If you love jazz make sure that you don’t miss the 2016 Seabreeze Jazz Festival in Panama City Beach!  Running from April 20-24, 2015, the Seabreeze Jazz Festival has been growing each year with thousands from around the US descending on our beautiful beaches to see some of the greatest jazz and blues musicians perform live! Considered by JazzIZ Magazine as one of the “Top 10 Jazz Festivals” in the country and nominated at the Oasis Smooth Jazz Awards in the “Best Jazz Festival” category, the Seabreeze Jazz Festival continues their commitment to being one of the best music festivals by bringing in some legends in entertainment for 2016.

View the 2016 Schedule below and make sure that you visit www.seabreezejazzfestival.com  for more information and to buy tickets!

Wednesday April 20th

Seabreeze Dinner Cruise

Thursday April 21st

Seabreeze Jazz Lunch Cruise featuring Mindi Abair
11pm-1pm (boat boards at 10:30am)
Solaris Dinner Yacht — Lighthouse Marina — Panama City Beach
Gates Open at 2pm (Main Stage)
3pm Chris Godber (Panama City Saxman)
4:30pm Jackiem Joyner and Selina Albright
6:30pm Smooth Jazz Super Friends” featuring Josh Vietti, Kyshona Armstrong, Marcus Anderson, and David Sides
8:30pm Gerald Albright and Jonathan Butler
Pompano Joe’s at Pier Park
10:30pm All Star After Party Jam — featuring Mindi Abair

Friday April 22nd

Pompano Joe’s at Pier Park
1pm   CD Release Party featuring Nick Colionne
Gates Open at 2pm (Main Stage)
3pm The Groove Messengers featuring Oli Silk, JJ Sanseverino, and Will Donato
4:30pm The PEET Project
6:30pm Malina Moye
8:30pm Boney James
Pompano Joe’s at Pier Park
10:30pm All Star After Party Jam — featuring Nick Colionne

Saturday April 23rd

Gates Open at 8am
9am Music In the Schools Presentation feat. J.R. Arnold High School Jazz Ensemble.
10am The JT Project (Seabreeze Rising Star)
11:15am Ben Tankard
12:30pm Jazz In Pink featuring Cindy Bradley, Gail Jhonson, Jazmin Ghent, Mareia Antoinette, and others
2:30pm Najee
4:30pm Brian Culbertson
6:30pm Michael McDonald
8:30pm Peter White, Euge Groove, and Paul Taylor
Pompano Joe’s at Pier Park
10:30pm All Star After Party Jam — Hosted by Brian Culbertson

Sunday April 24th

GatesOpen at 8am
9:30am Kim Scott
11am Marc Antoine and Alex Bugnon
1pm The Family Stone
3pm Vincent Ingala
4:30pm Lindsey Webster (Seabreeze Hidden Gem)
6pm Jesse Cook
8pm Jazz All Stars featuring Peabo Bryson, Nick Colionne, Brian Simpson, and Elan Trotman

The post 2016 Seabreeze Jazz Festival first appeared on The Visitor's Maps for Panama City Beach & Panama City, FL.

Looking for something to do with the kids this Halloween? Don’t miss ZooBOO! Zooworld in Panama City Beach, Florida is hosting its Annual Trick or Treat at the Zoological & Botanical Park on October 31st and November 1st, 2015. From 10:00 am – 4:00 pm both days, everyone can enjoy trick or treating in a safe, fun, educational and scare-free environment. It doesn’t get any better than that!

Admission prices are $10 for ages 2 and up and $5 for Season Pass Holders. Each child will receive a free bucket from ZooWorld to keep all their treats safe while trick or treating through the Zoo. In addition to getting to see all the cool animals at Zooworld, there will be face painting, games, shows, animal meet and greets and much more. There will even be a costume contest for those that want to show off their Halloween creativity. So get those costumes ready and head to ZooWorld in Panama City Beach, Florida this Halloween weekend on Saturday and Sunday for ZooBOO!

