Looking for anyone to give me some info on Thunder Beach in Panama City, FL. I am actually from there but move to NC for college (before Thunder Beach started) and been working here ever since.

We normally hit Myrtle Beach Bike Week each spring but we were thinking about making the trip next spring to Panama City. Especially since MB doesn't want us anymore.

Anyone with comments?

 

here's the website for the rally. Looks like a hell of good time.

http://www.thunderbeachproductions.com/

 

Went there is spring for the first time. It was all right, not like MB from the past. We didn't hit all the bars, as like any rally takes a few trips to find them all. The traffic was no where as bad as MB, saturday afternoon got stuck in traffic along the beach road but took a right and got around it. There was venders there selling all the same stuff as anywhere. Cops didn't give any one I seen a problem, as long as you keep yourself under control. All in all I will be back to find all I missed this spring people where friendly.

 

Thunder Beach isn't as spread out as Myrtle Beach is. I myself enjoyed the hell out of our trip down. They said it was the largest turnout yet and I think this rally is going to top the other Rallies because you don't get a new a-hole ripped when you book a hotel room, the cops don't harrass you and I have to agree with them that this is the most biker friendly rally in the world. Some of the things I noticed was the bands ROCKED! They have Pabst Blue Ribbon which I haven't had one since I got out of the Navy. The wet-t shirt contest was a little lame but still good. The Miss Thunder Beach contest was AWESOME, talk about some hot babes....wow! I am going back this fall Sept 24-27 for the fall event and most likely continue because its going to keep getting better and better every year.

 

Great assessment BadX. Many share a similar opinion.

I've been going to the spring and fall rallies for Thunder Beach since about 2001. He's right when he says it's one of the friendliest rallies you will ever attend. Southern hospitality is abound there and you will find that most of the riff raff or attitudes found elsewhere doesn't bother to show up at TB. It's about 95% Harley/cruisers and only about 5% sport bikes usually but both crowds are usually very cordial to each other. It's also a pretty family friendly rally as I have no issues bringing my family down (including my 1 and a half year old son, wife, and Mother) and letting them hang out. My Father, Brother, and several coworkers also usually go with us too. There is a great new shopping area there that my wife likes (when she's not riding with me) that has lots of kids' activities also (train, carousel, etc.) and that I have a hard time keeping my Mother away from when she comes to watch my son, haha. My Mother usually takes my son over to the rally event pavillion at Frank Brown Park as it's very nice and he likes to play there. They have a good mix of adult-only type venues and quite a few completely family friendly ones also.

Also of note, is that the Thunder Beach rally is 100% free (excluding your hotel of course ). No $5 or $10 bike parking everywhere like other rallies, or $10 cover charges every time you want to walk into a bar or check out a band or just get a beer. It was a smaller sized rally up until about 2005 and they really started to take off and pick up. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of people there but I never really feel crowded at TB like I do at Daytona. Also, the entertainment has really gotten top notch over the last 3 years or so and they really have some awesome bands that rock the rally (all at no cover charge). It's also not nearly as spread out as Daytona is. In fact, the entire rally area probably encompasses only about 15 square miles or so. As far as traffic, you can always bypass the slow traffic areas by using Middle Beach Road or Back Beach Road if you need to. They have some traffic on them, but you still can get where you need to quickly. The strip is always generally crowded or slow but you already know that if you are from P.C.B. originally. The dining is really good as well, especially if you know where the good spots are. All in all, I actually look forward to this rally the most every year because the pace is a little slower than other places, the people are so friendly, and I don't get 5 dollar-ed to death every time I stop the bike. For a while the wet T-shirt contests got pretty wild but they have toned down a bit (but still not as much as Daytona had been cracking down on public displays in 07). If you want to see some good female sights, the Sandpiper Beacon is an awesome place for that (two words: body paint). The Miss Thunder Beach contests are usually great also as they've really attracted some mega-hotties the last few years. Usually at least 2 of the big rally venues each day will have a really, really good band and many of the local clubs are now getting some great talent in as well for entertainment (again, all free). There is also some great scenic rides like down to Mexico Beach that you can do about half a day on and really just get out and ride peacefully. Vendors have really picked up also in the last two years as we're seeing people like Kuryakyn, J&M, etc. that have normally stayed away from the smaller rallies start to make TB a regular stop. It is still nothing like the qualtity of vendors you'd find at Daytona, Sturgis, etc. but they still have pretty much anything you'd need. Just like Daytona, the spring rally at TB is usually more crowded than fall but they usually have the same caliber of events for both seasons.

Well, I hope that helps some. If there are any specific questions you have about it, I'll be glad to answer it if I can. Most people I know have the same reaction about this rally as BadX did. In fact, the two coworkers that are going down with us this fall are both people I convinced to come once and they both said, "I'm definately coming back!" when I asked them what they thought about the rally.

 

I made it down for the recent fall thunder beach and I was impressed. Lots of sharp bikes and friendly people. Local paper estimated around 50k bikes in for the weekend and I believe it.

 

The fall rally was lite compared to the spring rally. Wed-Thur its easy to move around but Fri-Sat the place is packed. One thing I like about the rally is the length of it. I always get burned out after 5-6 days(except Sturgis)When we leave Thunder Beach I wished it would be another day or two of it but then again after the 5th or 6th day I may be ready to leave that one too...LOL

 

Loves Thunder Beach usually stay in Mexico Beach just a little east of there and don't get gouged so bad on the lodging .. Lots of back roads can travel too also make Port St Joe, Appalachicola, and St George Island part of the trip as well and perhaps a ride through Tates Hell on Hwy 65