St Andrews Marina in Panama City

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St Andrews Marina quickly became one of my favorite places to go after I arrived in Panama City. I love water, sea life, birds, and boats. This marina checks all those boxes.

Located at 3151 W 10th St, it's a short drive for me to get to enjoy a leisurely walk around the marina with a nice cup of coffee, either in the morning or the evening. The sunsets are lovely. The marina is where I got the chance to see my very first wild dolphins and I was totally twitter-pated! Seeing pelicans up close and personal is also something that happens every time I'm there.

Mornings hours on the weekdays seem to be the best time to get some you time without a lot of people around. The downside of that, of course, is if there are no people skippering the boats, all you get to see is docked boats. It's fine and nice, but seeing them out and about on the waters of the bay is always better.

The marina is still building back to it's former glory and beyond since Hurricane Michael hit the Florida Panhandle on October 7, 2018. You'd barely know that a category 5 hurricane had even struck there. The recovery effort is simply amazing!


St Andrews Marina Checks The Boxes...

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If you are a boater or fisherman, St Andrews Marina is the place to be.

For all of you who love to fish, it's completely free to do so here, as long as you have a legal Florida fishing license. If you're a non-resident, you can get a 24-hour pier license from the marina store for a small fee.

You'll find Red Drum, Catfish, Flounder, Spanish Mackerel, and Spotted Seatrout, all waiting to be caught and cooked. There is even a fish cleaning service parked right there called Tails and Scales Fish Processing and they will do all the messy work for you.


Boaters, Fishermen, Sea Lovers...

The store at the Marina has everything you need to catch the big ones, including bait, tackle, snacks, drinks, and wonderful beach related items to decorate your house or your boat with. There are public bathrooms inside, if you need to tinkle. I go in every time I'm there. I never know what new treasures I may find.

boats at the marina

There is quite a bit of boat activity, in and out of the marina, with a handful of boats anchored in the middle of the bay. Can you imagine living in a boat on the water there? Sounds groovy to me! In fact, I met one resident that I call Captain Kenny who came to fill his boat up with gas (they have both non-ethanol gasoline and diesel fuel there to fill your ship's tank up). We talked about his relaxed life on the water for a bit. He was even gracious enough to invite me onto his boat to take a look around. I keep telling you that the folks around here are so friendly.

Speaking of boats, there is an ice cream boat that peruses the bay on especially warm days. Yes, just what you're thinking! Just like an ice cream truck you find in your neighborhood, which you run out to and get your Polar Pops and Choco Tacos...only this one is on the water. I've never noticed any memorable ice cream man music, though. Check out my video above.

Marina Dining...

dining at the st andrews marina

I love strolling past all the commercial fishing and charter boats. I've stood fascinated, observing fishermen who have just come in from a haul, cleaning the fish on the back of their vessels. If you want to book a trip on a charter pontoon or company fishing boat, there's quite a few there. There's even a boat ramp if you want to sail out on your own boat.

How about something to eat? Not a problem. There are quite a few places to choose from: Smallish coffee and sandwich shops to upper-scale restaurants with fantastic views of the bay are all close.

Here's a few St Andrews Bay restaurants and eateries for you to consider:

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Alice's On Bayview: A local favorite that serves up soups, salads, sandwiches, and seafood dishes. Of course, you can get a slice of Key Lime Pie (everyone here has it and it's a favorite of mine) for dessert. Prices are affordable.

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FINNS Island Style Grub: A restaurant that oozes island character. You won't find any fried food here. Only fresh eats from their grill or oven. They have a relaxing outside back area that overlooks the water. If you like live music, it's non-stop local artists, jamming as you feast.

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Amavida Coffee Roasters: Capture a morning caffeine fix right here! Coffee and the bay go together like a hand in glove. A nice, little place that you can grab a cup of Joe (tea, if you prefer) and some light eats.

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Capt's Fish House Restaurant: Just a street up, this family-owned restaurant serves up fresh seafood, soups, salads, sandwiches, and steaks.

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Uncle Ernie's Bayfront Bar & Grill: This is a place that everyone here knows well. Sitting right on the bay, with a wonderful view from the back service area, Uncle Ernie's offers fresh, local seafood, pasta, steaks, sandwiches, salads, drinks, and a time to remember. They also have live music.

Uncle Ernie's has bench swings on their lawn area that I love to relax on, watching the boats sail in and out of the bay, while sipping my coffee.

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Barefoot On The Bay Bar & Grill: Sitting right next door to Uncle Ernie's, it also offers a great view of the bay with stunning sunsets, serving up local seafood and drinks.

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Hunt's Oyster Bar & Seafood Restaurant: The next street up from St Andrews Marina, Hunt's is also a local favorite. Once again, it has a ton of character that let's you know you're at the water. Famous for their varieties of oysters, they serve up fresh-caught seafood, steaks, sandwiches, and more. Want something totally unique? They say that you can "bring in your fresh caught fish & we'll cook them for you!"

lone boat at the marina

St Andrews Marina has descriptive signs of all the variety of birds that make the area their home, with QR codes you can scan with you phone. It will take you to pages with full descriptions, photos, and even audio of the bird you scanned. I find that really cool.


Hear All About Historic St Andrews...

panama city florida location sign

If you have your smartphone handy, I would encourage you to take the walking tour of historic St Andrews by downloading the Florida Stories app. As you stroll past:

  • Oaks By The Bay Park
  • Historic St Andrew Church
  • Bank And Asbell Buildings
  • The Panama City Publishing Company Museum
  • The Drug Store and Mattie's Motel
  • Villa Gateway
  • Governor Stone
  • St Andrews Marina
  • And Ware Mercantile and the SS Tarpon

...you can hear informative and enjoyable stories about all the unique communties. It's really quite fun to get a "guided tour" around these historic areas and discover their colorful history. For both IOS and Android, you can grab the Florida Stories app right here.


As I wrap it all up...

You'll find the Oaks By The Bay park close by the marina. They host a Farmer's Market there every weekend, with a lot of local, artisan vendors. They also dress the entire park up for Christmas, too. It's really cool. I'll save that all for another page.

St Andrews Marina is a relaxing, soothing, and lovely place to hang out at, fish at, boat at, or just stroll around. You have to make sure you go and take it all in.


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