Travel back to the past when visiting the Apalachicola and Port St Joe Area

Travel back in time some 170 years to this quaint but thriving area of Northern Florida. Synonymous with cotton in the past, Apalachicola is now Florida’s oyster capital, producing 90% of the state’s oyster catch. The area boasts numerous antebellum sites, with more than 200 historic buildings including the 1912 Dixie Theatre which hosts the summer repertory group and the Jorrie Museum which commemorates the 19th century doctor whose ice-making invention eventually became modern air conditioning.

Located in the Panhandle, Apalachicola and Port St Joe’s beaches offer numerous activities from snorkeling, diving local wrecks and scalloping expeditions. Fishing is also a popular attraction in the area and chartered boats regularly set sail into the bay.

St George Island boasts the St Vincent National Wildlife Refuge, a former island hunting preserve where Asian samba deer live alongside the native white-tailed deer. At St George’s beachside, loggerhead and green sea turtles come ashore to lay their eggs in the summer months. The salt marshes on the bay side are home to a host of snakes, turtles and fish who make their home among the reeds.

Moving inland you come to Apalachicola National Forest where you can feel at one with nature in the stunning landscape. The National Forest abounds with opportunities for hiking, biking, canoeing and wild camping.

The neighboring town of Carrabelle claims to have the smallest police station in the world, the size of a phone booth. For more information be sure to check out our vacation guide.