By Chuck Spicer
Editor/Publisher Coast Line

It was the early nineties and once again a major tourism promotion group had published a map that completely "forgot" to recognize that there is a delightful coastal section of Florida extending from Mexico Beach on the West to St. Marks on the East. The map area between Panama City and Tallahassee was virtually blank.

Tired of constantly being shunned, a group of Chamber of Commerce leaders from Franklin, (Carrabelle, Apalachicola & St. George Island), Gulf, Wakulla, and Eastern Bay Counties gathered to discuss the omission. They decided to hang an appropriate moniker on the region. It became Florida’s "Forgotten Coast". A four-color brochure (with map) was created and is still being distributed today.

Some will argue it is no longer "Forgotten." Quite possibly true, but relative to the rest of the Sunshine State, this area is still virtually undiscovered. For most all of the year each visitor still has a quarter mile of magnificent beach all to himself. Two of the beaches (St. George Island State Park and St. Joseph Peninsula State Park) having been rated among the Top 10 in the nation (including Hawaii).

There are still virtually no street lights or parking meters. No bungee cord jumps, shopping malls, traffic jams, neon lights or sky scrapers. Not even long waiting lines at the many award-winning area restaurants serving the finest fresh and best-prepared seafood in the World.

What’s there to do on the Forgotten Coast? Everything or nothing - depending on your pleasure. Frankly, most regular visitors claim that "just plain relaxing" is their favorite pastime. Soaking up the laid-back lifestyle so reminiscent of days gone by.

If a totally sedate lifestyle is not for you, we offer for your consideration, at least 101 things to see and do on Florida’s Forgotten Coast.

MEXICO BEACH

Traveling from the West the first Forgotten Coast community you’ll come upon is Mexico Beach. Unlike the hustle bustle Bay County cities like Panama City and Panama City Beach, this Eastern Bay County city of about 1,000 folks is just plain mellow.

Not only does Mexico Beach draw sugar, white sand loving families throughout the Summer but also is a popular "snowbird" destination. Sunbathing, swimming and fishing are the three favorite pastimes enjoyed by visitors.

Miles of unspoiled, beautiful beaches run parallel to Highway 98 and the "no undertow" feature makes these stretches ideal for the entire family. In addition to surf and pier fishing, there are several excellent charter boats available. Several "public" fishing tournaments are held during the year as well as a July 4th celebration. Canal Park on the extreme western edge is a must place to relax.

PORT ST. JOE

Port St. Joe (Gulf County) is a city in transformation. The downtown area has been transformed into an "old time" strolling, browsing and shopping area. Exceptional brick work and lighting make it a real showplace. And a new $3 million City Marina is complete. In addition to featuring a waterfront park with a boat ramp and a gazebo at the end of a long pier, the city maintains several other outstanding parks.

Pate Park and Maddox Park are both on the shores of pristine St. Joseph Bay, home of the World’s most succulent scallops. Scallop Day on St. Joseph Bay is celebrated in September and a wide range of other festivals and events (July 4 Celebration, Christmas Festival, etc.) are also staged by the Gulf County Chamber (850/227-1223) and other organizations.

St. Joseph was a "Boom Town" in the 1830’s and hosted the Florida Constitutional Convention in ’39. A museum traces the history of the area.

WEWAHITCHKA

Traveling North along Highway 71 from Port St. Joe to Wawahitchka you will pass through White City and Honeyville and will see several signs pointing towards a several unique fresh water fishing communities.

Two lakes peering into the skies resulted in the Indian name Wewahitchka (watery eyes). Commonly referred to as Wewa by the locals, the Northern Gulf County City is home to the Dead Lakes and Tupelo Honey. Dead Lakes State Recreation Area is an absolute must for camera buffs. Skeletons and knees of cypress trees killed by a massive flood make for a picturesque setting.

Wewa folks have been harvesting Tupelo Honey from the Swamps of the Apalachicola River Basin for more than a century. Generally regarded as the World’s finest, Tupelo is pure and does not granulate. The 1997 Movie "Ulee’s Gold", starring Peter Fonda, was filmed in Wewa and the area. A Tupelo Festival is held in the spring as well as many other celebrations during the year.

