CAMP HELEN STATE PARK

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Hi there fellow FLIP FLOP HOLIDAY aficionados!

This is Lynn and Eddie.  We own FLIP FLOP HOLIDAY Beach House and Lynn personally manages our property!  Since many of you and our guests may not know a lot about the Panama City Beach area, we decided to add this blog to highlight some of our favorite spots in the area! This is our first blog!  Welcome, and thank you for taking the time to stop by!

FLIP FLOP HOLIDAY is in the gated community of CARILLON BEACH.  On the quiet west end of Panama City Beach, just off of state highway 98, and 2 miles east of the famed 30A Corridor.  Located all on the coastal side of highway 98, there are EIGHT community beach walkovers, with NO highway traffic to contend with!  The first beach walkover, where we keep our two person Beach Set, is a short 750' from our front steps, but a quick and fun ride in our 6 passenger Golf Cart (included with your rental!)

One of our favorite places to visit when we are in town is CAMP HELEN STATE PARK.   When you exit the Carillon community gatehouse, on highway 98, turn LEFT or west to cross the Phillips Inlet Bridge.  The entrance into CAMP HELEN will come up quickly on the left hand side at the other end of the bridge.  Be sure to have some cash on hand for parking (courtesy parking via unmanned entrance at "Honor Box.")  At $4 per vehicle, or $2 per pedestrian or bicyclist, I challenge you to find a better value for family fun!

CAMP HELEN is an often overlooked ecological gem!  Sitting on the western border of Panama City Beach, close to the Walton County border, it offers pristine beaches, excellent trails that wind through dunes and scrub oak forests, and a rare dune lake.  Camp Helen State Park is one of Florida's most special state parks.  Combining both natural beauty, and history, it's proximity to FLIP FLOP HOLIDAY makes this a "must do" when in town! 

History:  the 183 acres that is now CAMP HELEN State Park was purchased in 1928 by Robert E. Hicks.  Originally this property was used as a family summer retreat before being purchased by Avondale Textile Mills in 1945. This company, based in Alabama, renamed the park CAMP HELEN and used it as a resort destination for vacationing company employees through 1987.  After 1987, poor Helen sat vacant and alone until she was purchased in 1996 by the state of Florida.  

There is an historic lodge and some associated buildings that are still standing today, though the lodge has undergone some renovations.  Some of the concrete cabins, used by Avondale employees, are still standing and are sparsely furnished in period correct furniture.   There is also an old stable and dining hall. 

The lodge is now used for events, activities, and weddings.  If you are interested in renting the lodge for YOUR special day, call (850) 233-5059 for information.  Every single time I have called, a friendly, helpful person answers!  (I called today to verify facts before publishing this, my first blog, and was greeted by ROY, a very friendly, helpful park employee!)   Have y'all ever noticed that southerners, generally speaking, are such friendly folks??  I digress.....back to CAMP HELEN!

So by the name, CAMP HELEN, you would think that you can camp here, right?  Well you can't, but you can go fishing, boating, kayaking, paddle boarding, hiking, bird watching, and enjoy the natural beauty that is Camp Helen. Eddie and I like to take picnic lunches and eat in the shade of the beautiful scrub oaks, and enjoy the beauty that is so unique to this area. 

Camp Helen is bordered by water on three sides, and this unique combination makes it the ecological wonder that is it.  Lake Powell forms the north eastern border, and is one of the largest rare coastal dune lakes found in just a handful of places in the world. The Gulf of Mexico borders Camp Helen on it's southern border. Lake Powell is a freshwater body of water but at times will breech the finger of land that separates it from the Gulf of Mexico.  This results in the mixing of fresh and salt water, resulting in what is known as "brackish" water, and looks like dark sweet tea, in my opinion! 

Camp Helen is open from 8 a.m. until sunset, 365 days a year.   For your GPS, it is at 23937 Panama City Beach Parkway (aka Back Beach Road to locals!), Panama City Beach, Florida 32413. For kayak or paddle board rentals, click here.  

If you will be in the area, whether you will be staying at FLIP FLOP HOLIDAY or not, check this place out.  It is truly a hidden gem, one of our favorite places, and well worth the visit!  So, pack your suitcases, book your stay at FLIP FLOP HOLIDAY, and head on over to visit CAMP HELEN.  We think you will love it, too!  

~Lynn and Eddie