Apalachicola Area
Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul, as the swift seasons roll!
– Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894)
Today, Apalachicola oysters bring fame from far and wide to this half-forgotten hamlet, but only the luckiest travelers discover the community with its wealth of historic mansions. During the glory days, the town grew rich on cotton bales sent down the river from the old South, and on milling the endless stream of pines that were cut in nearby forests. When the first Europeans arrived, more than 40,000 Indians lived in the area, harvesting shellfish. Spanish friars established 10 missions in Apalachee country. The fur trade thrived. Traders and settlers streamed in. By 1821, Apalachicola was a customs center and the third largest port on the Gulf Coast. Even during deadly yellow fever epidemics, the city endured. Then came Civil War, railroads to siphon off most of the river traffic, and an end to the boom. The mansions, street after street of them, remain. This is a town to stroll and study. Write ahead for a self-guided walking tour.
Along the way, drop in at the small but fascinating John Gorrie State Museum. On display is a replica of the first refrigeration system, which was designed by Dr. Gorrie when he was desperately searching for a way to cool his patients who had yellow fever.
Sweet Dreams
Coombs House Inn
This is one of the finest restorations of one of the finest mansions in Florida. It’s named for its first owner, lumber baron James Coombs, who spared no expense in building his home with the finest woods and craftsmanship. Originally from Maine, he was a Civil War veteran who fought with the Union. No detail was overlooked by the new owners in refurbishing the deeply varnished hardwood floors, the original hard-carved oak staircase, leaded glass bay windows, and the fireplaces in 10 of the bedrooms. Rooms are richly done in damasks, English chintz, Oriental rugs, and king- or queen-size beds. Each room has a television and telephone. Have breakfast in the mansion’s original formal dining room. Then head for the beaches, nature sites or historic sightseeing, or just spend the day on the big porch, rocking your cares away. A wine reception is held 6-7pm on Fridays, Saturdays and holidays.
• 80 Sixth St., Apalachicola 32320, downtown historic Apalachicola. 850-653-9199. Rooms: 19, all with private bath.
• Rates: From $80, including hearty continental breakfast.
• Credit cards: MC, V
• Dining: Walk to area restaurants.
• Children: The Carriage House offers privacy for a couple or family.
• Pets: No.
• Parking: Provided.
• In the neighborhood: Walk to historic sites, parks, churches.
Gibson Inn
Yes, Virginia, you can still find a turn-of-the-century wooden hotel just like the hundreds of hotels that greeted Florida’s tourists who arrived by paddlewheeler or railroad a century ago. This three-story landmark was built in 1907 as the Franklin Hotel by an innkeeper who had the foresight to make all the rooms different in size and shape. The present hoteliers take advantage of this by decorating each room in different colors and fabrics. Beds are antique white iron or wooden four-posters. Rooms are available with two twins, a queen, or a king. All have a private bath and television. The restaurant is rustic and rich in nostalgia, renowned for its food, and the bar is downtown’s best hangout. Porches surround the hotel, so you can always pull up a couple of rockers and let a century slip away. Ask about their murder mystery weekends and bed-and-breakfast packages.
• 51 Avenue C, Apalachicola 32320, in the downtown area. 850-653-2191.
• Rooms: 31
• Rates: From $75; all rooms are $5 more on weekends.
• Credit cards: MC, V
• Dining: The hotel’s restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
• Children: Extra persons in the room are $5. Cribs and cots are available, and some king and queen rooms have a day bed.
• Pets: Yes, $5 extra per day.
• Parking: Provided.
• In the neighborhood: Walk to historic sightseeing, churches, restaurants.
The Inn at Resort Village
What a difference a bridge makes! St. George Island is an enchanting place, its white beaches scrubbed clean by daily tides. This small, luxury hotel was designed with romance in mind. Two-bedroom suites have two baths, a queen-size bed in the master bedroom and twins in the other. Some suites have Jacuzzis. You’ll arrive back from dinner each evening to find your bed turned down. Order breakfast from room service. Some kitchenette suites are available. We like the covered parking and the 24-hour security. Innkeepers can find you a flight instructor, dive trip, boat or bicycle rental, a guided nature tour, or a fishing guide. If you arrive in your own boat, call the inn for pickup. Taxis are also available. Little extras: If you fly a private plane, the Inn is within walking distance of the airport, which has a paved, 3800-foot runway. Landing is $10; parking is $6 nightly. No fuel or lights are available on the field.