The festival is held in Lake Alice Park, which features children’s play equipment and restrooms beneath a mighty cathedral of moss-draped oaks.

Cape San Blas/Indian Pass

Traveling East from Port St. Joe to Apalachicola (or vice-versa), visitors have the option of traveling scenic route C-30. A marina (charter fishing), RV site and boat ramp plus St. Joseph Bay Country Club are located in Simmons Bayou and Jones Homestead respectively.

A right hand turn takes you along a winding Cape San Blas Road and miles of beautiful beaches. You will pass beautiful Salinas Park (dune walkovers, beach, restrooms, play area) a pizza & subs shop, a refueling facility and Salt Works Cabins, (site of Confederate Saltworks destroyed by the Union in 1862). At the end of the road is the highly rated state park and its many amenities. There are not many permanent residents but Cape San Blas and its many beach resort rentals is a major vacation destination.

C-30 then meanders towards Indian Pass which features a trading post and raw bar (established 1929), bed & breakfast, campgrounds and public boat ramp. This is also the closest you will get to St. Vincent Island, unless you have a boat or can charter one. This state owned island, featuring fresh water lakes and unique fauna and critters, can be walked only during the daylight hours. The St. Vincent Wildlife Refuge Center in Apalachicola (end of market Street at Scipio Creek) can answer all of your questions and is a great place to browse.

APALACHICOLA

At the heart of the Forgotten Coast is Apalachicola. Established in the 1830’s, the 3,000-resident community features a 2.5 square mile Historic District lined with more than 200 historically and architecturally significant structures. An organized Tour of Homes is held the First Saturday in May and visitors are forever strolling the tree-lined streets. It is also the home of the John Gorrie (inventor of the ice machine) Museum.

Apalachicola is home to the Florida Seafood festival (first Saturday in November) and a wide range of Chamber (850/653-9419) sponsored events. Once the third most significant port on the entire Gulf of Mexico, Apalach still features a working waterfront including shrimp and oyster boats and seafood houses. The Apalachicola River Inn and Marina complex is also on the banks of the Apalachicola River. A new marina is also complete.

The centerpiece of the community is the Historic (1907) Gibson Inn, which was restored in 1985. The city also features several fine hotels and bed & breakfasts. The restored and renovated downtown area features dozens of unique and charming shops. Plus a whole host of award winning restaurants. Restoration and re-creation projects include the Grady Building, Owl Cafe, Sponge Exchange and Dixie Theatre.

The "Candy Kitchen" building at Market Street & Avenue G, is believed to be one of the oldest commercial wooden structures in the city (circa 1875).

Parks and attractions include Battery Park (public boat ramp), Lafayette Park, Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve (ANERR) "Estuarine Walk", St. Vincent Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, Raney House (Open For Saturday Tours) Scipio Creek Marina, Chestnut Cemetery, and the Apalachicola Maritime Museum which operates the Governor Stone, a restored 1877 schooner that is a national Historic Landmark and the oldest active sailing vessel in the deep south. Two vessels provide visitor trips on the Apalachicola River and Bay.

Nearly 200,000 acres of that river & bay plus surrounding territory make up the ANERR, the largest and most magnificent estuarine reserve in the country. Hundreds of protected and rare species of fauna, fish, birds and animals call it home. It is also the spawning ground for a great percentage of all Gulf seafood and Apalachicola Bay produces the finest oysters in the entire world. "Sports Afield" named Apalachicola one of America’s 50 Best Outdoor Sports Towns. Excellent charter & guide services are available.

EASTPOINT

The unpretentious Eastpoint waterfront is lined with seafood houses and oyster boats as many area residents continue to make their hard-earned living harvesting the sea. Eighty per cent of Florida’s oyster supply is generated by these oystermen. About 20% of the nation’s supply.

As you travel the John Gorrie Bridge (Apalachicola to Eastpoint) and the Bryant Patton Bride (Eastpoint to St. George Island) you can often see them working the oyster beds. Their nine-foot tongs manually worked from the side of a boat. No mechanical means allowed. 

In addition to featuring a fishing lodge plus several restaurants, Eastpoint is also becoming the "commercial" center of the Forgotten Coast. Many new businesses have sprung up during the past few years. Several new developments have also broken ground. It is also the new home of the expanded ANERR operations.

