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.
In the late 1940s, ‘Gorgeous George’ revolutionized professional wrestling. His journey from orphanhood involved dropping out of high school and adopting a flamboyant persona. The pivotal moment came when he proposed marriage in a wrestling ring, marking the birth of “Gorgeous George.” Notably, his matches often culminated in a dramatic turn, where his valet would revive him with a unique touch – a few whiffs of the mystical “Florida Air,” adding an intriguing and theatrical element to his iconic career.
There once was an iconic Sky Ride that ascended 100 feet above ground, carrying gondolas past a panoramic view of the gulf. Today, the remnants of this marvel are concealed in the woods. As taller structures and newer attractions emerged, the Sky Ride faced a changing skyline. The allure that once captivated hearts began to wane. Then came the turning point – Hurricane Eloise. The Sky Ride met its match and succumbed to the forces of nature. Uncover the fascinating story that time has woven into the woods.
The Old Dutch Roadhouse and Tavern on old Panama City Beach is renown as a wellspring of popular entertainers that flourished throughout the south-land. The comedian affectionately known as ‘Brother Dave’ Gardner was a favorite performer that honed his early career at the Old Dutch. David Gardner was born in 1926 in Jackson, Tennesee. He…
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…
There have been some very creative people that have called Panama City Beach their home. Probably the most creative in terms of mass appeal has to Vincent ‘Val’ Valentine. Since the early 60s, Val’s art lives on, in the photos and memories of millions of tourists that have visited Panama City Beach. He was the…
There’s a thread that weaves its way from Marianna, Florida to Dothan, Alabama, to Panama City Beach and eventually lands on stage with the Beatles in Great Britain. The men weaving this thread were Bobby Goldsboro and Buddy Buie. Both, Buddy and Bobby, were born in Marianna, Florida and both moved with their families to…
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,…
In 1937 Frank Burghduff came to visit the Gulf shores of Panama City Beach. He was so captivated by the beauty of the area that he decided to leave his home state of New York and move to Panama City Beach. He came with the dream to build a beach-front roadhouse that would earn nationwide…