• 1488 Leisure Lane, St. George Island 32328, east of Apalachicola. Take Highway 98 to Eastpoint, then over the bridge to the island; turn right onto Gulf Beach Drive. Go west to the Plantation security gate, register here, and continue 1.5 miles to the inn. 800-824-0416 or 850-927-4000; fax 850-927-4001; E-mail info@fla-beach.com.
• Rooms: 27
• Rates: From $102 nightly
• Credit cards: MC, V
• Dining: Drive to five restaurants on the island. If you don’t have a car, bring food to cook in your kitchenette.
• Children: Yes.
• Pets: No.
• Parking: Ample.
• In the neighborhood: You’re not far from museums and antiquing, but the beaches are the big drawing card here.
Turtle Beach Inn
Just you and the balmy breezes, Gulf sands and a porch overlooking the beach allow you to recharge your solar batteries. One suite has a Jacuzzi; the two-bedroom Sand Dollar Cottage gives you privacy and a separate bedroom for the children. Rooms all have a ceiling fan and private bath. Have breakfast overlooking the sea, and enjoy afternoon refreshments on the covered porches.
• 140 Painted Pony Road, Port St. Joe 32456, at Indian Pass on Scenic C30 between Port St. Joe and Apalachicola. Take C30 off Highway 98, following signs to St. Vincent Wildlife Preserve. At the Indian Pass Raw Bar turn onto Indian Pass Road. Take the first right, which is Painted Pony Road. The inn will be on the left. 805-229-9366; fax 850-229-9367; E-mail turtlebeach @digitalexp.com.
• Rates: $90-$150. Weekly rates are available in the cottage.
• Credit cards: MC, V
• Dining: Hosts will provide dinner by reservation. Drive to restaurants in Apalachicola or Port St. Joe.
• Children: Yes.
• Pets: No.
• Parking: Ample.
• In the neighborhood: Fishing, golf, sailing, canoeing, kayaking.
Tables For Two
Caroline’s Dining On The River
End your day with a sundowner in the Roseate Spoonbill Lounge, then have a romantic dinner along the river under the gazebo. Return to the lounge after your meal to have an after-dinner drink and listen to live entertainment. Regional entertainers perform on week nights; jazz and blues are featured on Friday and Saturday. Fresh Florida seafood is infused with an Asian accent. The dinner menu offers a half-dozen appetizers, including oysters or gumbo, salads, pastas, including a divine Crab Alfredo, and a shipload of side dishes. Create your own menu by ordering the meat or fish of your choice, adding side dishes. The ginger-based Asian pork chops with Oriental dipping sauce is a good choice for those who don’t like seafood. Try their breakfast dishes, too. The Japanese Brunch Canvas features steamed clams with thin-shaved grouper sashimi and pan-seared yellowfin tuna served over rice, garnished with wasabi. More traditional brunch dishes are ham and eggs or bagels with Panhandle lox (smoked mullet).
• 125 Water Street in the Apalachicola River Inn (formerly the Rainbow Inn), downtown historic Apalachicola. 850-653-8139.
• Hours: Daily 7am-4pm for breakfast and lunch; 5pm-9pm for dinner (until 10pm on Friday and Saturday).
• Prices: Dinner entrées are $14.95-$24.95.
• Reservations: Not accepted.
• Credit cards: All major.
Magnolia Grill
Owner-chef Eddie Cass smokes his own salmon over oak, bakes fresh snapper in a feather-light pastry crust, and does wonderful things with local oysters, shrimp, and scallops. Grouper is served over black beans and topped with tomatoes and Havarti cheese. Rack of lamb and Beef Wellington are classic favorites. For a real treat have the Rack-N-Quail, which is half a rack of lamb and a quail stuffed with andouille sausage and topped with tasso ham sauce. Surf & Turf is prepared with a Southwestern twist with beef and shrimp, or as stuffed shrimp plus an oak-grilled pork tenderloin topped with béarnaise sauce. Chef Eddie’s homemade dessert case is worth a special trip, even if you have already eaten elsewhere.
• 133 Avenue E, downtown historic Apalachicola on US 98. 850-653-8000
• Hours: Dinner only, Monday through Saturday. Hours vary; call ahead.
• Prices: Main dishes are $12 to $24.
• Reservations: Recommended.
