St. Joseph Bay Preserves | Friends of St. Joseph Bay Preserves

Join Us Saturday, October 7th, 2023 for our popular Fall Bay Day! 8am – 4pm Eastern

Friends of St. Joseph Bay Preserves present a day of education, shrimp and music. Learn about the preserves and life along the bay. There will be lots to see and lots to do. Best of all, the Low Country Shrimp Boil will be delicious – as always! Meet you on the deck of the Visitors Center! … no admission fee!

Tour the Preserves: Explore the preserves on a guided Tram Tour through the backwoods trails of the Buffer Preserve and learn about the native animal and plant life.
Tour departure times: 9:00am, 10:00 am, 11:00am, 12:00pm, & 1:00pm ET.
Reservations are recommended and will be available at the Bay Day event. Bay Day tram tour seating will be first come first served.

Live Music: Live Music Throughout the Day

Low Country Shrimp Boil: 11am – 2pm EDT $15 Donation

Location: The Bay Day events are located at the St. Joseph Bay Preserves Visitor Center, 3915 State Road 30-A (C-30), Port St. Joe, Florida 32456. The Preserves Center is approximately 5 miles south of Port St. Joe; approximately one hour east of Panama City; and approximately two to two and a half hours south and west of Tallahassee.

Presented by: Friends of St. Joseph Bay Preserves, Inc. and the St. Joseph Bay State Buffer Preserve.
Proceeds to benefit the Friends of St. Joseph Bay Preserves.
Questions: For more information: Call 850-229-1787 or
Send Us an Email

Bay Dayz Photo Gallery

Everyone working together . . . makes any event successful! This was certainly the case for the 18^th Winter Bay Day held on February 8^th at the St. Joseph Bay Buffer Preserve. Just 5 plates less than 500 served made the day outstanding and even record-breaking in some areas.

Board members, volunteers and staff at the Preserve were ecstatic at the number of participants, dedicated volunteers, and supporting agencies and organizations setting up informational displays. Winter and Fall Bay Day events have returned after a year following Hurricane Michael. It has been a long road back and thankfully a successful one.

Dylan Shoemaker, Manager of the Preserve, proudly expressed with great enthusiasm, “how pleased we are with such a great turnout. After having to postpone Bay Day for over a year we were a little apprehensive about its return to the area. Attendance exceeded our expectations for which we are thankful. Our returning volunteers, year after year, provide consistency and allows us to grow and improve. Thanks to everyone for making Winter Bay Day 2020 one of the best ever!”

Four TRAM Tours were offered and were filled to capacity. The regularly scheduled Third Thursday on February 20^th was also filled to capacity. If you have not experienced the tour join us. Twenty-six lucky people who have registered tour the heart of the preserve. For Fall and Winter Bay Day there is no early registration. If interested in the March TRAM Tour call 850-229-1787 as quickly as possible as several seats are already reserved.

Jonathan Brucker, St. Joseph Bay Aquatic Preserve Manager, was also excited with the turnout and the interest in St. Joe Bay and the concern for continued watching and protecting the bay. Jon and his staff cheerfully explained maps, brochures and the mission of the Aquatic Preserve to any and all who wanted to listen. He had this to say about the event, “Educating the public is first and foremost in our mission at the St. Joseph Bay Aquatic Preserve. Bay Day visitors and locals want to know how they can help us recover from the effects of Hurricane Michael. We have been so impressed with everyone’s sincere offers to assist clean-up in any way possible. Jon reported that signage for the bay will be replaced as quickly as possible.

“What a great day we had Saturday! The weather was perfect, the music was toe-tapping wonderful, the beer was cold, the shrimp were delicious and what a crowd! I had so many compliments on our event, with most saying they had missed us and were so glad we were back”, says Board President, Lynda White.