ST. GEORGE ISLAND

Selected as Florida Rural Community of the Year in 1992, St. George Island is home to about 900 permanent residents and the annual (first Saturday in March) Charity Chili Cookoff & Auction.

The nation’s largest National Chili Society sanctioned regional chili cook-off, it has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the island’s volunteer fire department and first responders unit.

The 26-mile-long barrier island features an award winning state park (rated among the Top 10 in the nation) on one end and an exclusive upscale residential area (the Plantation) on the other. Thousands of visitors flock to this delightful oasis each year for water related activities and just plain mellowing out. The island’s vacation homes enjoy outstanding occupancy (winter rates are extremely reasonable) and provide much of the visitor traffic for the area. Two other motels are also available.

Those visitors can select from among nine outstanding restaurants and visit the more than two dozen souvenir (and the practical) shops, bait stores, grocery and video shop. The fishing is outstanding from several land based locations.

This unincorporated area features an active civic club as well as fun-loving crew known as the St. George Island Yacht Club, which sponsors some sort of event just about every month. The night clubs provide excellent entertainment during the Summer season and the island now features an annual Beam’s Music Festival, which has been drawing rave reviews.

St. George Island also provides the foundation or barometer of the area’s Real Estate industry. Dirt cheap prior to 1990, S.G.I. land values have climbed steadily during this decade and mainland values have gone along for the ride. About a half dozen of the area’s more formidable real estate companies are located on the island and have expanded to other areas of the Forgotten Coast.

ISLAND CHAIN

To the West of St. George is Little St. George and its tilting lighthouse. Local efforts are underway to save this piece of history. It used to be one large island until Sikes Cut was dug in 1955. There’s no bridge. Farther West is St. Vincent Island and then Black’s Island off the Gulf County coast. To the East is Dog Island. An occasional ferry ride is available to this 100-home island with a single dirt road. A small hotel and a grass landing strip complete the picture.

CARRABELLE

Like Port St. Joe, Carrabelle has a history that dates well back into the 1800’s. But a turn of the century storm ravaged the "Pearl of the Panhandle."

Like several other Forgotten Coast communities, Carrabelle is undergoing considerable change while attempting to maintain its down-home "fishing village" ambiance and charm. Despite crippling commercial fishing regulations, the city continues to maintain a working waterfront while also making room for several updated construction efforts. Among them is a "Riverwalk" located on Marine Street, site of the Chamber of Commerce’s annual Carrabelle Waterfront Festival each April.

The festival features a charity gumbo cook-off and the 1997 winner (Jackie Gay) also won the Good Housekeeping Magazine recipe of the year contest and $50,000 for the Franklin County Public Library system. The festival also features dozens of art, crafts and food booths as well as a day filled with entertainment and fun.

One "must" stop for any visitor to Carrabelle is the World’s Smallest Police Station, located smack dab on Highway 98. Don’t blink else you’ll miss it. Featured on a wide range of television shows (Johnny Carson, You Asked For it, etc.) and in national and international magazines, the local police station is a phone booth. Like the one used by the greatest crime fighter of them all, Superman. The local police force actually uses it as a base of operations.

Located in the Carrabelle Mini-Mall is the Chamber office (850/697-2585) which dispenses helpful information and friendly smiles. They’ll tell you about the neat shops and restaurants in the area as well as the outstanding marinas and fabulous recreational fishing that’s available. The Moorings Marina is headquarters for the annual charity Father’s Day Weekend Big Bend Saltwater Fishing Classic, which has boundaries all along the Forgotten Coast and draws more than 600 fishermen.

Among the several areas of heightened Carrabelle activity is on Timber Island. Marine related activities are already in place and a major marina and tourism industry related facilities are possible.

Several neat motels and inns are located in Carrabelle and on the stretch of road to nearby Lanark Village.

LANARK VILLAGE

At the turn of the century Lanark Village was a major tourist destination. Many believed that the waters in the area were of "healing" value. The area featured a magnificent and highly regarded hotel which hosted folks from throughout the country. It has long since disappeared.

This area was also the home of Fort Gordon Johnson during WWII. The "secret" base was used as a training facility for the Normandy Invasion. Munitions are still found throughout Franklin and Wakulla Counties. Do not handle! In March of each year a reunion, parade and good fellowship are in order.

