A day at the beach.

Panama City Beach is beautiful.

It's hard to see the beauty of it underneath the obnoxious tourists, beer can-littered beaches, and blocked intersections. Deep down, there is something worth appreciating here.

I'm slightly saddened that it took me until the dawn of my departure to realize this. I love the state park, I never knew there was so many secret places to explore. And by secret, I mean hidden from the eye of the ever-destructive vacationer.


Point A of interest the the turpentine mill. Yeah, that already sounds boring. But, this tunnel and the staircase to the second floor make everything worthwhile.

The best part, however, is the trail next to the mill. It looks ordinary, paved with wood chips and well-worn. The secret is an easily overlooked sand path branching off the main trail. After some galavanting through thickets and wild animals (sightings so far: birds, squirrels, rabbits, deer), a glorious sight meets the eye.

An empty beach.

Yes, that's right. A beach with no lazy vacationers, airhead tourists, screaming demon children--just aquamarine water in a prime location between the open water and the crowded jetties.

The masses of people at the main beach entrance are just within sight. This remote section of hidden beauty is all the locals have left of the glorious Gulf.