TOP O' THE STRIP OBSERVATION TOWER

By  Mike Miller August 5, 2025

Top O’ the Strip was a 200‑foot observation tower located on Front Beach Road, adjacent to the famed Miracle Strip Amusement Park in Panama City Beach.

Built as a tourist beacon, it featured a bi‑level observation deck and a restaurant at the summit. It opened in April 1966 and remained a defining landmark for about three decades

Top O' Strip Observation Tower

Originally conceived in the mid‑1960s and sketched by local designer Vincent E. “Val” Valentine in 1965, the tower officially opened in April 1966 as part of the Miracle Strip complex.

It quickly became synonymous with the skyline of PCB and was often referred to simply as the Miracle Strip Tower or Top of the Strip Tower

At the top, visitors enjoyed panoramic views of the Gulf Coast from two observation levels, as well as dining at the “Tower of Pizza” restaurant.

The structure also housed the studios of local radio station WPFM during the late 1980s, adding a media presence to its tourist appeal.

The tower’s modern, slender design and height made it visible from miles away, embodying the glamour of the 1960s spring‑break boom.

Top O' Strip Observation Tower

During the 1970s and early 1980s, as Panama City Beach surged as a spring break destination, the Top O’ the Strip drew visitors eager for aerial views and a unique dining experience.

Its prominence alongside the family‑oriented Miracle Strip Amusement Park made it a staple attraction during PCB’s mid‑century tourism heyday

The tower’s downfall began when Hurricane Opal made landfall in 1995, severely damaging the structure.

Engineers deemed the damage irreparable, and by 1996, the city ordered its demolition due to safety concerns and structural unsoundness

After demolition in 1996, the site remained vacant as beachfront development accelerated.

High‑rise condominiums, hotels, and commercial property gradually replaced the older low‑rise attractions.

No trace of the tower remains today, as the area was redeveloped into modern beachfront real estate

Though gone, the tower lives on in local memory and vintage photos—the slim, mid‑century tower rising above the beach was a symbol of an era.

It often appears in retrospective features about “Old Panama City Beach” and is commemorated on souvenir T‑shirts and nostalgia posts celebrating the Miracle Strip era.

To older residents and past visitors, it remains an emblem of simpler days and retro Florida charm.