• Credit cards: MC, V
Owl Café
Locals and visitors alike find happy hunting at this unpretentious, small-town restaurant where the seafood is fresh and the surroundings informal. Oyster salad is a house specialty, dressed in a zesty balsamic-horseradish sauce. The Greek salad can be served as a first course, or with shrimp as a light meal. Main dishes include crab cakes with roast pepper cream, a spicy jambalaya, pan-seared grouper with roast garlic and artichoke hearts, or breast of chicken in a creamy marsala sauce. The filet mignon is sauced with a Gorgonzola cream. Vegetarians have a choice of pastas with vegetables. Many of the same dishes are offered at lunch, when there are also sandwiches, quesadillas, sandwiches, and a fiery habanero and sirloin chili. Children can have a grilled cheese sandwich, pasta with a simple sauce, or a chicken and cheese quesadilla. Breads and desserts are homemade.
• 15 Avenue D, historic downtown Apalachicola. 850-653-9888.
• Hours: Monday-Saturday, 11am-3pm and 5:30-10pm.
• Prices: Dinner entrées are $12-$17; lunch about $10.
• Reservations: Accepted.
• Credit cards: MC, V
Oyster Cove
Sweeping, panoramic views of the bay are the perfect seasoning on a memorable meal of seafood or prime quality, chargrilled-to-order filet mignon, ribeye, or New York strip. Start the meal with conch fritters or shrimp cakes. Apalachicola oysters lead the seafood menu. They’re dipped in buttermilk and seasoned flour, and fried golden brown or are prepared with a Bordelaise sauce and served over linguine. The seafood platter is a combination of shrimp, oysters, scallops, deviled crab, grouper, crab claws, a cup of gumbo and a choice of fries or beans and rice. The dish also comes with a lettuce salad or homemade coleslaw. You can’t go wrong with the fresh catch of the day served grilled, blackened, or fried. For vegetarians there’s a stir-fried vegetable dish served over linguine. The nightly special might be mahi-mahi prepared with a bit of bacon and garlic, grouper Newburg, or a chicken dish. If you’re not satisfied with the flavor or tenderness of an Oyster Cove Sterling Premium steak, your money will be refunded.
• East Pine Street at East Second, St. George Island. Cross the bridge to the island and turn left on East Pine Street, then go left again on Second Street East. You’ll see the restaurant on your right. 850-927-2600.
• Hours: Daily, 5-10pm.
• Prices: Main dishes are $20 or less; steaks and fresh fish are market price.
• Reservations: Accepted.
• Credit cards: MC, V, AE
That Place on 98
It’s a great roadside stop when you’re out for a ride along beautiful Highway 98. Oysters are offered in many tempting ways and the seafood menu is mouth-watering. If you aren’t a seafood devotee, have the filet mignon or the vegetarian pasta, which is angel hair in a sauce of olive oil, bell peppers, snow peas, and sun-dried tomatoes with Romano cheese. The children’s menu offers chicken fingers, hamburgers or pasta with marinara sauce. There’s also a sandwich menu.
• 500 Highway 98, Eastpoint. 850-670-9898.
• Hours: Daily, except Sunday, from 11:30am; Sundays from noon.
• Prices: Appetizers $5-$7; salads $5-$6; main dishes $9-$14.
• Reservations: No.
• Credit cards: MC, V
Things To Do
Apalachicola Estuary Tours
Sail aboard an agile boat that takes you up the river, through the marsh, deep into the wetlands, or across the bay to barrier islands. The Osprey accommodates up to 32 passengers under cover. The Pelican is a 24-foot open skiff that carries up to six people. This is a fine opportunity to see the richness and variety of plant, bird, and fish life in an estuarine environment. Boats sail from Water Street at Avenue G; 850-653-2593. The boats charter for $150 an hour. The two-hour cruise is $20 for adults; $16 for children under age 16.
The Estuary
Dolphin Watch
Go looking for Flipper in a canoe or kayak flotilla with a guide. One- and two-person kayaks are available at a cost of $25 per boat for two hours, including paddling gear and the guide. Broke-a-Toe’s Outdoor Supplies & Services, Port St. Joe; 850-229-WAVE. E-mail broc@digitalexp.com; Web site www.capesanblas.com/broke-a-toe.
Governor Stone
Sail aboard the authentic tall ship Governor Stone, a Gulf Coast schooner built in 1877. A project of the Apalachicola Marine Museum, this beautiful restoration is available for weddings, moonlight and starlight sails, or sailing lessons. Day and sunset sails depart spring, summer and fall for a fare of $20 adults and $10 children. Reservations are suggested. 268 Water Street; 850-653-8700.
