Shops and walkways at Pier Park in the evening
Things to do

Pier Park in Panama City Beach

Pier Park is an open-air shopping and entertainment center on Front Beach Road, with 124 shops, a cinema, restaurants and the PCB Wheel ($20.99 for adults). The Russell-Fields City Pier is across the road: $4 to walk it, $7 to fish. By our estimate, five hotels on our list are on the sand within a 30-minute walk.

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What's there
Checked November 1, 2026124 shopsPier walk $4

Pier Park · Photo: Olin Gilbert / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 · Credits

What's there

Shops, food, the wheel and the pier

Pier Park gives its name to one of the five areas of Panama City Beach. The shopping center and the city pier face each other across Front Beach Road, with Aaron Bessant Park next to the center. The address is 600 Pier Park Drive; Simon, the operator, gives directions via Panama City Beach Parkway (US 98) or Front Beach Road. Simon lists center hours of 10 am–9 pm Monday to Saturday and noon–6 pm on Sunday. Shorter winter hours run through February 28, 2027 (in November 2026: 11 am–7 pm Monday to Thursday, 11 am–8 pm Friday and Saturday, noon–6 pm Sunday). The center is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Restaurants, the cinema and the PCB Wheel set their own hours.

Sources: Simon: Pier Park hours and about Pier Park (checked November 2, 2026), Visit Panama City Beach: Pier Park, Aaron Bessant Park

Shopping
124 shops, according to the tourism office, including Dillard's and JCPenney
Cinema
The Grand Pier Park by Santikos
Restaurants
Including Margaritaville, Back Porch Seafood and Oyster House, and Ford's Garage
PCB Wheel
The Ferris wheel, formerly called SkyWheel; the same operator sells tickets for an 18-hole mini golf course
Aaron Bessant Park
The event park next door, used for festivals, car shows and the New Year's Eve beach ball drop
Russell-Fields City Pier
Across Front Beach Road, with the lifeguarded beach and Dog Beach beside it
PCB Wheel

The Ferris wheel at Pier Park

It used to be called SkyWheel, and older guides still use that name. Prices are the operator's; whether tax comes on top isn't stated.

Sources: PCB Wheel ticket options and FAQ, Visit Panama City Beach: accessible attractions

Adults
$20.99
Children 3 to 9
$16.99
Mini golf
$14.99
Wheel and mini golf
$27.50
Ride
4 revolutions, roughly 10–15 minutes. Your group rides alone in a heated and cooled gondola
Gondolas
Up to 6 people; VIP gondolas up to 4
Wheelchairs
All gondolas but one take a standard wheelchair, with a ramp
Open
365 days a year; hours vary, and it closes for bad weather or maintenance
Address
15700 LC Hilton Jr Drive
Russell-Fields City Pier

Do you have to pay to go on the pier?

Yes: walking the pier costs $4 a day and fishing $7, according to Visit Panama City Beach. Confirm the fees at the entrance. The county's M.B. Miller Pier, further east, charges $3 and $6.

Sources: City of Panama City Beach: Russell-Fields Pier (checked November 2, 2026), Visit Panama City Beach: piers, FAQ, City of Panama City Beach: beach safety, city code chapter 4; Dog Beach: Visit Panama City Beach: pet-friendly, City of Panama City Beach: dogs

Both piers compared Beaches and parking

The Russell-Fields City Pier at dusk
The Russell-Fields City Pier at dusk.Russell-Fields City Pier · Photo: Scott Long / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Walk on the pier
$4 a day, according to the city and the tourism office
Discounts
Free for children 6 and under; $3 to walk or fish for seniors 65 and over, disabled visitors and active or retired military, with ID or documentation
Fish from the pier
$7 a day; buy the pass at the entrance. Visit Panama City Beach lists rod rental and bait on site; the city says the bait shop is currently closed
Fishing license
The tourism office says you don't need your own license when you fish from a licensed pier
Open
24 hours a day, 365 days a year, according to the city; schedule changes are posted by Panama City Beach Parks and Recreation. Phone 850-233-5080
Lifeguards
April 1 to September 30, 10 am–6 pm, on both sides of the pier
Accessibility
The city calls the pier handicapped accessible. Three beach wheelchairs are free to borrow at the ticket office, with a form and valid ID
Dogs
Not on the pier. Dog Beach, west of the pier at accesses 56 and 57, is the city's only beach for dogs
Alcohol
Banned all year on the sand within 400 feet of the pier, except at events with a city permit
Parking

Is parking free at Pier Park?

Neither Simon, the center's operator, nor the tourism office says whether parking at Pier Park is free. Simon mentions accessible parking and has a center map, but lists no fees or rules. For the city pier, Visit Panama City Beach points to "ample parking across the street at Pier Park." Check the signs when you arrive.

The city's paid public lots ($2 an hour) are at 9941 Thomas Drive, 600 Henley Drive and 11209 Front Beach Road, none of them at Pier Park. From the closer hotels below you can walk. The times are our estimates, so check the route for your group.

Sources: Simon: about Pier Park (checked November 2, 2026), Visit Panama City Beach: piers, City of Panama City Beach: public parking

Events

At Pier Park and Aaron Bessant Park

Events with a published date. More through the year: events 2026–27.

Stay within walking distance

Hotels up to 40 minutes' walk from Pier Park

We only list hotels rated 8.5 or higher on Expedia with at least 20 reviews. Walking times are our estimates from OpenStreetMap routing to 600 Pier Park Drive, without checking sidewalks or crossings. "Prices" opens the hotel on Expedia. More hotels: beachfront hotels, cheap hotels.

  1. Embassy Suites PCB ResortPier ParkWalk to Pier Park4 minBeachAcross the roadParkingSelf-parking $20 a night per car plus taxPrices
  2. The Driftwood LodgePier ParkWalk to Pier ParkWalk to Pier Park8 minBeachOn the sandParkingFree, 1 space per unit (per Expedia)Prices
  3. Osprey on the GulfPier ParkWalk to Pier ParkWalk to Pier Park9 minBeachOn the sandParkingFree, limited spaces (per Expedia)Prices
  4. Hyatt Place PCB BeachfrontPier ParkLazy riverWalk to Pier Park10 minBeachOn the sandParking1 vehicle in the daily resort fee (Expedia: covered self-parking $22.60 a night)Prices
  5. Hampton Inn & Suites PCB BeachfrontPier ParkWalk to Pier ParkWalk to Pier Park15 minBeachOn the sandParking$21 a dayPrices
  6. Residence Inn PCB Pier ParkPier ParkWalk to Pier Park18 minBeachNot on the beachParking$10 a dayPrices
  7. Holiday Inn Club Vacations PCB ResortPier ParkWalk to Pier ParkWalk to Pier Park20 minBeachOn the sandParkingFreePrices
  8. TownePlace Suites PCB Pier ParkPier ParkWalk to Pier Park21 minBeachNot on the beachParking$10 a day, self-parkingPrices
  9. Candlewood Suites PCB PierPier ParkWalk to Pier Park35 minBeachNot on the beachParkingFreePrices

The Pier Park area