Next stop on my beach road trip through Florida, Apalachicola. Or “Apalach“, as it is known by locals, is far from a typical tourist town. Established in 1831, it was once the third largest port on the Gulf of Mexico. This was definitely one of my favorite spots along the way. It`s such a cute and quaint town with beautiful houses, little boutiques and restaurants to enjoy.
What to see?
When at Apalachicola go over the 4-mile (6.4 km) long St. George Island Bridge to visit Little St George Island. You can go to the beaches, make a stop at St. George Island State Park (Park admission fee: one vehicle with 2-8 people > 6US$*) or do what I did and learn more about the history of the Cape St George Light. The lighthouse is located at the center of St George Island and is the fourth construction of the historic lighthouse.
Practical: Opening hours in season: Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm. Sunday hours are noon to 5 pm. The Lighthouse and Keepers House are closed on Thursday. (In the winter hours are different, so please check before.) Admission is 5US$/adult*.
Enjoy Apalachicola on the water with a Sunset boat cruise. Nothing as spectacular as seeing the sun color the sky all shades of orange and red and go down in the ocean like a fireball. This was one of the most beautiful sunsets I`ve ever seen.
Price: 25US$*/person for a 2 hour boat trip (Ammfl.org)
What else is there to do?
Just take a stroll in the town, it`s such a lovely town, you just want to walk around and take it all in. Beautiful old houses, churches with lots of history, shops, restaurants… it`s all there. You are going to want to stay here for a while, it`s a peaceful and picturesque place.
Where to eat?
After recommendations given by a local, we decided to check out The Taproom at The Owl, located right next door to the Owl Cafe on Commerce Street. The Owl Cafe is a bit more upscale than the next door Taproom, but the Taproom was just what we were looking for. A place to enjoy your evening with a beer and a bite to eat.
Where to stay?
We stayed at the beautiful Coombs Inn. Such an elegant place to stay that I devoted a separate post on it.
Some Fun Facts
- Apalachicola harvests over 90% of the oysters sold in Florida and 10% of the nationwide supply
- The owner of Coombs Inn`s mother is the blonde lady you used to see in the vintage Coca-Cola ads
- In terms of water flow, the 107-mile-long Apalachicola River is the largest in Florida and 21st in the nation
If you want to read up on Florida, then check out my other stops on this trip at Pensacola and Panama City Beach.
*Prices were accurate at time of publishing.
This trip was made possible with the support of Visit Florida. Special thanks to Salty Florida and Cindy for showing us around.
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