Ocean Opry......closing!

The Opry has sold to developers as well. This will be the last season for the Rader Family.

:(

Attention PCB City Council....

Can you say Entertainment?
:roll: I didn't think you could!

Can you say Amusements?
:roll: I didn't think so either!

Can you say Family Activities?
Nope!

Oh, now I see...you only know one word....Condo!!!!! :P

Walmart is also moving.....middle or back beach....I forget which I was told. I guess Walmart owns the land that the store sits on....but not the parking lot. The parking lot was sold to...yep...you guessed it....condo developers!!!

I am all for progress, but it seems to me that PCB is being developed with no plan, or thought, to preservation of that which attracted people to it in the first place. :roll:
PCB used to be a place where families, no matter their income or budget, could bring their family for a weekend visit, or summer vacation. Everyone would have such a wonderful time that generation after generation would keep returning with their families.
It should be remembered by the city council that not everyone wants to stay in a high-rise condo. There are still people who enjoy staying at a hotel or motel. There are people who still enjoy staying at a small beach side motel or hotel where the owner and manager is still the same person and you have that one-on-one, year after year interaction.
What thought is being given to provide places to stay for a variety of budgets?
Also, what about entertainment and things to do when not on the beach? What happened, and is happening, to the places that people could walk to? That was one of the many wonderful things about staying on the beach...you could also walk to places and did not have to drive.
You chose your hotel or motel with the walking distance to your favorite places to go to in mind.
I see a lot of condos being built and many of the other entertainment and activity venues either closing and the land being sold for condos...or they are being built off of the beach where can no longer walk to them but have to drive.
It is SO sad to see what is happening to PCB...bigger is NOT better and one more condo IS one too many! :P

Today, USA TODAY ran an article about the Ocean Opry
closing. An excerpt follows:

"Several other amusement parks, miniature golf courses and other
attractions that contributed to the region's 'tacky image' also have
vanished over the past two decades in what tourism officials now want
people to call "Florida's Great Northwest."


they are calling OUR PCB tacky?! what gives?

Why blame the city council for something they have no control over. The city council has a better handle on development insided the city than the county commission does in the unincorporated area. Ocean Opry and Schooners aren't even in the city limits. You would think the council was twisting the arms of the property owners to sell to the developers. They only set the building codes and regulations that are equal to all. Go complain to the mom and pop motels and tell them to turn away those that may offer them millions of dollars more than their property is worth. Tell the Rayder family to give back the money and tell the developers to take a hike. Oh and by the way, when you go and sell your house, sell it for what you paid for it years ago and not what its worth today. It would be unfair for anyone to profit from the high property values of today. Folks, get a life. Progress and development has caught up to our sleepy beach.

who pooped in your cherrios?

Yes, Kenneth it has and not there is nothing wrong with people making a profit off of their property.
Where the problem lies is with the developers who build with no thought but the quick buck. Many a building has been built only to end up run down or empty a few short years later. No one wants to see that happen here.
Where are the developers who build more than Condos?
Where is a PLAN for the beach to progress and develop but according to a plan that makes sure there is not only a place for people to stay but plenty of things for them to when they are not enjoying the sand/surf or pool side?
Where is a plan that keeps what used to be a lovely beachside community just that instead of a bunch of glass and concrete?
The lovely beach community of SEASIDE proves that it can be done!
Why can't it be the same for PCB?
While you might disagree with the people who are posting here, you can't say that they do not care about the beach and community.
They are interested and concerned. They know that a treasure PCB was. is, and could still be and hate to see that treasure lost forever to future generations.

Lets get in line here. I'm 46 yrs of age. In been in the bar/rest industry for 22 years. An owner/partner is going to be the LAST person to tell you he's going So get over Schooners. I know it sucks... Also Kevin, go to h@#$l. :?

[quote="mikey"]Lets get in line here. I'm 46 yrs of age. In been in the bar/rest industry for 22 years. An owner/partner is going to be the LAST person to tell you he's going So get over Schooners. I know it sucks... Also kenneth, your clueless, so go eat s#$t...