More about Zooworld!

ZooWorld in Panama City Beach is home to over 30 zoo animals. Do you like monkeys? They’re so cute and ZooWorld has many different species to see. Can you tell the difference between the Spider Monkey and the Squirrel Monkey? And what about the Big Cats? Do you know the difference between a Bengal Tiger, a Jaguar and a Sumatran Tiger?

ZooWorld also has a Lion, Leopard, Black Bear and many more really cool animals to see like the Marmoset, Kookaburra and African Crested Porcupine. They even have a Dromedary Camel at ZooWorld. How cool is that? And while you’re there, don’t miss ZooWorld’s Animal Encounters. You can get up close and personal with a Lemur and a Giraffe. Did you know Giraffes have purple tongues? Well, they do and you can see it for yourself at ZooWorld in Panama City Beach, Florida.

Read more about ZooBOO at zooworldpcb.net/zooworldanimals.html

Read more about ZooWorld right here on The Visitor’s Map!

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The 8th Annual 30a St Patrick’s Festival and Parade will take place on Saturday March 14th with an expanded festival timetable and first class entertainment. The largest St Patrick’s celebration in NW Florida takes place March 14th at Gulf Place at noon, and on Florida Scenic Highway 30a with the parade at 2pm. The event will entertain the kids with the “wee folk” area containing costume prizes for fairy princesses and pirates, along with “Pot O’ Gold” treasure hunts, face painting and much more.

Described as a “Mini Savannah” St Patrick’s event, The Beaches Of South Walton County Florida are attracting a different kind of snowbird this March 14th with a special tour visit by Ottawa based Celtic Band SEARSON. SEARSON has been described as “Fiddles on steroids” SEARSON has toured throughout Canada, the United States, Germany, Denmark, Portugal, Switzerland and the Caribbean including playing with The Chieftains.

The high energy wont stop there, because Texas based Celtic Rock Band CLEGHORN will also return due to many requests by festival goers. If you mixed ZZ Top with The Hobbit soundtrack, it might sound something like CLEGHORN. Their music mixes original folk/rock songwriting with high energy Celtic fiddle and bagpipe tunes.

The top notch Celtic entertainment will also be on hand all day starting with Dismal Creek who will pay tribute to bluegrass roots with Irish jigs, reels and brilliant banjo picking double base riffs. Proceeds support breast cancer 501c Fore Her golf tournament and Alaqua Animal Refuge.

Ticket prices begin at – $10 for adults, kids are $5 each and VIP Whiskey/Beer tasting tickets are $35 each, available now at www.30afestival.com

The parade expects a record number of floats and parade entries, in all shapes and sizes. The parade begins at 2.00pm Saturday March 14th on Florida Scenic Highway 30a and heads 4 miles west, ending at Gulf Place, where the festivities continue. This year’s Grand Marshal is Catherine O’ Sullivan who hails from Cork Ireland.

“To see this event grow to a full blown parade and packed out festival is very satisfying,” said Paul Vizard, event founder. “The original goal was to help businesses promote themselves in the parade, which it does, now the festival has thousands attending, stimulating business at a quiet time of the year. I can’t be more delighted.”

The Best in Parade perpetual trophy is up for grabs for the best decorated cars trucks or floats. Festival goers can purchase commemorative T shirts, experience arts and crafts, including knitted jewelry and blacksmithing, wood carving, face painting, and of course a variety of food and drinks. A few sponsor spots, vendor table and tent spaces are still available, and businesses are encouraged to be a sponsor, details at www.30afestival.com

“Searson is an amazing live show, from their high energy, foot-stomping, driving music to their extraordinary step dancing. The audience was mesmerized! A pure joy to watch!”
~ Greg Ziesemer, Event Coordinator, RiverRoots Music Folk Arts Fest.

