Driving into this place was like going back in time, small town, brick buildings, Shrimp boats, and some sad reminders of a once vibrant Oyster businesses, gone. But hopefully not forever.
There were many things that contributed to the loss of a once famous oyster industry, Drought, the lack of fresh water from Georgia due to over use of the water source, Hurricanes , the BP oil spill, and over harvesting. Most of the oysters are farm grown now, and locals I talk to about them agreed that that were tasty. So now this beautiful city on the mouth of the Apalachicola river is still doing there best to save what they have.
On the south side of town you look out over Apalachicola bay which opens in to the Gulf Of Mexico, it’s a beautiful site to see. Just a little to the Southeast is St George island. It’s another neat place to check out. The East end of the island is a state park with outrageous empty beaches of sugar sand for miles. You can camp there too.
The West end is more residential with neighborhoods on canals and beach fronts on the Gulf side and bay side. There’s a lighthouse near the beach which you can climb up for a donation . Worth the drive out there.
Apalachicola The City..
The architecture in this small town is awesome. I have taken photo’s of some of the towns I visited, But this place blew mw away. Brick buildings with that coastal feel. Some of these buildings looked very New Orlean like, but at the same time it reminded me of the style of building that was done at Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortuga’s. Beautiful stuff.
I moved into the boat Rene was so gracious to let me stay on. It’s a classic Wellcraft Cruiser. My home for the next week or so!
It was just what I needed. It’s located a small marina at the mouth of the Apalachicola River. I got to know a few locals there and in town, really nice people. They actually wanted me to move there, which was a thought. I guess they have a few festivals during the year which sound like fun. It’s kind of a spread out Cortez, and reminded me of it.
I found the bike shop of course and stopped in and visited with the owner, super nice guy, but as I write this I can’t remember his name, but I will find out. Small one room shop with piles of bikes everywhere, my kind of place. He said he lived on a houseboat up the river and had a home in town. He invited me to go check it out, but I graciously declined. I stopped by a couple times while I was there and he knew the area well.
I rode my bike around town, interesting history here, “Dr. Gorrie invented the ice-making machine and is considered the father of air conditioning and refrigeration. Gorrie’s invention began with an attempt to cure Yellow Fever during an outbreak in Apalachicola in 1841.” the house below isn’t it though, don’t think I took a picture if his house? Here are a few around town shots.
Some areas were sad, because the loss of their Oyster beds. But they are like most fishing towns in Florida a a tight knit community that will do whatever it takes to live. Like I mentioned before the majority of Oysters are farm raised up here.
When I arrived in Apalachicola I was greeted by this boat, The Miss Martha. It made me smile to see my mom’s name on a boat as one of the first things I saw when I got here. Except, my mom didn’t really like boats and I don’t think she ever ate a shrimp LOL. From the boat I was on I was given beautiful sun rises’, Moon photo shoots, sun sets and just the beauty of this waterway.
I had a great time in Apalachicola, I so happy my friend Rene offered her boat for a place to hang out, meet new friends, relax, and plan my next move. I can’t thank you enough Rene!! But it’s time to keep on rolling.