[schooner]

I liked that family - what are they planning on doing now?? Any idea :?:

i am just writing but i was lucky enough to live panama city beach where i grew up and lived for 17 years. i was gone for 12 great years. when i left i was 17 and i was at the party age. i do think if i would have stayed her i would have got preg or just became nothing but thats not cause i am nothing its just because i feel thres nothing out here to offer kids. sure there bars that stay open till 4am but where the rec centers that off yr round batting cages or now where the amusement parks. i lived in the wonderful and amzing state of colorado that had so many things to do and see and was so diverse and well rounded. where no matter where u went we could enjoy the out doors, walk, go on nature hunts, rec centers with rock climbing, indoor fun water parks, gyms and all for small fees such as 6$ a person and 4$ for kids. theres just nothing out here. we need more things for our kids not bars and partys. i sit here and watch the new at night and thres soooo much crime out here that was suprising for such a small place. we wonder why theres so much drugs and crime well its cause theres nothing else to do so people result in these things and dont stay busy and active. i read the things on here about yes we have to grow/ this town and yes u r right but theres no beach, sure we r growing with condos but what are people to do just rent an over priced condo and just sit there cause everything changing and not 4 all the good. dont take away a kids amusment park 4 a condo cause whats a child to do with that. i know as another person said its not like we had to twist an arm but god why another condo. thre would be such a difference if where the airport was we could get a large rec center for the familys and kids to stay active. oh even a Y.M.C.A would be great. i am just so amazed that the income is so low out here yet things are so high. yes i choose to move back but believe me i am kicking myself in the butt 4 that ha ha ha but we gave it 2 years and if nothing changes we will move back. oh no another thing i did nothing is that its sooo hard to get your kids any medical out here. in the state of colorado if you are found to not have medical for a child u can go to jail. its sooo excessable there its the law to have it. theres free dental and free clinics. yes feree i say. or they will say a flat fee of 20.00 if u cant prove your income or have no income they wave all fees. i dont want to seem like i am bashing on this place cause again we did choose to move here but i guess when i left i was just a kid so whats a kid to know about these things right. oh and if we dont want drunk drivers and party people out at all hours then close the bars earlier. the bars in colorado shut down at 130am. sucks since this towns getting rid of what its known for, spring break then why not change the bar hours. oh i like to party but we need to set limits. another thing i noticed is you do not have 3.2 beer. in colorado theres 2 kids of beer. the full beer amount at 6.0 and the less beer amount at 3.2. less alchole less trouble maybe. i would love to work with some people to do more for our kids and more for bay county. again dont get me wring i am a mother of 3 boys and my youngest starts school next yr. i am a young married mom but i still get to go out and drink a few beers and go dancing. life to short to not life it for today. to each his own! diversity is a good thing! i like people for people not the color of their skin! the children are the world! pro choice is my choice! please e-mail back so i can get info on how to get more involved with things around bay county!

thanks for reading. please let me be different then you.

I liked what you had too say .My husband was taken in by one of our local women ,we are still together but she sure made it difficult of us to make it work So maybe change is not so bad.She was one who sold her condo on the beach to make a profit. I am sure many homes were broken up by the women who hung out at one of the greatest places on the beach .

It is a shame to hear of the closing of The Ocean Opry. It was a good way for a family to spend an evening. It was something the whole family could go to and enjoy.
It was also sad to hear of the closing of the Miracle Strip Amusement Park as it was another good place to take the whole family on a summer night. I would have much rather heard of these places expanding instead of closing
To me the success and growth of a community like PCB is judged on the expansion and growth on the individual long time businesses that are already there and not by the buying up and destruction of them to build entirely new ones.
I agree with the person who posted that there is little for a family to do there now and it seems to be that there is less and less every year.
The current trend seems to be toward the retired and single adults who like to do little other than sit around or go clubbing and drink. The people with families and minor children have very little that is affordable to do.
You can only play carpet golf so many times.
If my kids want to go to a movie they can do that here we do not have to drive hundreds of miles to the beach to see the latest film from Hollywood.
High prices, little if any family entertainment and a serious lack of a good variety of it, will drive away many families as well as take them elsewhere for their vacations.
If that is what the people of Panama City Beach want then there is little any of us can do about it. We will just have to start going somewhere else.

