The Beach Ball Drop event represents what the destination is all about — white sand beaches, family togetherness, and just plain fun. Enjoy family time from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. with bounce houses, party favors, street performers, and live radio remotes, concluding with the kids’ beach ball drop at 8:00 p.m.

For adults, the New Year’s Eve countdown celebration begins at 9 p.m. Streets will be closed to traffic. Gloriana will take the stage at 11p.m. to bring in the New Year and the 800-pound glowing beach ball will begin its descent just before midnight.

Laketown Wharf is known for its signature water feature — a massive lighted fountain within its namesake lake, choreographed with dancing water, lights, and music.

The expansive resort grounds include gathering areas with gazebos, fitness center, five unique pools, a large freshwater lake, 52,000 sq. ft. of lakefront boardwalk, a meditation garden, kiddy playground and the sugar-white sand beaches of the Gulf, just steps away.

Laketown Wharf is the largest single building condominium vacation resort in the Panama City area. Guests enjoy a choice of Gulf, golf course and lake views.
Call our Vacation Planners today at 1-888-627-1607 to book your package.

Terms & Conditions:  Package vaild for the New Years Eve Holiday week on a 2 bedroom condominium at Laketown Wharf and does not include taxes and fees.  Some restrictions may apply.

Many of you think of Laketown Wharf as a fantastic vacation destination, but did you know we have long term rentals as well? Many of the same condo-types that are rented to vacationers can be rented under an annual lease.

Here are the details.

• 1 bed, 1 bath – $800 to $1,050
• 2 bed, 2 bath – $1,050 to $1,300
• 3 bed, 3 bath – $1,200 to $1,650
• 3 bed, 3 bath – $1,150 to %1,550

These rates include basic cable, HBO, water, sewer and trash removal and all condos have a bunkroom, and they’re unfurnished.

You can check out the floor plans here.

For more information, contact Joe Simmons at 850-628-1490 or Wanda Allen at 850-628-1491.

Thanksgiving at the beach is always a special treat, especially with our warm November weather.  If you’re looking for a relaxing weekend at the beach, you can stay with us and enjoy some of our fall/winter rates!  If you’re the type that feels the need to cook for the holidays, you’ll love our full-sized, fully equipped kitchens.  But, if you don’t want the mess, here are 4 delicious restaurant choices that will cook your meal for you, and clean up when you’re done!

Boatyard

Located on the east end of Panama City Beach, just a few miles down Thomas Drive from us, Boatyard is well known for their fantastic views of Grand Lagoon and delicious food.  This year, Boatyard will bring the turkey right to your table, carve it up and serve it fresh, with all the regular Thanksgiving sides you crave every turkey-day.

Don’t forget to make reservations by November 24th: 850-249-9273.  Cost is $17 per person with a four person minimum.

Breakers

If you’re idea of a relaxing Thanksgiving dinner includes stunning Gulf-views, then Breakers is the spot for you.  Now, this place is a little further away than Boatyard, but they’ll take care of you just as well.  They are located on Front Beach Road, west of here about 2.4 miles.

They are closed during the off-season, but they reopen every year for their Thanksgiving Day Buffet.  To make reservations, call 850-234-6060.

Kingfish Restaurant and Sushi Bar

Kingfish is located on the east end of Panama City Beach, in the Bay Point Mariott Resort and is offering a fantastic Thanksgiving menu.  They are serving unique Thanksgiving favorites such as Maple Roasted Turkey with Sage Butter and Gravy, Orange Bourbon Glazed Pit Ham, Herb Marinated Slow Roasted Prime Rib, Blackened Mahi-Mahi with spicy Saffron Pineapple Sauce, Rosemary Crusted Leg of Lamb, Andouille Sausage and Cornbread Stuffed Chicken Breast, Fresh Sushi Rolls, and assorted salads and desserts.

For reservations, call 850-236-6075.

Saltwater Grill

If you’ve never been to Saltwater Grill, you’re in for a real treat.  As soon as you walk in the front door, you’re greeted with a quiet ambiance and a huge saltwater fish tank.  Regular menu items include whole main lobster, Grouper Macadamia, and Redfish Etouffe.

