Visitors have been traveling to Florida to enjoy its beautiful beaches for centuries. But when it comes to beauty, few beaches can compete with Panama City Beach. With more than 27 miles of sugar-white sand edging clear emerald waters, the beach is breathtaking. From sunbathing and swimming to water sports and dolphin spotting, this is a beach to be enjoyed by the whole family. And with an average water temperature in the 70s and an average air temperature of 74 degrees, there is never a bad time to visit Panama City Beach.

Panama City Beach has won numerous national awards for its beaches. Conde Nast Traveler recognized the destination in 2006 as one of America's Most Beautiful Beaches. In 2005, Panama City Beach ranked as a Top Ten family beach destination in USA Today.

The recognition continues a long tradition. The Travel Channel rated Panama City Beach as the Number Ten beach in America in its 2001 "Beach Week" series. In 2000, the destination was selected by the readers of Southern Living as one of the top five in the "Best Beach" category. Additionally, The Surfrider Foundation, an international non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of the world's oceans, waves and beaches, chose Panama City Beach as the Number Three beach in America in its 2000 Top 10 ranking of America's "Most Healthy Urban Beaches." Adding to the honors, Dr. Stephen Leatherman, also known as Dr. Beach, recognized Panama City Beach as the Number One beach in the world in his 1995 rankings. Leatherman, a leading expert on beaches, is the Director of the International Hurricane Center at Florida International University.

Panama City Beach's legendary pure white sand resulted from quartz crystals washing down from the Appalachian Mountains centuries ago and being bleached, ground, smoothed and polished until the surf of the Gulf of Mexico deposited the millions of grains of sand on the shoreline. To withstand the pounding of the Gulf, the area has made a continuing commitment to beach renourishment. The renourishment program, undertaken in 1997, has added 50 feet of beach along 16 miles of Panama City Beach, making it the largest project of its kind in state history. The results are stunning. But Panama City Beach is more than just pretty, white sand. In the 1998 edition of his book America's Best Beaches, Dr. Beach selected Panama City Beach as the "Best Sports Beach on the Gulf." As the host site of numerous triathlon events, including the Isuzu Ironman Florida Triathlon, Panama City Beach takes sports very seriously. However, visitors don't have to take their sports as seriously to enjoy the beach. While volleyball, Frisbee and other beach activities keep beach-goers entertained, the waters of the Gulf of Mexico offer bountiful aquatic recreational activities. Visitors can don snorkeling gear or scuba gear and explore the area's abundant marine life. Playful bottle-nosed dolphins can be counted on to make their appearance when least expected. Sea turtles, manta rays, puffer fish, sand dollars, blue marlin and horseshoe crab are just a few of the other species that inhabit the warm waters. Parasailing, jet skiing, boating and windsurfing are the preferred forms of transportation by visitors and locals alike.

Panama City Beach boasts 27 miles of silky, white-sand beaches bordering the clear, emerald-green waters of the Gulf of Mexico and St. Andrews Bay. Family attractions, championship golf courses, sporting events, delectable dining, predictably sunny weather, parks and a vast number of recreational activities draw visitors to this Northwest Florida destination annually. For more information, call 1-800-PCBEACH (850-233-5070) or visit www.thebeachloversbeach.com.