Pier Park
A coastal lifestyle shopping center in Panama City Beach, Florida, combining retail, dining, entertainment, and visitor-oriented attractions.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Pier Park is a large outdoor lifestyle center in Panama City Beach, Florida. It was conceived as a Gulf Coast-oriented shopping and entertainment destination rather than as a conventional enclosed mall, with plans combining retail stores, restaurants, leisure uses, and a movie theater. Discussions about such a complex took place in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and the project formally broke ground in 2002. Construction was planned over approximately five to six years, with the development approaching completion in late 2007 before its scheduled spring 2008 opening. The center officially opened on February 14, 2008. Its initial anchor tenants included Dillard's, J. C. Penney, and Target, which remained among the principal stores identified with the property in the available reference material. Pier Park also established a broad tenant mix spanning apparel, specialty retail, sporting goods, restaurants, fast-casual dining, and entertainment. Named tenants and attractions have included Margaritaville, Buffalo Wild Wings, Marble Slab Creamery, Old Navy, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Victoria's Secret, Dick's Last Resort, and The Grand 16 cinema. The theater, formerly associated with Southern Theatres and later Santikos Theatres, was described as offering IMAX 3D and RealD 3D presentations. Pier Park's role extends beyond its individual stores. Its opening helped stimulate additional commercial development in the surrounding Panama City Beach area, including a Walmart, Pier Park West, and Pier Park North. These neighboring projects broadened the district's retail and restaurant offer and helped establish the area as a major shopping and entertainment cluster. Pier Park North, completed in 2015, added a separate group of value, grocery, home, sporting-goods, pet, furniture, and restaurant tenants. Pier Park West contains smaller-format retail and food businesses. The tenant roster has changed over time. Borders closed when the chain ceased operating its stores in 2011, after which Forever 21 occupied the former Borders space. Nike Factory Outlet closed its Pier Park location on January 21, 2021. Forever 21 later permanently closed its Pier Park store in early 2025 amid the retailer's Chapter 11 restructuring and liquidation of its remaining U.S. stores. A proposed Pier Park East expansion has been discussed as a potential extension of the broader destination, with concepts including additional retail, an indoor family entertainment center, a hotel, and residential units. The earlier proposal had not progressed to construction in the available material. In December 2023, The St. Joe Company announced plans for development on the former Pier Park East area behind Walmart. The announced concept included a Topgolf venue and a Pirates Voyage Dinner and Show attraction associated with Dolly Parton, with both targeted for opening in 2025. These projects would further shift the district toward destination entertainment as well as shopping, although the available references do not establish their final operating status.
History
Pier Park developed from long-running proposals for an outdoor shopping and entertainment complex along the Gulf Coast in Panama City Beach, Florida. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, planners and developers discussed a destination that would combine retail stores, restaurants, and a movie theater in a setting suited to the area's tourism economy. The project formally broke ground in 2002, with an estimated construction period of five to six years. By late 2007, the project was nearing completion and was preparing for a spring 2008 opening. Pier Park officially opened on February 14, 2008. The original concept was reflected in its tenant mix: large department and general-merchandise anchors were combined with specialty retailers, restaurants, and a cinema. Dillard's, J. C. Penney, and Target were among the principal opening anchors and remained associated with the development in the available reference material. Other early or established tenants included Margaritaville, Buffalo Wild Wings, Marble Slab Creamery, Old Navy, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Victoria's Secret, and Dick's Last Resort. Entertainment was a central part of the destination's identity. The Grand 16 movie theater, formerly connected with Southern Theatres and later Santikos Theatres, provided conventional and premium moviegoing, including IMAX 3D and RealD 3D formats as described in the reference material. This combination of shopping, dining, and entertainment helped distinguish Pier Park from a single-purpose retail strip and supported its role as a visitor-oriented lifestyle center. The center's opening contributed to wider commercial expansion in the surrounding area. Subsequent developments included Walmart, the adjacent Pier Park West strip center, and Pier Park North. Pier Park West added smaller retail and restaurant tenants such as GameStop, Dickey's Barbecue Pit, Jimmy John's, and Chipotle. Pier Park North, completed in 2015, introduced additional retailers and restaurants, including Bealls Outlet, Five Below, Dick's Sporting Goods, Ross Dress For Less, The Fresh Market, PetSmart, Cost Plus World Market, Bed Bath & Beyond, Rooms To Go, Chili's, Texas Roadhouse, Wayback Burgers, and Jersey Mike's Subs. Together, these projects created a larger commercial district around the original lifestyle center. Pier Park's tenant base changed as individual chains exited or changed corporate circumstances. Borders closed with the rest of the chain in 2011, and Forever 21 later took over the former Borders space. Nike Factory Outlet closed its location on January 21, 2021. Forever 21 permanently left Pier Park in early 2025 during the retailer's Chapter 11 bankruptcy process and liquidation of its remaining U.S. stores. Expansion beyond the original center has been considered through the proposed Pier Park East project. Earlier concepts called for more retail, an indoor family entertainment center, a hotel, and residential units, but construction had not begun in the available material and no further announcement had been reported by 2022. In December 2023, The St. Joe Company announced a revised development concept for the former Pier Park East area behind Walmart. The plans included a Topgolf venue and a Pirates Voyage Dinner and Show attraction associated with Dolly Parton. Both attractions were slated for 2025 openings in the cited material. The available sources do not confirm the eventual completion or operating status of those projects.
