Gulf World in Panama City Beach

Where on earth did the summer go?! I know I keep moving, but still this is too fast. I guess that's because there are too many fun things to do on the Emerald Coast.

For instance, in July I decided to check out Gulf World in Panama City Beach. Online reviews gave it a positive, although a few folks dissed it as being "old" and run down. Well, yes it is old. Gulf World has been around for a while, but additions to the park and some upgrades made for a fun afternoon.

With 14-year old Katie and 4-year-old Alexis in tow, I arrived at the park about 1pm, just in time for the sea lion show. The price of admission was reasonable for an afternoon of fun, about $48 for the three of us (Alexis was free) and there is a lot to see.

The noisy sea lions kept the girls fascinated for the 20 minute show, then we headed out to see the shark and sea turtle pool, grabbed a snack (14-year olds are always hungry, 4-year olds live on pure air), petted the stingrays at the touch pool and saw the penguins, Alexis's favorite.

A brief walk through the bird house brought us to the Tropical Garden Theatre and the Magic of Noah Wells. A magic show may not be the first thing to come to mind at a marine park, but it was a hit with all of us. The magician even sawed a lady in half! Afterward, we hit the magic shop and got to meet the magician and his lovely assistant and bought a magic wand for Alexis who is big at the moment into turning people into dragons, kings and monsters.

The other hit show, at least with Katie and me, was the X-Treme High Dive Team. Not only were the divers cute, they were daring. Katie, a good swimmer herself, and I decided that 85 feet up a small ladder to dive into a small pool, was not what we wanted to do, but it was fun to watch them do it.

More penguin, sea lion and stingray gawking was followed by the dolphin show. Unfortunately, Alexis was getting tired by then, and although she enjoyed it, she was restless and ready to go. The show was good, although shorter than I'd thought it would be, but by then it was after 5pm and we were ready to head home.

I would definitely recommend Gulf World, especially as it was a rainy day and there's enough shelter to keep dry between showers, and yet enough entertainment to keep everyone satisfied.

Happy coasting.