a snorkel [Music] possibly my favorite thing about Florida is this legally you're not wearing a snorkel without your Diver Down flag so I'm gonna take that out looking with me

3:30 can't forget your Diver Down flag [Music] I just got back on the shuttle from Shell Island sadly I didn't see a lot snorkeling today but usually you can see turtles and lots of other fish and marine life and apparently there was a shark in the water anyway highly recommend that you go visit Shell Island

3:53 onto the next thing and the next thing on the list is Camp Helen State Park which you can see behind me now and I'm out on kayaks this is the Phillips Inlet which leads all the way to the gulf and there's also a lake lake pow which I'm going to walk around later what a beautiful morning to

4:13 get out on The Kayaks add this to your list for Panama City Beach [Music] just walk in the nature trail at Camp Helen what I love about this so far is you really are escaping the crowds here I've seen nobody on this nature trail barely anybody kayaking definitely

4:38 somewhere to come to get away from all the people [Music] just on the short canopy Loop only like 0.3 of a mile now I'm heading down to the beach I don't plan to get any just want to have a look but what's really cool is this is a restricted nesting site for lease turns which are

5:02 endangered or have been endangered for a while what's interesting about that is I actually saw least turn lease turns nesting in coastal Mississippi so look out for that video if that's something could interest you that was down at golf ball so yeah not too far away from here now obviously you can come to Camp Helen

5:18 and do it in a far more relaxed manner than me but I've done one hour of kayaking in about two hours of walking and I reckon I've covered all of the trails so you can do it like that but obviously you can come chill and go to the beach if you want lots of ways to do it but I like to keep active I don't

5:33 have loads of time so I've mentioned it and that's about as long as you need if you want to do it quick foreign [Music] head to Pier Park which has a ton of shops over 120 of them summer commercial some are more Boutique also has lots of games and fun activities for the family and this which is the SkyWheel amazing

5:56 views over Panama City Beach [Music] the final thing I'm doing in Panama City Beach is going on a sunset boat cruise we're looking for dolphins it's already been a good start because I just got a free beer because I remembered Captain Justine's name always remember

6:23 everybody's name no one else on board there cheers thank you [Music] I've already been pretty lucky on this Sunset Cruise we saw a reef manta ray which only comes to these Shores twice a year and it was right there next to the catamaran we've seen Dolphins as well

6:48 the Sun is setting since that glorious kind of light having a good time having a couple of beers some people are drinking the rum punch good fun good fun [Music] and now we're going to move on to the food starting off with breakfast and Andy's flower power this place is only

7:15 open for breakfast and lunch and has fresh pastries muffins and it's known for their breakfast potatoes my second breakfast recommendation is Thomas's donut and snack shop a family-owned business since 1971. I got a key lime-filled donut and enjoyed that on a kayak at Camp Helen moving on to my

7:35 lunch recommendation starting off with hooked a Panama City style restaurant right there on the beach it's run by locals and right next to Pier Park which I talked about earlier I had to grab something to go because the weather came in and the place was packed because of the rain but still just as good I really

7:53 enjoyed hooks my second lunch recommendation is Runaway Island which is also open for dinner as well locals come here for their fresh seafood and their cocktails it's right on the beach and I had the blackened fish tacos and a rum cocktail in one of their signature runaway Island cups and moving on to

8:11 dinner now I have three top restaurants to recommend to you the first is called Firefly award-winning Cuisine casual fine dining and signature cocktails this place has great seafood and steak but I had the honey glazed salmon and that was Exquisite next is the Grand Marlin with great sunsets over the grand Lagoon it's

8:31 a relaxed atmosphere with amazing seafood and an award-winning Chef I had the chef's daily special The Jerk Swordfish with coconut rice and pineapple salsa that was amazing finally one of the best seafood restaurants in the area and too many awards to name is Captain Anderson's I had the Snapper and

8:50 the house salad and the service was amazing but if I had to pick a favorite it would be the Grand Marlin just such amazing fresh fresh seafood and a beautiful setting I really love that place and before I wrap things up just a quick thanks to Spring Hill Suites I had a lovely stay there right on the beach a

9:07 beautiful pool a great setting sea views the sunrise in the morning that was a really amazing place right on one of the best beaches in the whole of Florida so there you have it my things to do in Panama City Beach including the restaurants and the food of course I've had a fantastic time and I really

9:23 recommend that you come here on your next visit to Florida if you have any other suggestions or things to do drop them in the comments below if you've got any feedback about the video drop it in the comments below if you're enjoying it give it a little thumbs up don't forget to hit the notifications if you don't

9:37 want to miss the next video subscribe if you haven't already and of course thanks for watching and happy travels [Music] thank you