This year for Thanksgiving, they are offering a delicious buffet beginning at 11 am with offerings to include roasted turkey, giblet gravy, prime rib au jus, mahi magi, sweet potato souffle, garlic mashed potatoes and tons of great desserts.   Adults are $19.95 per person and kids under 12 are $9.95.  For more information, call 850-230-2739.

The Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association (FRLA), in conjunction with the Panama City Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau and Hess Entertainment, today is pleased to present Country Music superstar Clint Black – Live in Concert – at Pier Park in Panama City Beach, Florida.  The concert will be held Friday, November 5, 2010 at 8:30 p.m. CST and is free to the public.  Pier Park, 600 Pier Park Drive, is conveniently located between the World’s Most Beautiful Beaches and Back Beach Road in the heart of Panama City Beach, Florida.

The concert is part of the FRLA’s “Back to the Beach – Fall Back into Summer” marketing campaign and Northwest Florida’s premier Wine and Food Festival “Taste of THE Beach.”  FRLA’s marketing campaign began in October when Florida Governor Crist allowed for the transfer of $700,000 from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s trust fund to speed the economic recovery for Florida’s hospitality industry.

“What a tremendous honor to have someone of Clint Black’s talent and stature to agree to host a free concert for the families and employees of our hoteliers, restaurateurs, and everyone impacted by the perception of oil washing ashore Northwest Florida beaches,” said Carol Dover, President/CEO of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association.  “This is a great time for tourists and residents alike to discover the beauty of Northwest Florida during the fall season and we encourage everyone to come enjoy one of the many fishing tournaments, concerts, seafood and arts festivals all promoting Florida’s unique culture and cuisine.”

Clint Black and his band will perform outdoors and under the stars immediately following Taste of THE Beach’s “Taste of Bay” to be held from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. CST at Pier Park.  NOTE:  All Taste of Bay ticket holders will receive VIP Stage-Front Access for the concert.

“As part of Taste of THE Beach, we are proud to be co-sponsors of the Taste of Bay event, which brings thousands of residents and visitors alike to our beautiful beaches,” said Dan Rowe, President/CEO of Panama City Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Fall is the perfect time of year to visit Panama City Beach and this year’s event will reach a new level of excitement with the free Clint Black concert on Friday evening,” said Rowe.

“Taste of Bay enjoys more than 1,000 guests each year as they taste wines offered by hundreds of vineyards and sample culinary delights from area restaurants at Pier Park,” said Beth Oltman, President and CEO of the Panama City Beach Chamber of Commerce.  “To have country superstar Clint Black top off our event is sure to attract an even bigger audience from our local community,” continued Oltman, organizer of Taste of Bay.

“Southwest Airlines, who have been tremendous community partners through the opening of the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport, will offer a 10 percent discount on their ‘Wanna Get Away’ fares,” said Kitty Whitney, President/CEO of the Walton Area Chamber of Commerce. “These exclusive discount fare savers card will be given to every guest and at every event upon check in. This is truly an event you won’t want to miss!” concluded Whitney, who also serves as Chair of Taste of THE Beach.

For additional concert information please visit www.FRLA.org.  For a complete listing of all events, times and locations for Taste of THE Beach activities being held November 4-7, go to www.TasteoftheBeachFla.com.

Every year, Ironman Florida comes to Panama City Beach the first weekend of November, and brings in athletes from all walks of life.  If you’re not familiar with this stellar race competition, this is THE triathlon of all triathlons, consisting of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a 26.2 mile run.  Total race time could range from 10 hours to 18 hours and the bike portion will fly right in front of our building.

The race starts a quick walk, right down the street at Boardwalk Beach Resort.  The swim will start there with staging for the transfer from the swim to bike, then from bike to run being in the parking area.

The Swim

The swim portion of Ironman Florida begins on the beach behind the Boardwalk Beach Resort. The course is a 2.4-mile two-loop swim. The first loop is rectangular in nature, with athletes actually exiting the water, and doing a turnaround on the beach. Upon re-entrance, athletes take a diagonal angle before reconnecting with the original portion of the swim course, continuing along the second loop until exiting the water at the completion of the swim. After exiting the water, athletes will run up the beach, running up the entrance steps to the Boardwalk, before continuing on to the transition area.

