Today my daughter and I were dropped off on shell island by a fisherman that my husband was going fishing with. Being from WV, we had no idea how the shuttles or ferry works. Come to find out, we needed to buy a ticket at the park in order to have a way off the island. A few hours later, I am starting to panic wondering if I'd be able to get my daughter off the island or not. I'd seen some people who rented boats and asked them for a ride back to the dock at their convenience, but nobody was willing to help us. Then I googled St. Andrew's ferry's and got ahold of a lovely lady named Kim, I explained our situation and she tried to get us on the next available ferry, unfortunately we were on the other side of the island. I had all but given up when Kim called me back to let me know her entire team had been working together to help get us safely off the island. When Captain Scott showed up on his boat, his reassuring smile was exactly what we needed after being stranded for 4 hours. He pulled up onto the bank and helped my daughter and I board his boat and he even let me vent about the anger I had for my husband and the fisherman who just left us there. To all the people with guest services at St. Andrew's state park, you all will never know how much it means to me that you all helped and went above and beyond. After Captain Scott dropped us off at our vehicle, the employees even came up to us to make sure we were okay and to see if we needed anything while we were waiting for my selfish husband to get back from fishing. If I could leave more than 5 stars I would. Kim, Kelsey, Chad and Captain Scott, as my grandmother would say, I would dance at your wedding if I could. God bless you all and thank you. If it wasn't for you guys we'd still be over there on the island. It's beautiful but I don't know when I'll be going back. If I do I will be sure to have a ticket and go through you guys. The park is beautiful and the staff are a blessing. read more

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Drove all the way from Santa Rosa Beach where I am very familiar with two State Parks, Grayton Beach State Park and Topsail Hill Preserve State Park and the Ranger at the gate would not allow us to get in to check the campsites so we could make an intelligent decision for booking next year. When I asked her if we could just drive around OR walk, she refused even when I said we had driven 40 miles just for that purpose. I will have to reserve BLINDLY for next year and be content with whatever site we get shaded or not. Looks like she had a bad night and hope that Karma comes around, it wasn't like we were going to sneak in and spend the night in the car when we were staying in Topsail which I am almost sure is better than this other one. I am sure that if I was a politician she would've extended the red carpet. So this review is not about the Park itself but about the Ranger at the gate and her attitude towards potential customers read more

This is a beautiful state park. Unfortunately we were just killing time before our flight so we just got out at a few spots but would love to come back to sit on the beach or take ferry. We saw a gator in gator lake too read more

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Stayed in the park with our RV for four nights. Arrived around 1:00 to find a huge site 115 on the water. Beautiful well maintained and level. Magnificent white sand beach and a jetty with amazing snorkeling opportunities. Close to many fantastic restaurants. Very reasonable price. Would definitely stay again. read more

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This is a terrific place to visit. It is good for families seniors and everyone. You can swim, surf, go shelling and even take a little hike! I would suggest coming a little early to beat the crowd. The cost was $8 per car. You can grab a ferry/boat to shell island ( separe cost and go prepared! see their website) The park does have outdoor showers and multiple rest rooms. They have a store and I discovered you can even canp there ( reservations required). read more

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LOVE, LOVE, LOVE camping here!!! Such a fun place you can take the boat to shell island and you can fish off of the inlet and the ocean pier!! So much wildlife in the park and it is so fun to watch!! Very clean bathhouse and berry nice all around!! read more

St. Andrews State Park - Turtle - Parks Near Me - Panama City, Florida

This pace is amazing. We went snorkeling here for the first time and loved it. I have to caution there may be jellyfish and man of war here swim. Overall it was great. read more

Awesome time out on the water. Staff was great and the boat was perfect and roomy for our crew. Found 4 sharks teeth on the Island!!

