A Stretch of Florida Untrampled By Tourists

A P A L A C H I C O L A, Fla., July 31 -- More Mobile than Miami and more New Orleans than Naples, Florida’s laid-back “Forgotten Coast” on the Gulf of Mexico entices with a mix of colorful history, seafood fresh off the boat, fine fishing, and untrampled beaches.

Despite its sugar-white sands and down-home dining, the eastern stretch of the Florida Panhandle from Alligator Point to Port St. Joe is a remnant of Old Florida relatively undiscovered by the tourist hordes that flock to Panama City and Destin to the west.

In the early 1990s, civic leaders in Apalachicola and other coastal communities in the area dubbed the region “Florida’s Forgotten Coast.” The delights of the area were perhaps the best-kept secret in Florida.

Now, however, the word is getting out. Men’s Journal in its August issue lists Apalachicola among “our 10 favorite towns for holing up and living right.”

You can relax here. No one will bug you. Fish. Be a local. Listen for Jimmy Buffett and some regional musicians on Oyster Radio (WOYS, 100.5 FM).

Going Up the Main Drag

Just off these quiet beaches, workaday shrimpers and oystermen go about their business as they have for generations.

U.S. 98, the Forgotten Coast’s main drag, snakes between the Gulf of Mexico and lush, protected pine forests and swamp land. The Apalachicola, Carrabelle and St. Marks Rivers meet the salty Gulf to form a brackish paradise for oysters, shrimp and fish between the mainland and the barrier islands of St. George, St. Vincent and Dog Island.

St. George is connected to the mainland by a bridge, and the speed limit is strictly enforced to protect rare birds that swirl overhead and nest underneath.

The island has a number of beachfront motel rooms, cottages and homes available for rent by the week or month. Prices drop significantly in the winter since, unlike farther south, this part of Florida gets cold. Beaches are wide and flat, and restaurants like the Blue Parrot are only a short drive or walk away.

There are only a few houses on Dog Island, just east of St. George. It’s reachable only by a ferry, which plies the sound a few times a day.

St. Vincent Island, to the west of St. George, is entirely a wildlife preserve, served by several guide services. Or, you can rent a boat to get there.