I am a thirty-seven year old female who has been to PCB almost every summer of my life. My dad took the four of us children countless times to PCB. When I married, we honeymooned in PCB. On our first anniversary we took our entire family, mom and dad, sisters spouses children--almost thirty people. We wanted to make sure we shared thsi perfect quaint place with everyone so everyone would have a memory. That was my dad's last trip to PCB; he died from cancer a little over a year later.

We have always stayed in the great small family owned hotels along the beach where you really get to know the owners. We are so sad to hear of the closing of Ocean Opry, where we ALWAYS go, every time we visit. We have a three year old son whom we will be taking to PCB for the first time in May, and fortunately we will get to take him to the Opry in its last season.

What we have always loved about PC was the quaint and quirky, "human" side of the town, where kids can have a fun time. For me it has been like a summer hometown, where what you loved is always there to rediscover. Now its changing. We don't like "perfect" high rise condos and if PC continues on this path, I guess we will have to go elsewhere, if even another place like it exists on this earth. Seaside is alright, but too upscale for children...not enough little hotels right on the beach.

Old Florida has changed. We always have an intenirary for our visits to PCB: A show at Ocean Opry, a Shell Island cruise, Dinner at Angelo's, dinner at Captain Andersons, breakfast at some small local owned place near the beach (which we had a hard time finding the last time), a day at Miracle Strip, walking from our hotel to Surf shops, buying gorgeous seashells at touristy shops. Now so much of it is going to be different, and my son will never know that comfortable old-shoe feeling on summer vacations as i and my whole family have known for so many years. Sad.

PCB Lover from Dalton, Georgia

I agree. PCB is not the same. I have been going there every summer since i was one. My wife and i got married on the beach in front of the Sandpiper Beacon. There is still one good thing to do. If you have not done it, go listen to the Acustix band play. It will be worth your time. Our home away from home has changed. It looks like for the worse. But i bet you can buy a condo cheap in about ten or fifteen years.

Beachbum from Arkansas :D :D

I agree with the poster from Dalton, Georgia. I am taking my 2 nephews to PCB this summer...they have not been there yet. The most importat part of the trip will be to get their picture with Moonshine!!

All of this change is hard for many of us, while other welcome it.

Lets just remember the best thing about PCB....THE BEACH!! The developers CAN NOT take that away from us....no matter how hard they may try!

And to the people who say there isn't much to do in PC....you must be overlooking all of PC's wonderful water activities.

:?: What water activities can you do after dark or when the red and yellow flags are out?
What about the part of the day when the sun is too hot and people don't want to be out in it for fear of sunburn?
Why not have a variety of activities?
That way all ages, all interests and all budgets have something to do when they are not in the water or on the beach?
That seems to me what most of the folks posting here are asking.
What is happening to the variety of things to do as well as places to stay?

I agree there should be other things to do besides water activities....but its seems like some people forget why they go to PCB....THE BEACH!!

If you're afraid of getting sunburnt.....you need to find a vacation spot a little further north.

I do not see what is wrong with enjoying a beach vacation yet being careful about getting a sunburn. Most people today are pretty knowledgeable about the dangers of too much sun.
PCB sand is as white as sugar and reflects the sun very strongly.
While people want to enjoy the beach they also want to protect themselves as well as their children. Finding something else to do to avoid sun exposure during the hottest hours (11AM to 3PM) is pretty much the norm for people enjoying a beach vacation.

Yes, my family and I enjoy a beach vacation.
Yes, we worry about sunburn.
NO, we do NOT forget what we came to PCB for!
NO, we do NOT want to risk not only our vacation but our health and future health to sunburn.
Yes, PCB still needs other forms of entertainment for people to do when they are not out on the beach!

According to their website, the place that is going to be built on the otherside of Thomas from the Sunbird will have live theater.