Cancelled after we got there. Worker admitted they forgot to cancel kayaks an wouldn't refund the park admission which we only paid to do the kayaks. If she had cancelled when she told us she sent an email we would have saved an hour driving over and back and the fee to get in. She cancelled while we were there and the emails suddenly showed up. Update Casey called me today and felt bad about how things went. We are going tomorrow and I'm hoping to update to 5-star then. I appreciate the effort by Casey to reach out and try to make things right! read more

The employees are very respectful and helpful! We rented the paddle board and had a great time! I love the covered tables! It is the best views from the rocks and great fishing read more

St. Andrews State Park is a gem in all the overdevelopment and bustle of Panama City Beach. The park has fantastic amenities with plentiful parking & restrooms, a camp store, a gift shop, boat/board rentals, a snack shack w/ munchies & drinks, and has all-terrain wheelchairs available for those who may have mobility issues in the sand. Pavilions with grills & picnic tables are scattered about along with some shaded tables near the snack shack if you want get out of the sun. The park staff is knowledgeable, enthusiastic and show a love for their park. The park provides access to both the Gulf & St. Andrews Bay. That said, the star of the park for myself is the abundance of wildlife! Both above and below the waves!!! The jetties HANDS-DOWN has the most abundance of marine life I have ever seen while snorkeling. (To give perspective, I have snorkeled: the Bahamas, Turks & Caicos, Jamaica, U.S.V.I, Cozumel, etc. St Andrews is better.) This place had so many fish schooling about at one point that you couldn't see the bottom with almost perfect clarity conditions. It was truly *astounding*. While I don't have the knowledge to identify everything that was seen, I grew up a freshwater angler/snorkeler, I will list the species I know that we saw: lookdown, mullet, pompano, grunt, assorted angelfish, sheepshead, urchin, grouper, trumpetfish, flounder, ray, assorted damselfish, butterfly fish, basslet, Tritons trumpet, coral crab, hermit crab, glassy sweepers, an eel and MORE! Above the waves deer, rabbit, assorted egrets & herons, pelicans, crane, gulls, assorted dragonflies, and assorted butterflies abound. While there are gators in the park, we didn't get lucky enough to spot one though many other park patrons did. (Check out Gator Lake.) Same said for dolphins. (Look near the ends of the jetties and on the bay side.) In honesty, if pretty much all of our time at the park wasn't face down in the water, we probably would have spotted those guys, too. The sunset views are gorgeous & the shelling is top notch. It's definitely worth the visit. Admission is cheap and goes towards keeping a truly special place just that. Special. read more

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Definitely should visit if you're in the area! Nice beach with a pier, store, bathroom, and wash off area

Beautiful state park with absolutely beautiful beaches! Very much worth the $8 entry fee. Waves were a little rough on our visit but the water was still great! Kids found tons of shell at the jettie and there is even a shallow area where little kids swim that is calm due to the rock wall. read more

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Amazing little park just outside of the main stretch of PCB. Great paths to walk around the park and see alligators and other wildlife as well. I'm from Colorado so I wouldn't say it's hiking necessarily. Great beach at the park too. If you're looking for a more quiet beach to take your family to or just go relax yourself, this is the place to go. read more

Exquisite park! Trails for hiking or biking. a great place to visit or stay. Gift shop full of trinkets to remember your stay read more

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The Park is undergoing some much needed updates to the roads and pier. Both the Pier and Beach stores were well appointed with reasonable/ish prices. As usual lots of wildlife. Dolphin, Manatee, hammerhead shark, naked old people (did not pet), etc. Water was crystal clear and the new beach renourishment is wonderful. Sand for days.. The Park Staff were all very friendly. Everyone from the gate attendants to the Ranger who took the naked old people complaints. Overall 5/5 would come back. Might not be as family friendly as they advertise though. Recommend dark sunglasses . read more

St. Andrews State Park - Manatee swam right past. - Parks Near Me - Panama City, Florida

Great access to shells and ocean! Not too busy! Great place for weddings apparently, one was being set up while we were here! read more

St. Andrews State Park - Parks Near Me - Panama City, Florida

Awesome state park with lots to do. Super clean rest rooms and camping sites. Beach is always fantastic with Snow White sand.

