Apalachicola
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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. |