“The robust and pristine sound of Dylan Cleghorn’s fiddle is wrapped in heavy pop rock rhythms that approach anthemic intensity. John Cleghorn, adding his original songwriting, screaming guitar riffs and golden vocal melodies, reveals himself as a man who truly knows rock.”
Celtic Music News

Event Information

The 8th Annual 30a St Patrick’s Parade and Festival is the largest celebration in NW Florida of Ireland’s St. Patrick’s day. The parade commences on Scenic 30a March 14th 2pm and ends at Gulf Place, where Dismal Creek, Drake School of Irish Dance, Texas based Celtic Band “Cleghorn” and Canadian sensation SEARSON will perform.

For tickets and details visit http://www.30afestival.com

The post Celtic Bands Rock 30a on March 14th first appeared on The Visitor's Maps for Panama City Beach & Panama City, FL.

Friends of the Governor Stone members can register any time by email and have a Friday noon deadline. The public will be invited at the Farmer’s Market to fill all remaining seats.

The sailing adventure will be 1-2 hours, depending on the weather and will leave the dock promptly at 10:00 am. Please arrive by 9:30 am and dress for the weather conditions. As always the Captain has the authority to cancel the sail if he feels weather conditions are unfavorable for a safe and enjoyable sail.

The Governor Stone is the last known working shallow draft gulf coast schooner. The mission of the Friends of the Governor Stone is to highlight and share the history of waterfront communities by sailing and exhibiting the 1877 Schooner Governor Stone along the Northern Gulf Coast. The Governor Stone’s homeport is St. Andrews Marina.

Please visit our web page, GOVERNOR STONE.ORG, look us up on FACEBOOK at GOVERNOR STONE or email us at info@governorstone.org.

Friends of the Governor Stone Inc. is a non-profit 501c3 organization and we encourage your support of the Governor Stone by becoming a member of FOGS and through your generous donations to keep this living museum alive and sailing for future generations to enjoy.

The post Governor Stone’s Second Saturday Sails first appeared on The Visitor's Maps for Panama City Beach & Panama City, FL.

Tana thinks I can paint.

Ha ha. Yeah. Me…Paint. Right. That’s what I said.

I have zero artistic ability.

ZEEE-ROH

Nevermind I have a shake. Had it all my life. Couldn’t hold a cup of coffee steady if my life depended on it.

But Tana says she guarantees I can paint.

Challenge accepted.

Guess what.

I can paint the %#!+ out of some Flowers!

Tana (Like Vanna, but with a T and without Pat Sajak) does something called, “My Paint Party.” A rollicking two hours of discovering what you thought you couldn’t do, paint wise, that is, and creating art that YOU painted that you would proud to hang in your own home.

“We would not put a painting up if we weren’t 100% sure we could get you to paint that.” Tana says.

The way Tana put it to me was, some of the paintings they offer every month at My Paint Party do “have more steps” than others, but none are really “hard.” Besides, she says, it’s a paint PARTY.  It’s as much about the fun you have creating your art as it is the end result.

Roger on that.

We had blast the night my fiancee, Tita (I know! Tana…Tita…I’m not making this stuff up), and I went. We started working on a piece, in this case our initials done in flowers, and we were shown what to do, stroke for stroke, to make sure we were on the right track.

(Tita knows her way around a paint brush. She has painted incredible sets for community theatre that astound. I was sure she would put me to shame on the canvas.)

You can bring whatever food or beverages you want and she provides the wine glasses and ice. I’m a cabernet person myself and I promise you my painting was better because of it. At least I think so.

In the end I have to say…my piece rocked!

I don’t know if it was the wine or my uncanny ability to follow the Tom Cruise mantra from Risky Business (If you’ve seen it, you know), but whatever it was I made something very cool I was really proud of. I’m not going to say that mine was better than Tita’s since it’s not a competition or anything…

I asked Tana about my reticence to try painting. How the stigma of not thinking I was artistic prevented me from even putting brush to canvas. She said that isn’t unusual, but she likes to remind people that it’s just a piece of cloth. It can’t hurt you. You can’t make a mistake, she says. (That’s an incredible relief for one that grew up being told there was a right way and a wrong way to do EVERYTHING.)
“If you make a mistake, it was probably meant to be there.” Says Tana

I really like her way of thinking.

