Apalachicola & The Forgotten Coast of Florida
Day-trip or destination, this is where time seems to have stopped, and wonderful experiences await on the Gulf Coast
On a street in downtown Apalachicola sits Market Street Antiques and other great antique stores. This store is full of maritime antiques
The Bay area includes the town of Apalachicola, St. George Island, and the town of Eastpoint, which sits across the Bay from Apalachicola.
One of the more interesting towns to visit on the Florida Gulf Coast is Apalachicola, which appropriately calls itself the oyster capital of America. From quaint stores to wonderful restaurants, this town and its adjoining Apalachicola Bay is worth visiting for a day, or as a destination.
Apalachicola sits in the crook of the landmass as the upper Florida Panhandle curves south into mainland Florida. The town grew up by the mouth of the Apalachicola River as flowed into the Gulf, where wondrous oyster beds thrived, and sea sponges grew in abundance. The town is the second-largest and most tourism friendly in what Florida markets as The Forgotten Coast, an area that seems to have remained in the mid-twentieth Century. The coastline includes the once industrial Port St. Joe, and the fishing and shrimping and oyster-harvesting communities of Cape San Blas, Indian Pass, Carrabelle, Eastpoint, and Alligator Point.
Apalachicola, which has evolved from an antebellum cotton shipping port (with 43 cotton warehouses), natural sponge harvester, timber and turpentine producer, to a seafood and tourism center. During the 20th and early 21st centuries, Apalachicola has provided the eastern United States with some of the better oysters that can be harvested on the country’s shores, as well as shrimp, crabs, and fish. While the oyster beds are under stress from reduced flows in the Apalachicola River, oysters continue to provide the town’s restaurants and some for export to other parts of the country. Indeed, Apalachicola Bay stills provides 90 percent of Florida’s oysters and 10 percent of the oysters consumed nationwide.
Apalachicola also lays claim to the being birthplace of air conditioning. Resident and inventor John Gorrie received the first U.S. patent for mechanical refrigeration in 1851. His story is told in the John Gorrie State Museum, a tiny house at 46 Sixth St. The museum displays a replica of Gorrie's ice machine and is filled with other artifacts that tell the history of the town and area.
Apalachicola Bay Area
The Bay area includes the town of Apalachicola, St. George Island, and the town of Eastpoint, which sits across the Bay from Apalachicola.
St. George Island is a 22-mile long barrier island across from the town of Apalachicola and has its own quaint restaurants, shops, and rental houses, along with four hotels and inns. St. George Island State Park covers much of the island and offers trails for walking, shell-searching, or bicycling. You can rent bicycles, kayaks, and boats on the island, which is punctuated by a 79-foot tall lighthouse. The shops sell original artwork, gourmet treats, jewelry and books. You get there by going on Highway 98 to Eastpoint and then taking Highway 300 to the island.
Eastpoint is a small fishing village, which is the focal point of what is called the Forgotten Coast and where seafood docks stretch its entire length. Locals are busy harvesting oysters from small wooden boats using tongs and bring in shrimp and several varieties of fish. The town has boat rentals and a smattering of shops. You might want to take in the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve office in town.
Apalachicola, established in 1831, was once the third largest ports on the Gulf of Mexico. Its tree-lined streets are host to more than 900 historic homes and buildings listed on the National Register. Indeed, the National Trust for Historic Preservation listed the town among its Dozen Distinctive Destinations in 2008.
Apalachicola, Florida
Apalachicola offers interesting shops selling maritime antiques, natural sponges, and artwork. The town has dozens of unique shops and galleries, including a rare book store, Forgotten Coast Used & Out of Print Books on Water Street, Apalachicola Outfitters, Backstreet Trading Company, the Forgotten Fly Company, Apalachicola Sponge Company, Apalach Olive Oil Company, the Honey Hole (selling Tupelo Honey), the Old Stuff Shop, and Richard Bickel Photography (Bickel, an accomplished photojournalist, has spent years documenting life along Apalachicola Bay). The town has 15 art galleries and its museums include the Center for History, Culture, and Arts , Orman House, Raney House, Apalachicola Maritime Museum, and Fort Coombs Armory. The town has a theater, Dixie Theatre, which produces professional plays. Battery Park lies along the Apalachicola River.
Little Known History
During the War of 1812, the British build a fort on the east bank of Apalachicola River and enticed Indians and run-away slaves from U.S. plantations to join their ranks against the Americans. When the war ended and the British troops pulled out, they left the fort to the blacks and the Indians. They remained in this so-called "Negro Fort" fully armed and intended to protect their freedom. General Andrew Jackson, a hero of the War of 1812 when he defeated the British at New Orleans, used the Apalachicola River to run military arms to the American fort on Flint River. But when his ships passed the "Negro Fort," its occupants fired upon the U.S. ships. Angered, Jackson retaliated and a shot from a U.S. gunboat ignited the fort's powder magazine, causing a terrific explosion that killed nearly all the occupants of the fort.
