Last chances: Get your fill of summer fun before school starts
PANAMA CITY BEACH — There are plenty of things to do and great places to eat year-round in Panama City Beach, but there are still a few gems closing soon for the season.
Shipwreck Island Water Park is slowing down before the season’s last day on Sept. 5. Lines already have been thinning out — school has already started in several states — which means late-summer visitors can spend even more time in the water or on the rides having fun and less time waiting.
Children of all ages enjoy watching 750 gallons of water tip over onto unsuspecting bystanders under the fort at Shipwreck Island Water Co. Older children also can go down Pirate’s Race and then hang out in Skull Island pool.
— VIDEO:Tree Top Drop »
Younger children have an entire play area to themselves, Tadpole Hole is complete with fun slides, a ship, an elephant and a pelican. There’s also another fort, a rope climb and a yellow submarine, “Silly Sub.”
It’s right next to two other family favorites, the Lazy River, 2,000 feet of slow-moving current and waist-deep water, and the Ocean Motion Wave Pool, another half-million gallons of water. Dwindling crowds mean you actually can spend more time being lazy on the river and not worrying about bumping or dodging other people along the way.
White Knuckle River is a great way for a family to enjoy a ride together in one float. And see where the current takes you with Raging Rapids. Other attractions include the Zoom Flume, White Knuckle River, Pirate’s Plunge, Tree Top Drop.
If you don’t already have a season pass, go and remind yourself why you might want to get one next year.
Goofy Golf, near the county pier, adds some neon and larger-than-life creatures to the Panama City Beach skyline.
“We are open usually until the end of September, the start of October,” Goofy Golf’s Terri Merritt said. “We are still and will be busy until the children go back to school, but we get as many adults as children.”
Goofy Golf has two 18-hole courses and features a sphinx, an Easter Island head, a Buddha, volcano, dinosaur, castle, rocket ship, large fish, dragon, snake and other various monsters and obstacles. Evening lighting includes the glowing eyes of giant monkeys and dinosaurs. Some of the statues can be climbed for a view, and others are hollow, allowing visitors to go inside them.
Created by Lee Koplin, the attraction is still in his family, now owned by his daughter, Michelle. Original postcards showing the park in 1959 are available for purchase at the front desk. Children have grown up and now come back to play with their own children.
FunLand Arcade and Snack Bar, which reopened for the season at the end of February, has decided to stay open into the fall this year.
FunLand Arcade and Snack Bar is another Panama City Beach landmark. It is the oldest continually operating arcade in Northwest Florida, opening its doors in 1950. With more than 100 arcade games covering 7,500 square feet, Fun-Land is a throwback to the “good ol’ days” of classic amusements, featuring old favorites like Skee-Ball and a children’s carousel; classic video games including Pac-Man and Tekken; and new simulator rides like NASCAR racing and more.
The most popular game in the joint, by far, is “Rolla Win.” Players push tokens into a slot and aim for slots on the opposite end of a rolling band; they can win up to 400 tickets at a time.
The snack bar serves breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week.
SHIPWRECK ISLAND WATER PARK, 12201 Middle Beach Road, 850-234-3333, ShipwreckIsland.com: Open Aug. 10 and 12 from 10:30 to 4:30 p.m.; Aug. 13, 27 and Sept. 3-4 from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sept. 5 from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
GOOFY GOLF, 12206 Front Beach Road , 850-234-6403, GoofyGolfPC.com: Currently open 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily
FUNLAND ARCADE AND SNACK BAR, 14510 Front Beach Road, 850-234-3693, www.Funland-Arcade.com: Open 7:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 7:30 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday through August. In September and October, FunLand will be open from 3-11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays.
WANT TO GO?