Panama City Beach landmark Ocean Opry to close

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The Ocean Opry, a landmark that once helped the Florida Panhandle earn its "Redneck Riviera" nickname, is giving way to the region's rebirth as a more upscale and cosmopolitan tourist destination.
An Atlanta-based developer bought Ocean Opry, which has featured such country music stars as George Jones, Loretta Lynn, Marty Robbins and Randy Travis, on Feb. 14, but it will remain open through the end of the summer tourist season.

It's doors then will close for good after 27 years. The 10-acre site will become part of a planned 40-acre commercial development.

"This has been our lives, blood, sweat and tears, but everything has a season according to the Bible," said Wayne Rader, 69, patriarch of the family that owned the Ocean Opry. "I believe we've had ours."

The Miracle Strip Amusement Park, another Panama City Beach tourism landmark, last year joined a series of mom-and-pop motels that have closed to make way for high-priced, high-rise condominiums.

Club La Vela, a favorite of spring break visitors, also will be closing later his year. Billed as "the largest nightclub in the USA," it, too, will be replaced by a condominium.

Several other amusement parks, miniature golf courses and other attractions that contributed to the region's tacky image also have vanished over the past two decades in what tourism officials now want people to call "Florida's Great Northwest."

Several other amusement parks, miniature golf courses and other attractions that contributed to the region's tacky image also have vanished over the past two decades in what tourism officials now want people to call "Florida's Great Northwest."

:( That's really sad! :(
Plus a BIG mistake for who ever is letting this happen!
Won't be long before the beach front will be nothing but high rise condos and you will not only not be able to see the beach, but unless you have the big bucks to stay in a condo you won't even be able to get on the beach! :?

Several other amusement parks, miniature golf courses and other attractions that contributed to the region's tacky image also have vanished over the past two decades in what tourism officials now want people to call "Florida's Great Northwest."

:( That's really sad! :(
Plus a BIG mistake for who ever is letting this happen!
Won't be long before the beach front will be nothing but high rise condos and you will not only not be able to see the beach, but unless you have the big bucks to stay in a condo you won't even be able to get on the beach! :?

Its already that way....I was there in October, and when driving down front beach or thomas drive...you had to peek between high rise condos to see water, until you got to the west end....and that will soon change also.

The growth of Panama City Beach is much needed and well planned by many investors so maybe everyone should research the change a little more before they pass judgement on it and support it. :shock: :?

This summer will be our family's 14th - and final - trip to PCB. Went there as a kid myself at least four times - in the 50's! I've read with a heavy heart the notices of one more small motel closing and/or sale after another. Used to know PCB so well.
Out of curiosity, we stayed in Destin last summer on a promo deal and absolutley hated it. Went over to PCB one day mid-week to check it out. No Miracle strip, multiple legendary, small fun places gone, at least eight new hi-rises going up, blocking even more of the beautiful view we had seen as a kids and our kids have enjoyed since '83. I'll bet even FunLand arcade is gone when we get there in July.
Guess we'll have to rename PCB "Destin East" and say so long. It certainly was outstanding.
Damn shame.

The growth of Panama City Beach is much needed and well planned by many investors so maybe everyone should research the change a little more before they pass judgement on it and support it. :shock: :?

The key word being INVESTORS....now investors only care about making a quick return and profit on their investment...I do not know of many investors that are in the TOURIST business for the LONG HAUL!
I have seen the results of these so-called "researches" and have yet to see any of the good results and long lasting benefits...the only people who benefit AND profit from these researches are the people who are in it for a quick buck!
Now don't get me wrong...I do not have a problem with people earning a living or making a profit. I have nothing against progress either. What I do have a problem with is drastic change with no thought except to make a quick profit.
If the people who live and work in PCB want this sort of development on their beach then there is nothing any of us longtime vacationers can do about it.....wait there is something we can do...we can take out vacations...and MONEY elsewhere! :wink:

That is so sad. :(
I really hate to hear that they are closing.
First the Miracle Strip and now the Opry.
There is soon going to be nothing that made the beach such fun but the beach and even then you will have a hard time getting to it and enjoying it from all the expensive condominiums that are being built up and down the beach.
This is so sad!
I am so sad! :(