Amazing and relaxing beach. Literally took a nap while hanging out with my family. Will come back

There's a lot of great things about St Andrews and a lot of different uses for it as well. On the beach-goer side of things, this is the best beach setup in PCB, and in my opinion even outshines private hotel beaches. There's a Gulf side where you can catch the waves, fish, and watch boats go by just like all the other beaches (except it's not as crowded), but there's also a lagoon built to the side of the channel that has very calm water which is perfect for little kids. This has been the best place to take our little ones who are trying to get used to waves or learning how to snorkel. We have seen barracuda, manatees, rays, sharks, and dolphins in the lagoon, so it's a great place to see ocean life. You can rent beach chairs here or bring your own (just be aware of the walk from the car). Don't miss out on the hotdogs at the beach store, where you can also buy towels and rent snorkelling or beach equipment if you forgot to bring your own. The lagoon is also THE place to do self guided scuba dives. This is a great way to shake off the rust from a year or more of no diving and have a relaxing refresher dive. You can dive either on the lagoon side (shallow water, no current) or on the channel side (deeper water, often a current) to suit any taste and skill level. Just be aware of the tides and current if you enter the channel. Camping (RV or tent) here is popular, and they have both primitive (no facilities) and "normal" sites with full bathhouses and hookups. Unfortunately, in the last year they have chopped down almost all the trees in the campsites so there's no longer much shade. That might be fine for RVs, but for tent camping that makes it almost unbearable. There's a camp store right near the campsites that's stocked with the usual camping and boating gear, and also two other stores where food and drinks can be bought. There's a few places to fish here; the pier, the beach, and the jetties. Just watch out for scuba divers! By far my favorite thing to do in the park is bike and walk around. Biking in the early morning let's you see a lot of animals and nature before the sun and other tourists scare them all off, and there are lots of walking trails and boardwalks to explore; a large "gator lake", two swamp boardwalks, and several nature trails wind through maritime forest and out into the lagoon and beach face. It really is the "real Florida"! Finally, there are several boating opportunities. You can rent pontoon boats here, and the boat ramp is one of the nicer and calmer ways to get your boat in the water. It's shallow and long so it's good for larger boats too. read more

St. Andrews State Park - The annual sandy hotdog! - Parks Near Me - Panama City, Florida

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St Andrews state park is a park and beach experience you can do while visiting Panama City beach Florida. Parking for this park is $8 a car load (was $7 for month of July) and it is well worth it Beautiful and clean beaches and amazing scenery and a chance for legit encounters with wildlife like the many wild deer and some birds and gators as well. Thai is a perfect way to spend a day whether it is relaxing on the amazing beach or exploring nature. A great place to go to a beach if you aren't staying at beach front property. Makes parking easy and it is less crowded and hectic. The setup and landscape here was astonishing and beautiful. This was no doubt my favorite beach front I've been to on Panama City beach. Overall a great experience. We had a lot of fun in the ocean, seen a bunch of wild deer and even seen some gator activity that we appreciated from a safe distance. read more

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One of my most favorite places in PCB. I like to get to FL early so I can spend one full day at St. Andrew's. It's so tranquil and beautiful. read more

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Good safe and clean area for families who don't want to be around all the kids having a blast. $8 per vehicle to get in. The rocks have an area blocked off for swimming kayak scuba, on the other side fishing. Ill be back on front beach enjoying the wild side though. read more

Amazing stay! Glamping was so fun! Get a golf cart also because you can explore! Definitely will be back.

We stayed at St Andrews on a recommendation of a friend. Park staff was friendly, check in was easy. Park was clean. RV sites were level and wide. 50/30 amp, water and sewer hookups. Site 59 was on the bayside. Nice breeze and water view. Bath houses were clean and stocked . Beach was closed for "repair" while we were there, as was the fishing pier in the bay side. Sites were not angled and difficult to back into. Had to jack-knife my truck-trailer to get my trailer straight into my site. No shade trees and sites were very close together. (I could hear my neighbors arguing.) 4 stars just for the beach being closed, site difficulty, and proximity to neighbors. read more

St. Andrews State Park - Parks Near Me - Panama City, Florida

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Awesome pontoon rental experience. boat was nice, staff was great, beach was fantastic on shell island. we had a blast.

