The three months from Memorial Day until Labor Day usually mark the summer season, but with school starting earlier, many businesses have to make up for the lack of vacation days in the days between.

According to Jerry Morrell, a manager at Wal-Mart, more than 26,000 people traipsed through Wal-Mart on Panama City Beach this last weekend.

"The end of next week will be the last hurrah with the exception of a little surge on Labor Day, other than that summer is pretty much done."

Julie Hilton with Hilton Enterprises says their hotels on the beach did well this summer, but they are making up for lost time.

"It used to be that our season was from Memorial Day through Labor Day. We basically had a 100-day season and a few weekends in the spring. With school starting early we've lost almost the whole month of August."

The end is in sight for Miracle Strip Amusement Park, celebrating its last season this year. This weekend was one of the busiest in the last couple of years, many with cameras in hand taking pictures to remember their last trip to the park.

Carl Keen, the manager at St. Andrews State Park, says he's noticed a change in the amount of people coming for the summer. Many are also choosing to drive instead of fly, which brings thousands from the southeast to our beaches.

"They can drive here, they feel safe. They're on the world's most beautiful beaches and we just happen to have St. Andrews State Park."

Spending time on our beautiful beaches is just what business owners want.