Time travel. It is out there somewhere – the ability to step through a door and, whoosh, go back in time.
Time travel is possible in Florida. Seriously. It takes a bit of driving instead of a magic door but then, whoosh, you are descending a tall bridge into Apalachicola – dropping back in time, literally.
Apalachicola has just one traffic light – a blinking yellow
Apalach (the locals prefer the short version) is a small town with one blinking light, one zip code. This is a walk able friendly place where people find contentment in a community defined by water, trees, rivers and marshes. Their coastal nature and colorful history are treated like family members to be cherished and celebrated.
And this history heritage is a boon for the visitor. You really are going to experience time travel here. Step into historic Orman House built in 1838 by Thomas Orman. This home was built to impress and it does.
Orman House, Apalachicola.
When Mike Kinnett, 2008 District I Interpreter of the Year, gives his guided tour, speaking in the time of 1838, you found yourself looking closely at the things on Orman’s desk, even listening for footfalls, perhaps someone will visit wearing period costumes.
At the Coombs Inn on Sixth Street, completed in 1905, one of the rooms is James N. Coombs bedroom. The mattress is new but the four-poster bed is over 100 years old and so high there are STEPS you climb to get into the bed. How’s that for time travel?
Coombs Inn
Confession time – first time visitors come for the oysters, then, after a good meal, they often stay for the history. Ninety percent of the oysters in Florida are grown here in Apalachicola Bay and ten percent of the nation’s oysters are grown here.
Apalachicola Oysters are the best
Until I came here I thought an oyster was an oyster. Not so. These taste different, better than anything you’ve had before. You can see the surprise on my face in a VISIT FLORIDA video on Apalachicola.
Your turn. Try oysters served 17 different ways at Boss Oyster on the waterfront at Apalachicola River Inn. After oysters, give the world’s largest fried fish sandwich a go at Apalachicola Seafood Grill, a dog-friendly restaurant on Market Street.
My advice – park anywhere because walking around Apalach is easy. In fact, if you stay overnight, leave your car wherever you are staying, everything is walking distance.
Cotton display at John Gorrie Museum
Notice how wide Market Street is – one of the widest streets you’ll find in Florida. Back in the 1800s, when Apalach rocked as port town with lots of cargos coming and going, like big loads of cotton, brought from Georgia by river boats, then unloaded, rolled down Market Street towards the docks and lighters that would carry the cargo to tall ships anchored out at sea.
A must-see studio on Market Street is Richard Bickel Photography. He arrived in 1994 after photographing cultures around the world. Bickel took one look at the oystermen working on their boats and decided he had to capture what he calls Florida’s Last Stand.
Trinity Episcopal Spire seen through old live oak tree
Time doesn’t stop in Apalach just because there is only one blinking light and T-shirts for sale with the one zip code proudly displayed. Be prepared to shop till you drop. A nice surprise is the splash of shops nestled in the old buildings, plus new structures built to blend into the ambiance.
Peddlers Alley, Apalachicola
The Grady Market along the waterfront has antiques, art, gifts and clothing and food in a building that used to house foreign counsels.
Clustered with the Market are the Consulate Luxury Suites and the Apalachicola Exchange, all part of a whole city block restored past glory polished for today’s high end use.
For a good overview of Apalach’s historic heritage, stop by the Apalachicola Bay Chamber of Commerce, 122 Commerce Street, and pick up a free brochure “Apalachicola Historic Walking Tour.”
Pomagrante the cat at the Chamber
When tired of walking, get wired (literally) at Café con Leche Internet Café at the High Cotton Market Place on Water Street.
Cow sculpture outside Cafe con Leche
If gardens are your thing, visit the Garden Shop (also called Gardens) on Commerce Street, full of eclectic garden objects and organic herbs and vegetables.
Gardens
Book stores always speak to me and I gravitate to this bookstore that also has fine yarn – Downtown Books & Purl on Commerce Street. They have an excellent section on Florida and yes; they are kind enough to carry my book “50 Great Walks in Florida.”
Speaking of walks, Lafayette Park is delightful. Dedicated in 1832 (you read that right) and refurbished 100 years later, enjoy the landscape then walk out the long pier out into Apalachicola Bay.
Chapman Botanical Gardens, right next to Orman House Historic State Park, has meandering walkways, a butterfly garden and plans to plant some of the species discovered by Dr. Alvin Chapman, a 19th century botanist.
Time travel is possible. Apalach is the proof. Come for the oysters, stay for the history and be there for a sunset. For anyone who has forgotten what a thrill it is to slow down and connect with nature, your neighbors and history, this is the place to come.
©2011 Lucy Beebe Tobias. All Rights Reserved. Photographs by Lucy Beebe Tobias
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