- 2025
Forever 21 exits Pier Park
[1]Forever 21 permanently closed its Pier Park store in early 2025 amid the retailer's Chapter 11 process and U.S. store liquidation.
- 2023
New entertainment plans announced for the Pier Park area
[1]The St. Joe Company announced plans for a Topgolf venue and a Pirates Voyage Dinner and Show attraction near the proposed Pier Park East site.
- 2021
Nike Factory Outlet closes
[1]The Nike Factory Outlet ended operations at Pier Park on January 21, 2021.
- 2015
Pier Park North is completed
[1]The neighboring Pier Park North shopping complex was completed, expanding the area's retail, dining, grocery, home, and entertainment offer.
- 2011
Borders space becomes available
[1]Borders closed its Pier Park location as the chain shut down its stores nationwide; the space was subsequently occupied by Forever 21.
- 2008
Pier Park opens
[1]The center officially opened on February 14, 2008, with major anchors and a mixture of retail, dining, and entertainment tenants.
- 2007
Development nears completion
[1]Pier Park approached completion in late 2007 ahead of its planned spring 2008 opening.
- 2002
Project breaks ground
[1]Construction formally began on the planned outdoor shopping and entertainment complex, with completion expected over approximately five to six years.
Products and positioning
A Gulf Coast lifestyle and entertainment destination serving local residents, regional shoppers, and Panama City Beach visitors through an open-air retail, dining, and leisure format.
Shopping center retail · 2008
Retail shopping
Pier Park's core offering is a broad collection of retail stores in an open-air lifestyle-center setting. The tenant mix has included department stores, general merchandise, apparel, beauty, sporting goods, specialty retail, and home-related categories. Dillard's, J. C. Penney, and Target served as principal anchor stores at opening and remained among the development's best-known tenants in the cited material.
Food and beverage · 2008
Dining and restaurants
Restaurants and food outlets are an important part of Pier Park's lifestyle positioning, serving both local shoppers and tourists. The referenced tenant history includes Margaritaville, Buffalo Wild Wings, Marble Slab Creamery, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, and Dick's Last Resort. The broader Pier Park district also includes additional restaurant concepts in neighboring developments.
Entertainment · 2008
The Grand 16 cinema
The Grand 16 is the movie-theater component associated with Pier Park. The theater was formerly described as being operated by Southern Theatres and later Santikos Theatres, and its facilities included IMAX 3D and RealD 3D presentation formats. It reinforces the center's role as an entertainment destination rather than solely a retail property.
Destination entertainment · 2025
Future Pier Park area attractions
A later development concept for the former Pier Park East area behind Walmart included a Topgolf venue and a Pirates Voyage Dinner and Show attraction associated with Dolly Parton. The cited announcement targeted openings in 2025, but the available material does not confirm whether either attraction opened or its final relationship to Pier Park.
Brand decisions
2023
Reframe the proposed Pier Park East area around entertainment attractionsStrategyBackground
Earlier Pier Park East concepts had contemplated retail, hospitality, residential, and indoor family-entertainment uses, but construction had not begun in the available reference material.
Action taken
The St. Joe Company announced plans for a Topgolf venue and a Pirates Voyage Dinner and Show attraction behind Walmart on the former proposed Pier Park East area.
Aftermath
The attractions were targeted for 2025 openings. The available sources do not establish whether the projects were completed or began operating.
2002
Proceed with a Gulf Coast lifestyle-center developmentStrategyBackground
The project was conceived as an outdoor complex combining shopping, dining, and cinema uses near Panama City Beach's Gulf Coast visitor economy.
Action taken
Construction formally began, establishing the development as a multi-use lifestyle and entertainment destination rather than a conventional enclosed mall.
Aftermath
The project opened in 2008 and helped stimulate additional commercial development in the surrounding area.
Sources2 sources
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