The Bike

Once athletes exit the transition area, they will begin the bike portion of the event by exiting through the bike/run start tower and heading west on South Thomas Drive. The bike portion of the event is extremely flat and fast, although wind can play a factor in the race. The course will take them down Front Beach Road to Highway 79, then the course will take them to Highway 20, then to Highway 77, then to Highway 388, then maze their way back down to the beach.

The Run

The marathon will feature a two-loop course, with the turnaround in front of the Spinnaker Beach Club.  Taking the runners, essentially down Thomas Drive, east, to the State Park, back to Spinnaker for a turnaround to do it all again.  The course will keep the runners entertained, winding them back and forth across Thomas Drive, through the local neighborhoods.

The run course will have mile markers and aid stations approximately every mile. Traffic cones will be used to separate the runners from the traffic where necessary. The traffic cones will not block the flow of traffic.

For more information, visit IronmanFlorida.com.  Here is the 2010 Athlete guide, and the 2010 Spectator and Traffic Guide.

Zoo Admission that day is just $5 although attendance to the ZooBoo activities is free.

ZooBoo is on Saturday, October 30 from 5 to 8 pm with the last entry being at 7:30.  The zoo hours that day will be from 9:30 am to 3 pm.

We’ll have a booth with games and treats for the kids, so be sure to stop by and say hello!

If you’ve been keeping an eye on local news, you’d know that the Panama City Beach Seafood Wine and Music festival got an extra shot in the arm of $150,000 from the Bay County Tourist Development Council to help increase the magnitude and economic impact of this year’s festival.  The TDC had excess marketing money savings from the funds they were given from a BP grant to help market the area after this summer’s BP oil spill scare that damaged summer tourism numbers.

If you’re coming down for this weekend’s Seafood Festival, here is the full schedule:

Friday

• Gates Open – 4pm – Marketplace, Beach Bouncer’s “Bouncer Village”, Food & Amusements all open
• Grand Wine Tastings – 4p-7p – Wine Village inside Sysco Dining Tent
• Sand Sculpture Presentation – 4p-6p – Sponsored by Fresh Florida Seafood
• VIP Tent Open – 5p-11p (VIP passes required)
• The Carolina’s – 6p – Knology Concert Stage (mainstage)
• Bellamy Brothers – 7p – Knology Concert Stage (mainstage)
• Lorrie Morgan – 9pm – Knology Concert Stage (mainstage)

Saturday

• Gates Open – Noon – Marketplace, Beach Bouncer’s “Bouncer Village”, Food & Amusements all open
• Family Fun Days – Noon-3pm – Centennial Bank Kids Village – Stilt Walkers, Balloon Artists, Face Painters, Bouncer Village, Sand Sculpting, Gallaghers Gymnastics presentations, and more
• Emerald County Line – Noon-2pm – Knology Concert Stage (mainstage)
• Lunch With SpongeBob Squarepants – 12:30p – (Sysco Dining Tent)
• Sand Sculpting for Kids with master Sand Sculptor Mark Flynn – 1:30-2:30p – KIDS VILLAGE
• Gallagher’s Gymnastics Team performance – 2:30pm – KIDS VILLAGE
• Chef Exhibition – Chef John of Hammerhead Fred’s – 4pm – Sysco Dining Tent
• Grand Wine Tastings – 4p-7p – Wine Village inside Sysco Dining Tent
• John Cannon – 4p-6p – Knology Concert Stage
• Chef Exhibition – Chef Paul of Firefly – 5pm –  Sysco Dining Tent
• The Dirty Livin – 6pm – Knology Concert Stage (mainstage)
• Smoke N’ Mirrors – 7:30p – Knology Concert Stage (mainstage)
• REO Speedwagon – 9pm – Knology Concert Stage (mainstage)