Everything you need for the evening is supplied: canvas, acrylic paint, instruction, instructor. It’s all there. Other than food and drink, like I said.

Looks like I might like this painting stuff after all.

Tana has been having paint parties since 2007 and have discovered that once people get past that initial reticence they find out they LOVE painting. Some make regular night out of it during the year. Even tourists are starting to discover the fun to be had, not just with the painting, but with your friends and family.

“It’s more about the relationship with friends and family,” Tana Said, “But the time you are spending having fun with the people you are there with.”

Tita said my “T” was better. Just saying.

 http://www.mypaintparty.com/

https://www.facebook.com/MyPaintParty

Or call 850-258-2112 for reservations

The post Party With Paint first appeared on The Visitor's Maps for Panama City Beach & Panama City, FL.

The blues tells a story. Every line of the blues has a meaning. –  John Lee Hooker

This weekend in Panama City Beach you can hear lots of stories from the blues at the inaugural Great American Blues Festival.  Ten bands will be performing over two days at Aaron Bessant Park at Pier Park with a barbecue challenge being held on the Saturday and the music continuing all day Sunday also.

The bands range from a legendary group that performed at Woodstock to a blues supergroup making waves all over the music scene.

Canned Heat plays Sunday at 1pm. Yes, THAT Canned Heat…the one that has been around for over 45 years and put out 38 albums; the band whose song Going Up the Country became the unofficial theme of the the Woodstock festival in 1969. While Alan “Blind Owl” Wilson and Bob “The Bear” Hite passed away years ago, long-time members Larry “The Mole” Taylor, Adolfo “Fito” de la Parra, and Harvey “The Snake” Mandel remain with the seminal blues band.

Closing out the festival on Sunday is Royal Southern Brotherhood, the blues supergroup collaboration that includes Greg Allman’s son Devon Allman, Cyril Neville from the legendary family of New Orleans musicians, and blues guitar virtuoso Mike Zito.

The full lineup is like this:

SATURDAY:

Selwyn Birchwood (1:00-2:15)
TC Carr (2:15-3:30)
Big LLou’s Bluesville Review (3:30-5:00)
The Betty Fox Band (5:00-6:00)
Jimmy Thackery (6:00-7:30)

SUNDAY:

Canned Heat (1:00-2:15)
Honey Island Swamp Band (2:15-3:30)
Joe Louis Walker (3:30-4:45)
Homemade Jamz Band (4:45-6:00)
Royal Southern Brotherhood (6:00-7:30)

Tickets:

$30 1-Day (Child 7-14 $10)
$50 2-Day Pass

Tickets can be purchased at the Festival and the event goes on rain or shine
www.americanbluesfest.com

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The post You CAN get the Blues at the Beach first appeared on The Visitor's Maps for Panama City Beach & Panama City, FL.

There’s a reason photographers call it the Golden Hour. It’s when no clever tricks or computer editing are needed to make their subjects look … spectacular. The bronzing kiss of the dying sun makes everyone look like a supermodel or movie star.

It’s then that you can stand facing west with your feet at the waters edge and, at just the right moment, the sea breeze feels and smells like it does at no other time. The heat of the day ebbing as the sun dissolves over the horizon, the cool of the coming night first making itself known.

Gathering at the water’s edge to bid the day adieu is an ancient practice that persists today in magical locations all over the globe. St. Andrews, the cozy, secret hamlet between Panama City and Panama City Beach, is on that list.

Every Thursday through October 9th you can join the locals in the majestic ritual of saying goodbye to the day as they gather in St. Andrews for a community street party. Starting at 4 pm they’ll be live music, street performers, and an array of vendors offering food, crafts, fresh produce, and local artists showing off their talent.

