About Apalachicola FL

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At the mouth of the Apalachicola River which empties into the Gulf of Mexico, you will find a quiet fishing town known for its great seafood and quiet atmosphere.

Apalachicola is rich in natural resources. Excellent fresh water and salt water fishing and sightseeing opportunities exist in both the beautiful Apalachicola River and Apalachicola Bay. Explore the many bayous and estuaries by kayak, canoe, sailboat, or riverboat. Visitors to the area can also spend time looking through "Apalach’s" (as the locals call it) unique galleries, boutiques, gift stores and antique shops. Visitors are welcome to visit some of the local oyster and shrimp houses, buying seafood at its freshest.

It may seem hard to believe, but Apalachicola was once the third largest port on the Gulf of Mexico. There are over 200 historic homes and buildings on the National Historic Register. Established in 1831, Apalachicola's main industry was shipping cotton. It was this industry that allowed Apalachicola to become the third largest port on the Gulf of Mexico. While visiting Apalachicola you will notice that the streets are wider than usual along the "main drag". By the 1850s, the waterfront was lined with brick warehouses and these wide streets to handle the loading and unloading of cotton. Steamboats would came down the river full of cotton to unload in Apalach. Once unloaded, small shallow draft schooners shuttled the cotton to ships moored offshore.

As the 20th century rolled around, oysters and seafood had become an important industry in Apalachicola. Nowadays, Franklin County harvests more than 90% of Florida’s oysters. Also important commercially are shrimp, blue crab and finfish, bringing in over $11 million worth of seafood to Franklin County annually.