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About Apalachicola
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. |
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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. |