city
Apalachicola
Apalachicola is the old cotton port at the mouth of the Apalachicola River, where Florida's oyster industry started and air conditioning was born.
A Franklin County port, where the river meets the bay.
In the mid-1800s Apalachicola was among the Gulf Coast's busiest cotton ports. The Orman House, built in 1838 by cotton merchant Thomas Orman, still overlooks the river and is a state park today.
Ice and air conditioning
Dr. John Gorrie came to town in 1833, served as mayor and tried to cool the rooms of his yellow-fever patients. He received the first U.S. patent for mechanical refrigeration in 1851. The John Gorrie Museum State Park, downtown, has a replica of his ice machine.
Oysters
Apalachicola was selling oysters by 1836, tonged by hand from shallow skiffs. After the bay's reefs collapsed, the state closed wild harvest in 2020. It reopened on a small, tightly limited season from January 1 to February 28, 2026, so ask where your oysters come from.
Florida Seafood Festival
Billed as Florida's oldest maritime event, the 63rd festival is November 6–7, 2026, at Battery Park, with the Blessing of the Fleet. Details are on the festival site.
Getting there
Take US 98 east through Mexico Beach and Port St. Joe. It's about a two-hour drive from Panama City Beach. Apalachicola is in Franklin County, on Eastern time, an hour ahead of Bay County.
Explore nearby
City of Apalachicola, Franklin County