Activities

Downtown Panama City

Community

The town of Panama City is the county seat for Bay County and it had previous names like Floriopolis, Park Resort, and Harrison. Downtown Panama City as a great combination of high quality restaurants and specialized boutique shops. There is a thriving art scene with The Panama City Center for the Arts and The Martin Theatre, regular live music, and a number of exciting events like the annual Oktoberfest.

In 1906, the little town was named Panama City and it was first incorporated in 1909. According to the Panama City Public Library's A History of Panama City, George Mortimer West hoped to spur real estate development in Bay County during a period of intense popular interest in the construction of the Panama Canal by changing the town's name from Harrison to Panama City, because a straight line drawn between Chicago and the capital of the Central American country of Panama intersected the small Florida town.

Lynn Haven Sports Complex

Community

Planned for re-opening, the multi-use sports field will offer a variety of team sports and activities. In addition, the complex also houses a community center that is available for private functions. What many don’t know is that the area surrounding the complex is ideal for bird-watching. This complex of ball fields yields more birds than you might think, due in large part to the adjacent lake and nature trail. To the east on the lake you will find wintering ducks like the Ring-necked and Lesser Scaup. If you follow the trail east of the lake along the boardwalk through a small bayhead the discovery of large indigenous tress is delightful. Some large trees in this mature wetland hammock make for interesting flocks of migrant birds in both October and April. Low-lying bushes north of the lake, and on the west and south perimeters of the sports complex is often good for wintering sparrows. Don’t have binoculars or a field guide? Loaners are available on a limited basis.

Tyndall Air Force Base

Community

Tyndall Air Force Base is approximately 13 miles away and is located in the southeastern part of Bay county. It is one of the largest Air Education and Training Command bases and the home of air dominance training. It also houses the 325th Fighter Wing which provides training for the F-22 Raptor fighter pilots, maintenance personnel, air battle managers, intelligence officers, crew chiefs and air traffic controllers. Also at the base is the 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group which conducts the Air Force’s air-to-air and air-to-ground Weapon System Evaluation Programs.