Sunday

• Gates Open – Noon – Marketplace, Beach Bouncer’s “Bouncer Village”, Food & Amusements all open
• Family Fun Days – Noon-3pm – Centennial Bank Kids Village – Stilt Walkers, Balloon Artists, Face Painters, Bouncer Village, Sand Sculpting, Gallaghers Gymnastics presentations, and more
• Lunch With Spongebob Squarepants – 12:30pm – Sysco Dining Village (dining tent)
• Sand Sculpting for Kids with master Sand Sculptor Mark Flynn – 1:30-2:15p – KIDS VILLAGE
• Gallagher’s Gymnastics Team performance – 2:30pm – KIDS VILLAGE
• Chef Exhibition – Chef Dave of Breakers – 4pm – Sysco Dining Tent
• Grand Wine Tastings – 4p-6p – Wine Village inside Sysco Dining Tent
• Chef Exhibition – Chef Rob of Saltwater Grill – 5pm – Sysco Dining Tent
• John Cannon & Dallas Griffin – 4-5:30pm – Knology Concert Stage (mainstage)
• Little River Band – 6pm – Knology Concert Stage (mainstage)
• Lynrd Skynyrd – 9pm – Knology Concert Stage (mainstage)
• Festival officially over after Lynyrd Skynyrd show – estimated time 11pm

It’s fall, the weather is perfect again, the water is amazing, and Thunder Beach is BACK!   And, for 2010, Laketown Wharf is an official Thunder Beach venue offering a variety of vendors right in the middle of the action.  We’ve heard rumor that Laketown Wharf is one of the favorites of visitors to Panama City Beach, and it’s no surprise that this is one of the favorites for bikers for the fall rally of Thunder Beach.

Here’s what’s going on here this weekend.

Vendors

Sunglasses: Get your name brand or discount shades here.  With an impressive collection of stylish shades, big and small, you’re definitely gonna find what you’re looking for here if you left your sunglasses at home.

Pinstriping:  If you’re looking for a custom pinstriping job on your bike (or anything else, for that matter), this is the place to go.  Located facing Front Beach Road, these guys offer more than just custom pinstriping, they offer full-blown airbrush jobs and other graphic art that you may want to ad to your bike, boat, car or RV.

LED’s:  This is nothing new, light up your bike with a custom LED light install.  These things flicker, stay on, can be activated by remote and change the look of your bike at night.

Thunder Beach Merch:  Of course, what venue would be complete without an official Thunder Beach merchandise tent.  You can get all your official Thunder Beach schwag right here.

Event Schedule

Everyday from 9 am to 6 pm we are hosting a bikini bike wash with some other events to be announced.

If you’re planning a last minute trip down to the beach, this is the perfect weekend to enjoy amazing weather and some great weekend events.  If you’re no stranger to our emerald green waters, then you know that September, October and November are amongst the best months to visit the beach.  Warm weather, warm water, clear skies and clear water are just a few of the many reasons Panama City Beach should be on your fall travel agenda.

Here are four things going on this weekend to keep you entertained in between trips to the beach.

1.)  Zoo World Zoobilee

Every year, Zoo World puts on the Zoobilee, that opens up their doors to all that can come.  Admission is only $1 with children under 2 admitted free.  Zoo World has over 200 exotic and, in many cases, endangered animals on over seven acres of lush vegetation.  The gates open at 9:30 am Saturday and Sunday morning.  For more information, call 850-230-1243.

2.)  Compassionate Chefs for Kids

For a delicious time and a great cause, check out Compassionate Chefs For Kids. Put on at the Bay Point Marriott Resort, VIP Starts at 5:00 p. m. and cocktail attire is recommended. Reservations are required, please call ahead first. This is a benefit for Childrenís Home Society of Florida.  Ticket prices are $35 and $75 for VIP. Reservations, call (850) 747-5411 ext: 1520

3.)  Fireworks over Grand Lagoon

We’ve all seen fireworks over the Gulf of Mexico, across from Pier Park, but if you haven’t seen them over the majestic Grand Lagoon on the east end of Panama City Beach, then this weekend is your chance.  If you’re unfamiliar with the area, Grand Lagoon is the body of water that Captain Anderson’s rests on.  Fireworks will be on Saturday evening at 9 pm.  Boatyard and Captain Anderson’s Marina will provide great views for this spectacular show.

4.)  PCB Sportfish Classic Fishing Tournament

One of the things I loved doing as a kid growing up was to visit the docks and peek at all the fish coming in.  The Panama City Beach Sportfish Classic will host over 50 registered anglers that will shoot for a chance to win their share of $100,000.  Fish to be caught include Blue Marlin, Swordfish, Tuna, Wahoo and Dolphin.  Fishing starts Friday, festival portion begins Saturday at 3 pm.  Come ready to listen to live music and watch the awards.  Weigh-in starts at 7 pm.   For more information, visit their website.