This is (for reason) the #2 best beach in the nation. It is beautiful, and clean, and perfect beach conditions! Very well run, ample parking, clean bathrooms. read more

St. Andrews State Park - Just a general view of the beach line - Parks Near Me - Panama City, Florida

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Ample parking board walk for easy access to beach.Great beach not crowded spectacular view's.

the place is nice clean beautiful place to take the family for some fun the food truck was good, we rent a go car and it was nice drive around the park and see everything , the kids area for the beach is nice I recommend this place to everyone read more

absolutely beautiful such a clean and relaxing park best that we have been in. thank you for the stay

My wife and I were staying in Panama City Beach and we took an Uber down to the state park to walk on the beach. Our Uber driver got to the check in gate and the ranger wanted us to pay $8 just for the driver to take us to the Jetty and drop us off. C'mon, can someone just be cool for two seconds? So we got out at the gate and paid our money to walk into the park. Not a bad mile walk or so to the pier, which was nice to go onto and the water was super calm and the sand was nice and easy to walk on. We did see a stingray swimming in the harbor, which was cool. There is a nice gift shop by the pier, but $3 for a 20oz soda? There is a place called Patches, which was nearby for a great lunch and a nice barbeque place called Outlaws, which I got take home from. Great pulled pork lunch platter! I'd recommend this place except for the uncool ranger. read more

The park has a lot of construction on the roads going on at the moment. The construction has created a lot of bumpiness to the road and holes, so be careful. They do have nice bathroom facilities. The park offers a shuttle ferry to shell island. See, if you can get discounts for the ferry to shell island through booking.com other booking sites. It can be as much as $5 off per ticket. Also arrive 30 minutes earlier than your scheduled ferry departure. They start boarding 30 minutes early. read more

One of the most beautiful parks in Florida! Clear waters with kiddie areas. Fishing on the rocks. It's just amazing. Highly recommend visiting here. read more

St. Andrews State Park - Swimming fun for every age! - Parks Near Me - Panama City, Florida

Our favorite beach! White, clean beach, gorgeous clear emerald water. Bathroom facilities. They are making updates to the park that will help traffic flow. read more

Out doing some sightseeing, I decided to check out this park. There's a fee to get into the park...it was just $4 because I was alone and a Veteran. Like some of the other reviews mention, the road could use some repairs. But the various parking lots all seemed to be in good shape. I visited in the winter so there wasn't much traffic even though it was a weekend. Lots of access to the beach is available. There's a short pier and a gift shop/store. There's a few trails you can explore also. I checked out the gator pond but didn't see any. I even drive through the "camping" area...that was full of RVs and pop-up campers. But there were a few hearty "sleep in a tent" campers too. According to a map I referenced, the park also has a seaplane base. I was hoping to see some planes taking off or landing but none were there. Also, the west end of the camp area was closed off. For me, nothing more than average stood out about this particular park...maybe if I were to have see a couple alligators. But my likes, might not be your likes...so check it out for yourself. read more

St. Andrews State Park - Parks Near Me - Panama City, Florida

We enjoyed an afternoon walking the trail and taking in the views. It cost $8 for our full vehicle. read more

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We are here visiting from GA and this park is beautiful!!! Admission is $8 and to my knowledge you can leave and come back on the same date with your receipt as long as it is not too late, I think I saw where they close at 5. Parking is free and plentiful and just a fun day with the family. Water at least at the part we were at was not too deep but folks still need to be careful around water. Bring food/snacks, I saw what looks like 2 general type stores where you can get items but I'm sure it's pricey. Fun day read more

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We camped there and the price was very affordable. The facilities are nice enough but there is no shade from any trees. If you have a camper make sure that ac is working well because it's going to be working often. The beaches around are incredible and they are all inside the park. One of the coolest things that we saw when we're leaving was a young alligator crossing the road inside the park. Don't be alarmed, just stay away from them and they will stay away from you. I loved this place! read more

One of my favorite state parks to visit since my first visit in 1971. They have campgrounds for nightly camping or long term stays, visit the beach for the day , fishing, snorkeling or visit shell island. Please if you visit don't litter and enjoy your time with nature. read more

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8 days into our trip to PCB, we were desperate for fresh vegetables. By the 10th day, we were desperate for nature. From my condo window, we saw a green spot on the horizon and I told my husband to get the car keys - we had to find that green! For our $8 entry fee, we were richly rewarded. We saw plenty of green; a lovely wetland, a gator at the viewing area, several deer (one standing among the dunes), We found our way to the beach and couldn't believe our eyes. After the packed sand of our high rise, the mostly-empty, dune-rimmed beach was a balm to the weary soul. This place is well worth a visit. The wildlife think so, too! read more

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