Where to Eat
Between Apalachicola proper and St. George Island, there are 41 restaurants and other shops offering food. They range from fine dining to oyster bars, and include Harry A’s, the only full restaurant and nightclub on St. George Island; Bite Me Deli and Catering; Crooked River Grill on St. James Bay; Apalachicola Chocolate & Coffee Company; Blue Parrot Ocean Front Café; Papa Joe’s Oyster Bar; Doc Myer’s Island Pub and Sports Bar; and Indian Pass Raw Bar. I ate at the upscale Owl Café just off main street in Apalachicola. It’s upstairs in an historic building, which enhances the ambiance. I enjoyed a delightful appetizer of fried oysters, then dined on the grilled fresh catch.
St. Vincent Island and its wildlife refuge sits a few miles west of Apalachicola. This island is accessible only by boat. Indian Pass is just past Port St. Joe on Florida Highway 30A. It is home to semi-famous Indian Pass Raw Bar, which the New York Times has called “the place for local color.” It is worth the detour on your way between Port St. Joe and Apalachicola, offering live music and superb raw or baked oysters.
St. George Island
St. George Island
The Forgotten Coast
East of Apalachicola, Carrabelle sits at the mouth of the Carrabelle River, a 15-minute drive from Alligator Point. Carrabelle is home to several antique stores, the Crooked River Lighthouse, Carrabelle History Museum, and the World’s Smallest Police Station (which is a phone booth). Carrabelle and the nearby Dog Island were used as a World War II D-Day training site, at what was then the Amphibious Training Center. Today the beach is a bit tacky, though. A lime-green, 1950s-era roof sits over a concrete picnic beach area; and the beach itself is not well maintained.
At Alligator Point you’ll find Bald Point State Park and Allegro Sailing, which offers cruises. Interestingly, it’s not too far from Roadside Rusted Ford Trucks, an outside (hence, Roadside), homespun museum, which is one of only four identified interesting things to do in Crawfordville, Florida.
Accommodations
If you choose to spend a night or more, there are numerous motels and inns in Apalachicola and on St. George Island and throughout this nook of the coast. One of the more historic inns is a fully restored, Victorian inn built in 1907, The Gibson Inn on main street. This three-story Inn is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and features 30 guest bedrooms and a bar. The Coombs House Inn and Suites is located in three restored inns built at the turn of the century. You can also have a fishing experience at a full-service fishing lodge, Bay City Lodge, which sits on the banks of the Apalachicola River. Water Street Hotel and Marina offers 30 suites and 20 boat slips. Consulate Suites on Water Street is located in a former private residence built in the 1800s that rented space upstairs to the U.S. Customs Service and to the French Consulate when Apalachicola was the third largest shipper of cotton to the U.S. and Europe. They have four suites. Eastpoint has the Sportsman’s Lodge Motel and Marina. You can also stay at the Old Saltworks Cabins on Cape San Blas, Port Inn and Port Cottages in Port St. Joe, and St. James Bay Villas at Carrabelle.
If you want a bed and breakfast, try Turtle Beach Inn, nestled between long-needled pines and cabbage palms on an often-deserted Gulf Coast beach at Port St. Joe. Another B&B is Apalachicola Inn, which offers upscale lodging and a fine-dining restaurant.
For a different kind of accommodation, try Houseboats at River Watch, a block from downtown Apalachicola. They have several houseboats that give an up-close and personal river experience.
Things to do
Fishing is the major draw to the area and several charter boats provide superior service. They include Salty Soul Fishing, Apalachee Bay Charters, Bout Time Charters, and Tideline Charters. But nature tourism abounds here, too. The Apalachicola Estuary Tour is a guided boat ride on the Apalachicola River through the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Preserve, complete with 308 species of birds, 186 species of fish, and 57 species of mammals. Additionally, St. George Island State Park and the St. Joe Peninsula State Park bookend the region and offer great beaches where mature Loggerhead turtles lay their eggs. The Florida Seafood Festival in Apalachicola is the oldest maritime festival in the state, held for 55 years and counting annually in early November.
Temperatures: Annual average, high, 81 degrees, Low, 55 degrees. High, July and August, 81 degrees. Low: January, 52.
Precipitation: Annual average 55 inches. Heaviest rainfall is July through September.
Population: In 2017, the population of Apalachicola was 2.300. Of Franklin County, it was 11,675.
Getting There: By car, take Interstate 10 to Tallahassee and take Highway 319 south. If coming from the west Gulf Coast, take Highway 98 east. If from south of Florida, take Highway 19 to west Highway 98. By air, the closest airport is the Tallahassee Regional Airport. But you can also use the Panama City Bay County International Airport. Private planes can land at Apalachicola Regional Airport.