At sunset join with everyone at the marina, bring a camera or a conch and celebrate the close of another day in Northwest Florida. Then it’s time to retreat and feast at one of St. Andrews’ delectable eateries, wiling away the hours listening to local bands until Old Sol’s sneak attack from the east brings the gift of a new day to the place some call paradise, and we call home.

For info on this event and other upcoming events in Historic St Andrews visit the website www.historicstandrews.com or on their official Facebook Page

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The post St. Andrews’ Sunset Sayonara first appeared on The Visitor's Maps for Panama City Beach & Panama City, FL.

Anybody can make a pizza. Only a few can make good pizza. Then there are those that make it the Way it Was. Great White Pizza in Pier Park on the west end of Panama City Beach is just that.  If you want good pizza then call the delivery guy and get your pizza. If you want pizza that makes taste buds dance, that transports you back to the Old World of Italy, Great White Pizza is the place.

Pizza isn’t thought to be anything but a quick, cheap way to feed the family and not have to dirty the kitchen on Saturday night. But true, original, real pizza as it originated on the coast of Naples is rightly called a delicacy. Great White Pizza captures that Old World taste in the New World 21st century. If pizza had a filet mignon, you would find it in that little corner of Pier Park.

The selection of gourmet pizzas is broad enough to satisfy any palate, but they are not just a random selection of kitchen-sink ingredients. Each pie is blended in such a way as to maximize the entire dining experience. All of the 18 gourmet pizzas presents a unique combination of flavors made from fresh ingredients, placed on fresh dough made daily, and seared in the namesake red-brick oven making the crust delicately thin but crisp. And delicious.

The pies are Old World baked, but have a New World appeal. The Margherita is a flavorful blend of four cheeses: mozzarella, provolone, white cheddar, and Parmesan, with basil, garlic, and fresh tomatoes and a red sauce. The combination of cheeses isn’t what you’d expect from your everyday pizza experience. It is a wonder. The others are no less delectable and yet present a completely different dining experience. The Greek pizza has ham, red onions, kalamata olives, pepperoncinis, mozzarella and feta cheeses with an EVOO garlic sauce.

If you want the true Old World experience, try they Pizza Rustica, an exquisite combination of ham, pepperoni, mushrooms, mozzarella, Parmesan, fresh basil, and spices with an EVOO garlic sauce baked on a perfectly thin & crisp Artisan Crust. For the ultimate Great White Pizza you have to sample the Great White Pizza Gourmet Works. A perfect blend of pepperoni, ham, bacon, Italian-style sausage, mushrooms, black olives, red onions, bell peppers, and mozzarella with a red sauce.

All of this is more than a pizza lover could ever expect, but is only part of what Great White Pizza offers. There are the five different, equally tasty salads served with heart healthy fire-roasted croutons & trans fat free house dressings. Then there are their signature Fhazani Flat Bread Sandwiches ranging from the Ham and Cheese (provolone, mozzarella, white cheddar, red sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, house ranch dressing) to the Prosciutto Millano (mozzarella, salami, pepperoncinis, red onions, arugula, EVOO garlic sauce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and Italian dressing), each fire-baked fresh to order topped with romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, & trans fat free house dressing.

If that weren’t enough, you can finish your meal in an equally delectable way with their Italian Gelato, their trademarked Bhrazani (a triple chocolate fire-roasted gourmet brownie, topped with gelato & chocolate drizzle).

There is a children’s menu if you want to bring the bambini, and the adults can enjoy a selection of red and white wines along with specially selected handcrafted microbrews. To end the evening you can enjoy your choice of Espresso, Latte, Cappuccino or a Cafe Americano.

It’s okay to have pizza, but when you are ready for pizza as it was meant to be, Great White Pizza has it for you.

The Great White Pizza is open 7 Days a week for lunch and dinner.  Please visit them at their website great-white-pizza.business.site/

The post Great White Pizza first appeared on The Visitor's Maps for Panama City Beach & Panama City, FL.