In the game
The name does half the work: Rockstar called the region Port Gellhorn, and a port implies docks. Beyond the name and a faded resort strip, official material says little about the region’s working side. Fans have filled the gap by pointing out that Panama City Beach’s neighbor across the bay is a real port, with cranes, a ship channel and warehouses, and that a fading resort beside a working harbor is a very GTA combination.
This page is a possibility, not a match. No dock, crane or warehouse in the trailers has been tied to a spot here. Treat it as a place to go if Port Gellhorn’s industrial side interests you, and as a way to see the part of the area tourists skip.
The real place
Port Panama City sits on St. Andrew Bay, on the city side of the water, opposite the beach. It is a mid-sized commercial port: forest products, steel, copper and bulk cargo come through, and you will usually see a freighter or two at the berths and stacks of lumber and containers behind the fence. It is a secure facility, so you cannot walk in.
You do not need to. The best view is from the Hathaway Bridge, which carries US 98 across the bay between the beach and the city; the port is off to your left heading into town, cranes against the water. Better still is the neighborhood next door. Historic St. Andrews is Panama City’s old fishing village, with a marina, a waterfront park, a handful of restaurants and a Saturday market. From the seawall you look across at the port and the bay traffic.
Hurricane Michael tore through Panama City in 2018, and the city side took far worse damage than the beach; the recovery shows in new roofs and empty lots. The detail a GTA fan will recognize is the contrast, resort on one side of the bridge and working town on the other.
Go there
Cross the Hathaway Bridge from the beach on US 98 and turn toward St. Andrews (follow signs for Beck Avenue). Park near the marina and walk. Come on a Saturday morning for the market if you can, or late afternoon for the light. From the marina you can join a bay cruise or fishing charter; prices run $50-100 a person for a couple of hours and vary by season, so check before you go.
Panama City’s downtown on Harrison Avenue is ten minutes further and has been slowly coming back since the storm, with a rebuilt city marina at the end of the street.
The honest warning: this is not a sight. It is a port and a neighborhood. Do not expect an attraction, do not try to get onto the docks, and photograph from public roads and the water only. If you have one day in town, the beach pages on this site are a better use of it.
Nearby
- St. Andrews State Park: white sand and the jetties: the port’s ship channel runs out to the Gulf through the pass at the park.
- The Forgotten Coast: Apalachicola to Mexico Beach: US 98 east from here.
- The fishing pier at Panama City Beach: back across the bridge for the strip.
Updated September 12, 2026. Spotted an error? Tell us.