Panama City to Orlando road trip: Drive time, distance & best stops
The best road trip stops on the Panama City to Orlando drive are Tallahassee FL, Gainesville FL and Ocala FL. The distance from Panama City to Orlando by car is 359 miles, with a 5h35m driving time.
Planning a Panama City to Orlando road trip itinerary
The Panama City to Orland drive takes you from one of Florida’s top beach cities to the state’s theme park capital.
There are military bases and industrial sites in Panama City, but for visitors it’s all about the beach.
Top things to do in Panama City include jetboat thrill rides, a sunset catamaran sail, and a dolphin and snorkelling cruise.
You can also swim with dolphins, try scuba diving for beginners and stand-up paddleboarding lessons.
Orlando is known worldwide as the home of Disney World, but there’s far more to it than Mickey and Co. You can get crazy selfies at the Museum of Illusions or WonderWorks, learn how chocolate is made at Chocolate Kingdom and ride the Wheel at ICON Park or Orlando StarFlyer. Alternatively, visit Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, play adventure golf at Pirates’ Cove and say hi to the stingrays at Sea Life.
In the evenings, there’s the Polynesian Fire Luau and Dinner Show, Cirque du Soleil’s Drawn To Life and the Outta Control magic comedy show.
Other Orlando experiences include glow-in-the-dark kayaking, foodie walking tours and kayaking through Cypress forest.
Panama City to Orlando distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Panama City to Orlando is 359 miles. That makes for a driving time of around five hours and 35 minutes. The best stops to add to a Panama City to Orlando road trip itinerary are Tallahassee FL, Gainesville FL and Ocala FL.
For more suggestions, check out the guides to the individual legs of the journey:
Panama City to Orlando road trip attractions: Tallahassee FL
Top Tallahassee experiences include the Museum of Florida History, which tells the tale of the Sunshine State. That covers everything from prehistoric mastodons to the Spanish conquest and Disney.
The Tallahassee Museum, meanwhile, flits all over the place, from sculpture to birds of prey. For natural beauty, head to the Alfred B Maclay Gardens State Park.
Panama City to Orlando drive: Gainesville FL
Gainesville is home to the University of Florida, and will be best known to college football fans as the home of the Florida Gators.
For everyone else, there’s the Butterfly Rainforest at the Florida Museum of Natural History, the Harn Museum of Art and the Devil’s Millhopper Geological State Park. The latter is based around a limestone sinkhole.
Best stops between Panama City and Orlando: Ocala FL
Ocala is home to the Golden Gypsy Horse Farm, where visitors can meet the rare and beautiful Gypsy Vanner horses. The Appleton Museum of Art, meanwhile, mixes contemporary art with pre-Columbian artifacts and the Discovery Center does the interactive science thing.
The most important site in Ocala, however, is the Fort King National Historic Landmark. This was a major military post in the Second Seminole War, and the first inland fort in Florida.
More Panama City road trips
Atlanta to Panama City | Birmingham AL to Panama City | Dallas to Panama City | Panama City to Destin | Dothan AL to Panama City FL | Panama City to Fort Walton Beach | Houston to Panama City | Jacksonville to Panama City | Panama City to Miami | Nashville to Panama City | Panama City to New Orleans | Pensacola to Panama City | Tallahassee to Panama City | Tampa to Panama City.
More Orlando road trips
Albany GA to Orlando | Asheville to Orlando | Atlanta to Orlando | Augusta to Orlando | Austin to Orlando | Baton Rouge to Orlando | Orlando to Daytona Beach | Orlando to Destin | Gainesville to Orlando | Houston to Orlando | Huntsville AL to Orlando | Jacksonville to Orlando | Lakeland to Orlando | Macon GA to Orlando | Nashville to Orlando | New Orleans to Orlando | Orlando to Palm Coast | Pensacola to Orlando | Ocala to Orlando | Orlando to St Augustine | Tallahassee to Orlando | Orlando to Tampa | Valdosta to Orlando.