At 10 a.m. this Thursday, November 12, a ranger at St. Andrews State Park starts the first of eight Thursday morning hikes that run through New Year's Eve. Across Grand Lagoon at Capt. Anderson's Marina, the parking lot at 5550 N Lagoon Drive looks like a parking lot. On December 9 it becomes a waterside recreation of Bethlehem, and on its last night the state park's dock sends a boat out toward the 40th Annual Boat Parade of Lights on St. Andrews Bay.
At the Grand Lagoon end of Thomas Drive, the season mostly happens in those two places. The park sets a steady weekly routine from now to the end of the year. The marina puts on one four-night event. On Saturday, December 12, both are running at once, and the boat parade happens the same evening across the bay. Most of the planning comes down to that date.
The Calendar From Here to New Year's Eve
Here is everything set for the two docks between today and December 31.
| Dates | Event | Where | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursdays, Nov 12 to Dec 31 | Nature's Story: A Ranger Guided Hike | St. Andrews State Park | 10 to 11 a.m. | Park entry |
| Tuesdays, Nov 17 to Dec 29 | Nature Through The Looking Glass | Gator Lake, St. Andrews State Park | Noon to 2 p.m. | Park entry |
| Dec 9 to 12 | 14th Annual Bethlehem Christmas Village | Capt. Anderson's Marina | 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. | Donation booth on site |
| Dec 12 | Annual Boat Parade of Lights Cruise | Departs St. Andrews State Park | 4 to 8 p.m. | $29.95 to $49.95 |
| Dec 21 to 25 | Christmas at St. Andrews State Park | Marina Pavilion #1 | 3 to 4 p.m. | $35, or $25 with the sunset cruise |
| Dec 21 to 25 | Christmas Sunset Cruise | Departs St. Andrews State Park | 4:30 p.m. | Per operator |
The park's two weekly programs are the backbone of this table. Because they repeat every week, they barely look like events, and they stay put for the whole season. The Thursday hike is scheduled on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, and the Tuesday Gator Lake session is on the calendar for December 22 and 29.
The Park's Routine Costs a Gate Fee
Neither weekly program charges anything beyond regular entry, according to Florida State Parks. That's $8 for a vehicle with two to eight people, $4 for a single-occupant vehicle, and $2 for anyone who walks or bikes in. The park is open from 8 a.m. to sundown every day of the year. A Thursday hike costs a carload the same $8 as a beach afternoon would.
The two programs suit different kinds of people:
- Nature's Story is a one-hour ranger-led walk on the park's trails, starting at 10 a.m. Thursdays. The dates are November 12, 19 and 26 and December 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31.
- Nature Through The Looking Glass is a two-hour wildlife-viewing session at Gator Lake, from noon to 2 p.m. on Tuesdays. The park provides the binoculars and scopes, so you can just show up. The dates are November 17 and 24 and December 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29.
The Florida State Parks events calendar lists each date separately, so it's worth checking the week you plan to go.
Four Nights at Capt. Anderson's Marina
The marina's contribution is shorter and bigger. The 14th Annual Bethlehem Christmas Village runs Wednesday, December 9 through Saturday, December 12, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. each night. During those four evenings, the marina's parking lot becomes a waterside recreation of Bethlehem, according to the Panama City Beach Chamber listing.
The Chamber lists these highlights:
- A live Nativity
- A petting zoo with pony rides
- Two local school choirs performing each night
- A "Tax Collector" booth that collects donations for a different local charity each night
Since the beneficiary changes nightly, which evening you go decides which charity your donation supports. Last December, WMBB reported that the marina's own staff build the village. That gives the event a homegrown quality you don't get from a hired production.
December 12, When Both Docks Are Busy
The village's last night falls on the same Saturday as the 40th Annual Boat Parade of Lights. Destination Panama City puts on the parade with the City of Panama City, and it takes place on St. Andrews Bay, across the water from Thomas Drive. It starts at St. Andrews Bay Yacht Club and heads west past Historic Downtown Panama City, the Panama City Marina, West Beach Drive, the St. Andrews Marina, Historic St. Andrews and Sun Harbor Marina before ending at the Hathaway Bridge.
On land, the parade route is a drive over the bridge and into downtown traffic. By water, it starts at the end of Thomas Drive. St. Andrews Shell Island Adventures runs an Annual Boat Parade of Lights Cruise from St. Andrews State Park at 4607 State Park Lane. Tickets are $49.95 for adults, $39.95 for seniors and $29.95 for children ages 2 to 12, and each one includes hot cocoa, Christmas cookies and snacks. The cruise runs from 4 to 8 p.m., which covers the parade's 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. window plus travel time on each end.
Here's how that Saturday evening breaks down across both docks:
- 4 p.m. The parade cruise leaves St. Andrews State Park. Downtown, the Holiday Village at the Panama City Marina opens with vendors, music and a visit from Santa, and runs until 7 p.m.
- 5 p.m. A drone show starts over the downtown Panama City Marina.
- 5:30 p.m. The boat parade leaves St. Andrews Bay Yacht Club. Across the lagoon, the Bethlehem Christmas Village opens for its final night.
- 7:30 p.m. The parade is scheduled to finish at the Hathaway Bridge.
- 8 p.m. The cruise is scheduled to return to the park.
- 8:30 p.m. The Bethlehem Christmas Village closes for the season.
If you're on the cruise, you'll miss the village's last night, since the boat gets back just half an hour before Capt. Anderson's closes. So plan the village for Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, when the parade isn't competing for the evening. The 12th works well for a household that splits up, with one group on the water and the other at the marina, as both venues are at the lagoon end of the same road.
Christmas Week Moves Back to the Park
Starting December 21, the park's concessionaire runs a daily program for five days. Christmas at St. Andrews State Park takes place December 21 through 25, from 3 to 4 p.m. at Marina Pavilion #1. It includes music, hot chocolate, sea-turtle ornament painting and photos. Admission is $35 per person, or $25 for guests booked on the Christmas Sunset Dolphin Cruise.
The Christmas Sunset Cruise runs the same five days and leaves at 4:30 p.m. That's half an hour after the pavilion program ends, so the discounted ticket works as a single afternoon on one dock: ornaments and cocoa first, then out on the water around sunset.
The weekly programs keep running alongside it. A household with guests in town could do the Gator Lake session on Tuesday, December 22, and the pavilion program the next afternoon without leaving the park.
Two Familiar Thomas Drive Stops Are Quieter This Winter
Up the road from the lagoon, two familiar Thomas Drive businesses are on their own timetables.
Capt. Jack's, the all-you-can-eat seafood buffet with locations on Thomas Drive and Front Beach Road, has closed for the season. Its website thanks guests for "another great season" and says "See you in Feb 2027."
An August 21 fire hit Jaws Souvenirs at 7100 Thomas Drive, and The News Herald reported that the building was destroyed. On September 1, WJHG reported that the store's well-known shark entrance survived and that the owners plan to rebuild, with the goal of welcoming customers back next summer season.
With both of those stops quiet for now, more of the corridor's December happens at the two docks at the lagoon end of Thomas Drive.
At The Warren Group, we spend a lot of time around Grand Lagoon, from Capt. Anderson's docks to the state park's trails. If you're thinking about a home near this end of Thomas Drive, or you'd like to know which nearby streets put both the park and the marina close to home, we'd be glad to show you around. Start Your Coastal Search with us.
