I only spent a portion of a day in Apalachicola, but it was enough to stick it in my ” revisit ” box. It oozes the Old Florida feel. It’s getting harder to find that on the Pan Handle of Florida. Don’t get me wrong, I do love doing the 30A, Destin, Panama City Beach thing, but sometimes you just want the peaceful, old Florida, not over touristy experience.
Nothing looks New here. The small downtown is weathered, but in a cute way. The town is far from drying up when it comes to interesting shops. We were visiting on a Sunday, so much of the downtown was closed, but that didn’t stop me from peering into the windows. Some of the shops that peaked my interest were:
The Apalachicola Chocolate and Coffee Company, ( I mean… yes to all those things.)
Downtown Books and Purl – who doesn’t like a quaint little home town book store? Does anyone make book store scented candles??? IF so, let me know. I’d totally buy one.
Cafe Con Leche – another super cute coffee shop/ deli. If you haven’t noticed, food and drinks get my attention.
Reel Memories – super fun shop full of interesting and unique souvenirs. This one happens to be owned by a family friend. Go say hi to Pam for me!
Back to food and drink… We had supper at the Owl Taproom. Everyone’s food was good, and the beer selection was awesome. Speaking of that.. Across the street is the Oyster City Brewing Company. We didn’t have time to stop in, but I did have some of their beer on tap at The Owl Taproom. I was not disappointed.
The thing that makes the downtown so nice is that it’s situated right on the river. You can stand on the sidewalk of the brewery and see the water at the end of the block. It’s an easy stroll down to the docks to see the boats coming and going and maybe catch a colorful sunset backdrop over downtown like we did.
Lastly, is the other options nearby for sight seeing. In one direction is Cape San Blas, a very non-commercial beach area with a handful of snack shacks. There’s actually an interesting hike along the beach (about a mile) to see a “shipwreck ” The Donna Kay is stuck in the sand on the beach and makes a fun photo spot. In the other direction is St George Island, which is another notch or two higher on the touristy meter. Nothing in the realm of Destin, PCB, etc, but another neat place to spend a day.
I really look forward to going back to spend some time in this area of the ” forgotten coast ” pretending to be a local. If you beat me to it, let me know in the comments!