Basic  "Do's & Don'ts" to Spring Break in Panama City Beach.



Follow this guide to learn how you can party like a rock-god without blowing it.





TO DO'S:

DO Park The Car. Seriously. Park, walk, bike or mosey your sassy-self down Front Beach Road. Traffic typically hits speeds of Standing-Still by 11am so avoid stress and heatstroke by  becoming Mayor of This-5-Block-Radius and ditch the car. You'll save money, gas and precious party hours this way. However, if sitting in traffic excites you then by all means, go big. Added bonus? Avoiding DUI's, fender benders or worse.



DO Shipwreck Island. Surprisingly deceptive in size, once inside the gate this beach front Water park pulls some kind of Willy Wonka mojo and transforms itself into an oasis of awesome. The park spans across 20 acres, offering up various rides from Free Fall drops to the more subdued Lazy River. Lines can get pretty tedious, so buy tickets online ) Unless your into lines and if that's the case there's someone you should meet. The park opens up for April 21 & 28 only, with limited times in March and full-time starting June.



DO Sunscreen. Kudos for packing it, but whip that sucker out and avoid the turning Lobster-Red. Think about it like this, a Lobster turns red after he's been boiled to death. Nothing says "Good Times!" like flaming red skin and body chills in 98 degree weather. Added Bonus: Not looking like a Beach-Party-Amateur.



DO Think Like A Camel and hoard water. Everywhere you go, the water goes. Survival-101 here, folks. Hours of sunshine, humidity and drinking, sucks you dry. When dehydration sets in, the party happens. Nothing spices up Spring Break like bustin' out dance moves at Club ER.  Just avoid it and Lug that Jug. Ah, punny. Added Bonus: saving money by avoiding an ambulance ride.



DO Activate The Buddy System. Pick a party-twin to check-in with at intervals, either by text or by location. Basic Top-Gun Strategy, someones always gotta have your back. Added Bonus: Not becoming a national news headline.

THE DON'TS:



DON'T Hit the Beach for a Midnight Swim. Ten Feet Tall & Bullet Proof, right?! Nope, either drunk or dumb. Currents here can be intense during the best of times, so its safe to assume that a night-time swim after beer-pong is going have better odds. Added Bonus: adding JAWS to your Netflix.



DON'T Leave Your Crap on The Beach. If you haul it to the sand, you haul it out. Seriously, trash-cans are posted every 5ft or so, for your convenience. Its one thing if you had to backpack 9 coolers of empty beer-cans out of a national forest but your not, so suck it up and pick up the mess. Added Bonus: not having to live in fear of PETA.



DON'T Be Rude. Your committed to getting all you can out of this Spring Break and everyone from Club Bartenders and Servers to Store Cashiers and Security teams are hustling as fast as they can to help you live that dream. Don't have a hissy-fit over having to wait and don't get mad at Security if they put you in check.  Added bonus: meeting cool people you might have missed out on due to epic hissy-fit.







That's it, basic tips on how to make this Spring Break the best one ever with a little common sense, patience and courtesy.





photo credit | Steve Sobczuk

For more information about the author, Rya Holloway Phillips, please visit their profile page.