Nature Parks :

Panama City offers several nature parks for citizens to enjoy. The parks provide a quiet respite in an urban environment. Due to the number of nature parks that the city provides its citizens and visitors, only a few of the larger parks will be highlighted.

McKenzie Park is located downtown at the corner of Oak Avenue and Park Street. The main entrance to the park is on Harrison Avenue in downtown Panama City. It is a peaceful nature park, illuminated at night. The park has a very large gazebo and serves as a focal point for many outdoor activities in downtown Panama City. The park is shaded by oak trees and is a very popular site for weddings, concerts, art and craft shows and much more.

Joe Moody Harris Park is one of the City's best kept secrets. This 30 acre park is located on a lake in the Millville area of this City. This secluded park has an outdoor picnic pavilion and a nature area with an 800-foot boardwalk that meanders through wetlands and extends into the lake. The park also has a community center with a large sundeck that overlooks the lake. Fishing is allowed in the park. The community center is available to rent for family oriented events. The directions to the park are as follows: traveling east or west on 11th Street in Panama City go to Sherman Avenue, turn south onto Sherman Avenue, travel south on Sherman Avenue to 9th Street turn east onto 9th Street and follow this roadway to the entrance gate of the park. Lannie Rowe Park is located on the 1100 block of Cherry Street in the Cove area of Panama City. The Park is lighted and has a raised boardwalk with benches.

Sweetbay Wetlands is a nature park located at Michigan Avenue & 19th Street, with a boardwalk meandering throughout a wooded wetland area. This is a popular nature setting and is frequently the destination for field trips by the local school classes.

For additional information about the locations or directions to the City's Nature Parks, please call the Leisure Services Division.