All that remains of the "Fort" is some asphalt, a few concrete blocks and some "barracks." Lanark Village, which has an abbreviated "par three" golf course, has many part-time residents who call the area home during Winter months.

ALLIGATOR POINT

Again, miles and miles of unspoiled beaches are at your disposal along the shoreline of the Alligator Point Peninsula on the Franklin/Wakulla border. There are probably about 125 permanent residents as most of the waterfront homes serve as second homes or transient rentals for fun-loving vacationers.

Near the end of the peninsula is a campground, which stays filled with RVs for much of the year, and features a store. At the very end of Alligator Point is a large marina with a store and refueling facilities. There are also charter boats available.

OCHLOCKONEE BAY/PANACEA

Waterfront camping is also available in the Ocklockonee Bay/Panacea coastal communities in Wakulla County. Several marinas are available (with all of the amenities), as well as, a couple motels and a host of outstanding restaurants. It is these restaurants that draw food lovers from the East and the West.

Mashes Sands Beach is an attraction as is Wooley Park, which hosts the annual Blue Crab Festival . The first Saturday in May event draws upwards of 20,000 people during its two-day run. Besides crab pickin’ and lots of entertainment, the festival features a parade plus dozens of art, crafts and food booths.

The Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratory is located in Panacea and is a great place to bring the youngsters.

The Wakulla community of Medart is home to a full-fledged, 18-hole golf course.

Traveling West on Highway 98 brings you to the Shell Point and Spring Creek portions of the county. Shell Point Resort, which features a motel, restaurant and marina, hosts a long list of activities throughout the year. And is a popular destination for Tallahassee weekenders and vacationers. A second restaurant is available as is a small beach. This is the site of the annual Stephen C . Smith Memorial Regatta in April. The two-day event is for charity. Nearby Spring Creek also features a restaurant.

ST. MARKS

Back on Highway 98 and traveling westward takes you to the turnoff for St. Marks. This coastal community is the starting point for the St. Marks Rail-Trail which wanders on towards Tallahassee. It also features a couple of marinas and a few fun eating facilities. St Marks hosts a Fall Festival in conjunction with the "Point In Time" festival at San Marcos de Apalache State Historic Site.

San Marcos has a long and colorful history dating back to 1528 and 1679, (when the fort was built). It’s a must for history buffs as the museum houses great artifacts and historical documents. Some signed by Andrew Jackson. The fort hosts the annual HuManatee Festival, a salute to the endangered gentle giants that can be spotted in local waters. There’s also a 150-year-old lighthouse nearby as well as a public boat ramp.

WAKULLA SPRINGS

Some have called it the "Eighth Wonder of the World" and that’s why Wakulla Springs State park draws visitors from across the world. It is home of one of the world’s largest and deepest freshwater springs. Because of its magnificent natural beauty, several movies have been filmed there. Including the old Tarzan flicks.

There are nature trails, guided boat tours (including glass-bottom), swimming, picnicking and a whole host of activities held throughout the year.

The park also features a large, charming and venerable lodge and conference center. There is an outstanding restaurant on the premises as well as a gift shop. Many of the nation’s leading companies use the facilities for weekend retreats and rewards for their top performers.

WOODVILLE

Nearby Woodville is the site of the annual Battle of Natural Bridge reenactment in March. The rebs win this one. The Crawfordville area is one of the fastest growing areas of the state. The city features an old courthouse that is being restored and a modern livestock pavilion that is the site of the annual Wakulla County "Pig Party", a swine show and festival in late February. The Wakulla Chamber (850/926-1848) is located here.

Sopchoppy, which features some quaint older homes and an old train depot, grabs the area spotlight on the Fourth of July as it hosts a daylong celebration that is the envy of the entire area. A parade and lots of entertainment and food. The community works the entire year in order to put on its annual program. Visit the Sopchoppy nursery (the water and dirt are great in this area) plus locals shops.

There you have it...at least 101 things to see and do on Florida’s Forgotten Coast. For even more detailed information contact the individual Chambers in each area and pick up your free monthly copy of Coast Line.

(Editor’s Note: Coast Line gladly extends to any and all persons and publications permission to use any or all portions of this page. We ask only that attribution be afforded.)