Panama City Beach

In Upper Grand Lagoon, parking tells the story. Good luck finding a spot outside one of the restaurants on Thomas Drive during peak dining hours. This community lays claim to the largest collection of independently owned eateries in the wider Panama City Beach region. It’s a quality that adds flavor to a community with a more native feel than the nearby beach haven to the west. “More residential, more local,” says Quinn DiBacco, vice president and North Florida manager of DiBacco Importing & Distributing in the neighborhood. “A lot of local restaurants, good food. We do get tourists down on this end, because the Grand Lagoon’s right here. But this is generally where all the people who live here come.” Don’t get it twisted, though — there’s still plenty of outdoor fun to be had here, too. In a community surrounded by water, seafood dominates. People here have their pick of fresh fish, shrimp, oysters and more. “I probably eat out personally three to four times a week. We always eat [in this area],” says Nicole Hulgan, owner of Pieces on the Beach, a coastal chic and antique market in Upper Grand Lagoon. “Even when I go to the west end of the beach, it’s just not the same. Here, we’ve got some great local restaurants.” One hotspot is Christo's Sports Bar & Grill, a local favorite connected to, of all things, a gas station. The eclectic dining spot features a wide menu and plenty of TVs, which come in handy during football season. Richard Anderson, a local Realtor with Premier Properties of Bay Co., says everything on the menu there is good, whether its shrimp just from the water or piping-hot Philly cheesesteaks. Other popular options include J. Michaels Restaurant, renowned for its oysters, or Dat Cajun Place Cafe where “The name speaks for itself,” says Anderson, a native of the region. Locals looking to celebrate often head over to North Lagoon Drive for Capt. Anderson's Restaurant & Waterfront Market and The Grand Marlin, two upscale dining options. And when people feel like mixing it up, there’s a Publix on Thomas Drive, convenient for grabbing groceries for a home-cooked meal. Upper Grand Lagoon branches out into a labyrinth of residential corridors around Thomas Drive. Though close to the beach, it tends to be quieter and heavily residential. Single-family homes dominate the landscape, some dating back to the 1950s. Many have new traditional Craftsman and Mediterranean styling with spacious floor plans. Situated on a peninsula that juts into the Grand Lagoon and Saint Andrew Bay, this neighborhood offers plenty of waterfront homes. One of the most popular such locations is the gated community of Bay Point. “The good thing about this [neighborhood] is it’s not a cookie-cutter thing,” Anderson says. “These are all custom homes.” Though buyers can find homes in the $200,000s, most landlocked options will cost somewhere in the $400,000 to $600,000 range. Meanwhile, a home with a water view usually tops $1 million and can climb as high as $2 million. Townhomes in the area are less expensive but can climb into the $600,000 range, depending on location. Who doesn’t love a little bit of competition? It’s fitting that this restaurant hub is home to the Annual Grand Lagoon Bloody Mary & Music Festival, held in November at the Sheraton Panama City Beach Golf and Spa Resort. Local watering holes vie for recognition of the “Best Bloody Mary in the Grand Lagoon,” and the event includes live music, too. Locals looking for fresh produce frequent the Grand Lagoon Waterfront Farmers Market, held on weekends at Capt. Anderson's Restaurant. While world-class beaches are less than 10 miles away, locals are even closer to another natural gem: St. Andrews State Park. This 1,200-acre expanse is one of the most popular outdoor attractions in the state, attracting one million visitors each year. St. Andrews is an accommodating space as well, whether someone wants to fish or go bird watching. Marc Miller, a local realtor with RE/MAX By the Sea, likes the park for surfing. It has the best waves, he says. “Everybody goes there,” says Miller, who has been a realtor for over three years after previously working at Panama City’s Naval Surface Warfare Center. “They’ve got walking trails, you can camp, they’ve got a boat launch in there.” Boaters can take advantage of this community’s location along the lagoon and the bay for leisurely voyages. Those without a boat, meanwhile, can explore using one of the myriad charters here — many of them are located by Capt. Anderson's Restaurant and the adjacent Capt. Anderson's Marina. “For a long time, every year, I would charter one of the boats over here and take a group of friends for an all-day fishing trip, and have a great time,” Anderson says. Thomas Drive and North Lagoon Drive are hubs of activity in Upper Grand Lagoon, but they’re also stretches that link locals to other parts of this region. North Lagoon Drive can take drivers up toward Front Beach Drive, the main waterside artery in neighboring Panama City Beach. Thomas Drive connects to U.S. Route 98 for commutes across the lagoon, toward Panama City. Locals can also access the Bayway bus service here, thanks to the multiple stops along Thomas Drive. The wide-ranging Bay District Schools system covers students in Upper Grand Lagoon, a district with a B-plus overall grade on Niche. The area’s A-minus-rated Patronis Elementary has an active PTO, one described as the heartbeat of campus. At the B-plus-rated Surfside Middle, extracurricular activities include multiple sports teams, among them a championship-winning girls volleyball team. J.R. Arnold High also carries a B-plus grade, and students here can participate in career and technical education programs on topics ranging from construction technology to early childhood technology.