Leslie Porter Park in Lynn Haven

A Favorite Park Of Mine...

Just down Hwy 77, a couple miles North of Panama City, is Leslie Porter Park in Lynn Haven, one of my favorite places to sit or wade in the warm waters of North Bay.

I make it a almost-daily habit to go there to relax in the morning, after grabbing my coffee refill from Circle K. It's very peaceful and only a couple miles from home. I usually bring small containers of peanuts with me so that I can feed the squirrels that like to scamper through the park and in the trees.

leslie porter park lynn haven

About Leslie Porter Park in Lynn Haven, Florida...

For a smaller park (about 10 acres), it has so much to it. There's a lot of parking and with multiple boat ramps, you can get out on your watercraft and sail off into the North Bay and beyond. You'll find a lot of boating enthusiasts doing just that, almost every day of the week, with the weekend seeing the most traffic. I enjoy sitting in one of the arbor swings and watching the boats sail out into the bay. Below is a video of me feeding squirrels, taking a walk on the bridge, watching boats, and enjoying the pelican and dolphin activity at this wonderful park. Hit the "full screen" button on the video for a better viewing experience. 👇

There's a good-sized sandy beach with colorful, wooden chairs along the waterline. If a chair can have a personality, those things definitely do. They just scream, “Florida beach!” The water is bath-water warm in the summertime and a great place to swim. I like to see how many Hermit crabs I can spot.

If you do go into the water, there are two shower spots you can use to get all the sand off before you head out.


A Great Park For Activities...

christmas tree on the beach of lesley porter park

The walking and golf cart bridge that spans the bay is a terrific place to cast your pole in the water and see what you can catch. Catfish seems to be the norm. I've seen people who like to sit in their golf cart while they're fishing. They're definitely making the most of the experience! I've also seen people cast large nets over the bridge and pull up fish that way.

It's the perfect place for a morning walk, back and across, greeting the fishermen, joggers, and bicyclists. If you stop along the way, you can watch pelicans and dolphins play in the water. As an animal lover, it's a real treat for me and very calming.

The first Christmas I was here, the city of Lynn Haven put up a large Christmas tree, smack dab in the middle of the beach area. If you've never seen a Christmas tree in the middle of a sandy beach, with no sign of typical Winter weather anywhere, it's quite a sight.

Clean As A Whistle...

Leslie Porter Park (A lot of times, simply referred to as Porter Park) has a playground area for the kids, with swings, volleyball, and a large climbing structure. There are multiple covered Pavilion picnic areas with grills to cook up your burgers and hot dogs on. Speaking of dogs, the park is dog-friendly. Just show the courtesy of keeping them leashed and clean up after them. And speaking of clean...

The park is kept up so well and there are city employees there every day to keep it that way. Please, do your part to keep it nice. If you bring it, make sure you throw it in the trash or take it with you.

fishing on the bridge of leslie porter park

About The Bathrooms...

I simply have to touch on the public bathrooms. Yes, I did say the bathrooms! These are honestly the cleanest public bathrooms I have ever seen in a park! They make me think I walked into the bathroom at a nice hotel. They are bright, clean, always stocked with paper products, smell wonderful, and are air conditioned. There hasn't been a time I've walked into the men's bathroom and not been impressed. I know it sounds weird, but it's something you just don't see, so it's worth a mention. One day, I told one of the cleaning ladies how much I appreciated her hard work. I think it made her day. Thanks to the city of Lynn Haven for caring so much about your parks!

Right outside the bathroom is a large water and ice machine that was installed in the Spring of 2023. It's pretty fancy and a good place to fill up your ice chest or even gallon water jugs for a cheap price.

Leslie Porter Park in Lynn Haven is open every day from 6 AM to 12 AM, so you'll have a lot of time to rest and recreate if you're in the area. If you're not, it's still worth the trip. If you're interested in learning some more about the city of Lynn Haven, you can find their official web site here. 

sunrise at leslie porter park

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