The Windsurfing design, recently revived from Sun Wave Fashions’ archives, has been seen in global resale in vintage markets, with sellers spanning from Malaysia to Texas. Its enduring appeal speaks to beach lovers worldwide, evoking nostalgic memories of beach adventures.
Tracing Panama City Beach’s evolution from quaint motels to towering high-rises, embodying enduring charm and innovation, capturing the essence of its coastal hospitality landscape through decades of transformative development and mom-and-pop ownership.
From its inception as Snake-A-Torium in 1946 to its transformation into ZooWorld under Dennie Sebolt, this Panama City Beach attraction has left a lasting impact. Sebolt’s legacy lives on through a memorial at ZooWorld, honoring his dedication to conservation and the history of Snake-A-Torium.
Before the Atlanta and Saint Andrew Bay Railroad came to Panama City in 1908 there was very little tourism. In the 1800’s, only well-to-do planters in north Florida and south Alabama could afford to send there wives and children to Saint Andrew Bay to seek refuge from the heat of summer. The cool bay breezes were…
The twin screwed steamship the SS Tarpon was built in 1886, at Wilmington Delaware. She was originally christened the Naugatuck. She measured 130 feet overall with a beam of 26 feet and was powered by twin steam engines driving iron propellers. Naugatuck’s owners sold her to Henry Plant, whose shipping empire at Tampa, Florida, was…
Part of the difficulty keeping the railroad workers alive was the lack of nutritious food. As a food source, Minor Keith became interested in a fruit that he had seen for sale in New Orleans…the banana. He buys several hundred banana plants and has them planted along the railway. They become a welcomed source of…
Today the lowly banana is the commonest of fruits. However, it wasn’t always that way. A century ago, bananas were very rare and highly prized by those that could afford them. The Chiquita bananas on your kitchen counter today are part of a story with all the drama and suspense of a Hollywood movie. It…
During the Second World War the northern Gulf Coast of Florida was patrolled by the Civilian Air Patrol #14 stationed at an airfield near today’s 11th St. and Balboa Ave. Among the members of CAP 14 was long-time Panama City resident, Johnny Reaver. Mr. Reaver’s recollections have been published in the ‘Rich Heritage of Panama…
Today, Miracle Strip Amusement Park is only a fond memory for many people that visited Panama City Beach in the 20th century. Although, it only lasted four years into the 21st century, Miracle Strip Amusement Park was the most successful attraction on the Gulf Coast of Florida for 40 years. For many years it ranked…
The story of the Old Dutch doesn’t end with hard times during WWII. Instead, it goes big-time. A hotel chain owner, Cliff Stiles, purchased the Old Dutch, a year before the end of the war. At the time, Mr. Cliff Stiles owned many hotels through the southeast. Much like the originator of the Old Dutch,…