65 miles E of Panama City; 80 miles W of Tallahassee

Sometimes called Florida’s Last Frontier (a claim that overlooks the Everglades) or the Forgotten Coast, Apalachicola makes a fascinating day trip from Panama City Beach or Tallahassee, as well as a destination in its own right. The long, gorgeous beaches on St. George Island, 7 miles from town, are among America’s best. The area is also rich in wildlife preserves.

Unfortunately, 2018’s Hurricane Michael razed many landmarks, bridges, restaurants, and structures here. It also led to the death of half the Gulf’s sturgeon population and devastated the region’s famed oyster industry, which was already beleaguered due to climate change and oil spills. Funds to rebuild arrived and were put to quick use.  “It was the worst we’ve been hit and the quickest we’ve recovered,” said John Solomon, executive director of the Apalachicola Chamber of Commerce, told the Palm Beach Daily News.

But despite Solomon’s optimism, we’d say this region was still in the process of recovering. Before Hurricane Michael, before the ravages of climate change began to take effect, Apalachicola produced the bulk of Florida’s oyster crop, and shrimping and fishing were major industries, too. In 2020, Apalachicola Bay oysters were pretty much nonexistent, so much so that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission closed the wild oyster harvest for five years to allow populations to recover. The wild harvest moratorium began in December 2020; if the moratorium is lifted, it will be in January 2026.

It's not just the oysters that were depleted. Certain species of fish, including red drum and speckled trout disappeared, too, as were the aforementioned sturgeon.  Ecologists have been working to restore the various habitats, and though the harvesting of oysters is currently on hold, thanks to aquaculture, over 100 oyster farmers have leased one to ten-acre water plots where they have started cultivating new breed of bivalves.

So you won’t be oystering on vacation, but the lovely little town of Apalachicola (pop. 2,475 as of 2024) has other charms. It was a major seaport from 1827 to 1861, when plantations in Alabama and Georgia shipped tons of cotton down the Apalachicola River to the Gulf. The town had a racetrack, an opera house, and a civic center that hosted balls, socials, and gambling. The population shrank during the mosquito-infested summer months, however, when yellow fever and malaria epidemics struck. It was during one of these outbreaks that Dr. John Gorrie of Apalachicola tried to develop a method of cooling his patients’ rooms. In doing so, he invented the forerunner of the air-conditioner, a device that made Florida tourism possible and life a whole lot more bearable.


Besides the enterprising oyster farmers, the town has also been discovered by a number of urban expatriates, who came for a visit and stayed. They’ve restored old homes, and opened antiques and gift shops. Apalachicola is a resilient hidden gem of a charming Southern small town that manages to balance both its history and its aspirations.