Bodies Human: National exhibit puts bones, organs on display in Panama City Beach

PANAMA CITY BEACH — From the head to the bone, you will find yourself in awe while exploring human anatomy at Bodies Human, a museum that recently opened in Panama City Beach and features more than 250 human specimens of organs, bones and other body parts.

Owner Kunal Patel said he had grown an interest in body exhibits after visiting several across the country and saw the opportunity to open a museum in Panama City Beach.

"These exhibits are extremely hard to come across because they aren't as popular anymore," Patel said. "The body museum offers a glimpse of the human body that we rarely get to see, and it's very intriguing, but it is educational. You take what you want from it."

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Bodies Human opened at 9902 S. Thomas Drive in the Laketown Wharf Convention Center on April 25 and will operate daily through the end of September. Scheduled hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends. Tickets are sold online at bodieshuman.com or can be purchased at the door. 

As the area's newest attraction, Patel said he took over the business where it would travel to cities across the country, but hopes to make Panama City Beach the museum's permanent home to keep the family-friendly atmosphere alive.

"For so many years, Panama City Beach has been a Spring Break-only destination," Patel said. "I just want to help Bay County continue to welcome families in because the only way they will visit is if we have something for everyone to do."

Exhibits at Bodies Human lean toward educational opportunities to learn about the body's many functions and explore aspects from muscle tissue to the brain. The attraction gives the public a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the inner workings of real human bodies through preserved specimens. 

All of the bodies featured in the exhibit were donated to science and underwent a process called plastination. The procedure replaces the body's water and fat with plastics that harden into a fixed position, and it takes about a week for smaller organs and as long as a year for an entire body. 

Looking into the future, Patel said he hopes to grow the museum to be as detailed as possible. He wants to add at least a hundred more specimens to the museum and include a blackout feel where lights will shine only on the exhibits to give full exposure to the bodies. 

Patel said his vision for the museum is to create a fun and educational atmosphere in Bay County that continues serving the local and tourist community. 

"These exhibits offer people a glimpse into the human body that you can't get anywhere else. Our biggest clientele so far is nurses, doctors and therapists, and even though they work with the body every day, they don't get to see it in such a raw form," Patel said. "So, my goal is to continue growing the exhibit to where anyone would come and visit."