We will be spending a week in Panama City Beach in mid July. I can extend the trip by two more nights and spend a weekend in a nearby area. Can you recommend someplace that we can drive to? I am looking for someplace within 2 hours of Panama City airport or Jacksonville airport and sufficiently different from Panama City Beach. I looked at Tallahassee and Jacksonville and concluded that it's probably not worth spending a summer weekend in either city. Thanks for your help.

A couple of really, really good museums if you've not seen them, is:
http://www.navalaviationmuseum.org/
In Pensacola
And then in Mobile:
http://www.ussalabama.com/
Tallahassee offers nothing IMO but near Jacksonville is St Augustine historic old town and Fort:
http://www.picturesfrom.com/st-augustine/default.htm

Panama City to Jax is a long drive, but if you decide to do it I'll ditto the St Augustine idea.

If you have the ability to splurge, I'd stay at Greyfield on Cumberland Island - taking their ferry from Fernandina and flying out of Jax -
http://www.greyfieldinn.com/
It's pricey, but the rates are all-inclusive
http://www.greyfieldinn.com/maps.html

If you want a completely different BEACH experience, cd and I both love the Cape San Blas/ Indian Pass area (east of PCB). It's the complete opposite of PCB - and that's why so many of us love the area.

No cities come to mind.

Ditto what starrs said re: Cape San Blas

Thanks for the information.
Can you recommend a place to stay in Cape San Blas?

cd, will have more suggestions for San Blas. There are cottages at the state park, but they book up early. Check vrbo.com for rental options.

"Around the corner" from San Blas is the Indian Pass area. I love this place -
http://www.turtlebeachinn.com/

Not a traditional B&B. They do serve breakfast in the common area but each room has an outside entrance off the shaded porches - just steps away from the beach. It's a fabulous place for a quiet time on the beach. Miles and miles of beaches and nary a person in sight...or very few, if you see any.

If you like seafood served in a simple setting, this is the place for you (less than a mile from the TBI -
www.indianpassrawbar.com

I second (third?) the suggestion of Cape San Blas or Indian Pass - one of our favorite areas and totally different from PCB. There is an "inn" on Cape San Blas (Cape San Blas Inn) as well but I have never stayed there. I have heard good things about the Turtle Beach Inn but have never stayed there either. We usually rent a house for a week when we go down there. Some houses are available for weekends, others require a week's stay.

If you want history, St. Augustine. If you want some relaxing beach time, San Blas.

I have toured the Inn on Cape San Blas and it is a treasure. They are on the bay however and not oceanfront but across the street. What impressed me with the Inn was they have complimentary breakfast and complimentary kayaks. http://www.capesanblasinn.com/ I think for a few days I would take Starrs recommendation on the Turtle Beach Inn, Indian Pass, it is close to the Cape and has a great little,(and I do mean little) restaurant which we have been to many times. http://www.indianpassrawbar.com/ We have not stayed at the B&B but did drive pass and it's Oceanfront which is a plus with us. We spend most of our winters in this area, we rent VRBO. If you like oysters, this is the capital of oyster country! Apalachicola is a quaint little town about 25 miles away and fun to explore. Port St Joe is about 15min in the other direction and your closest town for grocery stores and restaurants.

I've stayed at the TBI and loved it. Take a look at their rooms on their website. Cottage decor that is NOT "cutesy" or "bed and breakfast-y". Hosts that serve you a great breakfast and leave you alone. A gorgeous wide beach steps away. Lots of peace and quiet - the polar opposite of PCB (no pun intended).

July is scallop season too -
http://www.thecapeescape.com/ThingstoDo.html