By Kathleen Walls
The Forgotten Coast is the name folks in Franklin County in the Florida panhandle have chosen for their small strip of heaven on earth. Designers once left this area off a map of Florida businesses and the local chamber of commerce, when they got over their anger, trademarked it and used it to promote their area. The Forgotten Coast consists of the communities of Apalachicola, Alligator Point, Carrabelle, St. George Island, and Eastpoint, including the four barrier islands of St. George, Dog Island, Cape St. George and St. Vincent Island. Each town has a distinct personality, but they have one thing in common. This section of the Big Bend of Florida is not filled with high-rises and condos. When you drive along the beach road, you see the water. And there are over 200 miles of shoreline.
1. Tate’s Hell
Driving into the Forgotten Coast from the West, you pass many signs directing you to Tate’s Hell. It is 212,000 acres of state forest that is mostly swamp, with some higher ground for hiking, primitive camping, and wildlife viewing. The Ralph G. Kendrick Boardwalk is one short hike that takes you to a stand of unique dwarf cypress trees. The trees are mostly over 150-years-old but are only about 15 feet tall.
You can launch a boat at Cash Creek or several other sites in the forest. Many of the sites in the forest offer picnic tables for a relaxing break from driving. Some are just off the beach road. Keep to the roads or trails. Tate’s Hell when a early settler went into it with his dogs hunting a panther that was killing his cattle. He emerged 10 days later. His dogs had been killed by the panther. He had been bitten by a poisonous snake. His hair had turned white, and all he could say was he had been through Hell.
2. Carrabelle History Museum
Once in Carrabelle, the history museum is a good way to learn about Carrabelle’s past as a fishing town. The museum is the former Old Carrabelle City Hall, circa 1933. You will find exhibits dating back to prehistoric times and on to modern times. Best of all, it is FREE. It tells how the town began when Oliver Kelley came from Kentucky with his family. He pitched a tent near the Carrabelle River and named himself mayor of “Ria Carrabella.” The town was incorporated in 1881. One exhibit where you can take a selfie is the original “World’s Smallest Police Station,” a phone booth once used at a police station.
3. World’s Smallest Police Station
A replica of the phone booth once used as the world’s smallest police station is in its original location across the street from the Carrabelle Chamber of Commerce/Franklin County Visitor Center on U.S. Highway 98, also known as Big Bend Scenic Byway. It’s possibly the most photographed spot in Carrabelle.
It was originally just a phone bolted to a building, but on March 10, 1963, they put the phone in a booth at this location. The phone booth has survived hurricanes, vandalism, and people attempting to steal it. It has been featured on many television shows, including Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show.
4. Camp Gordon Johnson WWII Museum
For WWII history buffs, this museum is a must. Camp Gordon Johnston opened as a military base in 1942 to train Infantry Divisions in amphibious warfare. It later became a prisoner of war camp housing Italian and German prisoners. It closed as a military operation in June 1946.
It opened as a museum in 2018. The museum tells the story of this part of our history. It focuses on the strategies of amphibious warfare but tells much more. You’ll see Japanese and NAZI flags, weapons, and uniforms. There are exhibits about DUKWs, seagoing jeeps often found as tourist rides today and commonly known as DUCKS.
5. Crooked River Lighthouse
Just a short distance farther west on Highway 98, is Carrabelle’s second most photographed attraction is the Crooked River Lighthouse. It’s unusual because they made it of steel beams rather than a masonry building. It was originally constructed in 1895 and restored to its present condition in 2007. If you are brave enough, you can climb the 128 steps to the top inside its main circular beam for a small fee. The keeper’s house, now a museum and gift shop, is open to the public free. You’ll find lots of information and displays on how lighthouses function. There are artifacts used by former keepers.
6. Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve Nature Center
Continue driving towards Eastpoint and you’ll find Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve Nature Center. There is about a half mile of boardwalk leading to the building and trails leading to the water. On the deck before you enter, you see a life-sized oyster boat and plaques that explain the life of an Apalachicola oysterman. Inside there is a large circular mural telling about the watershed. They show a documentary to tell you about the reserve. A shell collection identifies many of the shells you might find on the beach. The Bay Discovery Room lets you study ancient marine life fossils. There are tanks with native fish and reptiles. It’s a place to learn more about the ecosystem. Just across the street on the bay front, Millender Park has picnic tables under a pavilion and is a good place to launch a kayak or canoe.
7. Cape St. George Lighthouse
Before you head to Apalachicola, veer off to Saint George Island. It has one of the most beautiful lighthouses and keeper’s houses in Florida, Cape St. George Lighthouse. The island’s first lighthouse was built in 1833. Since it stands on a small island between the Gulf of Mexico and Apalachicola Bay, storms and erosion frequently ravaged the lighthouse. That one only lasted until 1846, when a hurricane damaged it badly.
They completed the second lighthouse in 1848. It too succumbed to a hurricane. They built the present one in 1851. It fell because of erosion in 2005, but was reclaimed from the gulf. They reconstructed it in 2008 and it stands a proud 77-feet-tall near the center of the island. In 2011, a replica of the red-brick, two-story keepers house opened and serves as a museum and gift shop. The museum, which tells the story of the light, is free, but there is a charge if you want to climb the 92 spiral stairs and eight-rung narrow metal ladder that leads to the top of the light.
8. Dr. Julian G. Bruce St. George Island State Park
A large part of the island is Dr. Julian G. Bruce St. George Island State Park. It’s a magnificent park with a dual personality. Its Gulf of Mexico side offers about nine miles of white sandy beach for pleasant swimming or just lying around. You will see sea gulls, maybe a few sea turtles, and possibly some dolphins will entertain you with their leaping. On the Bay side, it’s marshy and wild. You may see many birds like osprey and egrets. You may see a bald eagle or red-cockaded woodpecker. Reptiles and small mammals like raccoons and opossums live in the swampy underbrush. Besides the swimming and sunning, bird watching, stargazing because of dark skies, geocaching, shelling, hiking, biking, fishing, kayaking, and canoeing are popular here. There are two ramps for boat access to Apalachicola Bay for small boats only. For picnickers, there are six beach shelters with picnic tables and grills. If you can’t get enough of the island, you can camp in one of the 60 campsites with electricity and water hookups in the pine woods behind the dunes. A dump station is available in the park. There is primitive camping for the more adventurous.
9. The Raney House Museum
Get back on Highway 98 and head east to Apalachicola. The Raney House Museum was the home of David and Harriet Raney and their eight children. Three of the sons served in the Confederate military. Legend has it that this was the site where local ladies sewed a Confederate battle flag for departing soldiers. The house is a two story Federal Style with later Greek Revival columns added. David Raney was a successful cotton merchant. The home reflects the lifestyle of well-to-do citizens in Franklin County. Exhibits include a plaque telling about life along the river and commercial shipping in that era.
10. The Orman House Museum
The Orman House Museum is part of the state park system. It is a gorgeous antebellum home on the banks of the Apalachicola River. Thomas Orman built the home in 1838 and his descendants occupied it until 1994. Historians credit Thomas Orman with turning Apalachicola from a little-known town to one of the busiest cotton exporting ports in the South in the 1930s. The house contains many of the Orman family artifacts. One room features a large display of clothing of that century. There are outbuildings and gardens on the property.
Be sure to visit the attached Chapman Botanical Garden named for Dr. Alvin Chapman, a famous botanist in the 19th-cnetury. The garden has a lovely butterfly garden. There is a bronze replica of Three Soldiers Detail. The original is at the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C.
11. Shopping
Downtown Apalachicola is the place to shop for your Forgotten Coast souvenirs. You will find individually owned boutiques, galleries, and shops, but no chains here. There are stores selling handmade soap, candles, paintings, shell art, and so much that reflects the culture of the Forgotten Coast. There are antique shops like Ole Stuff Shop and The Tin Shed that have some of the weirdest objects, along with things those of us of a certain age remember using.
12. Dining
Dining ranges from places like Carrabelle Junction, which offers simple breakfasts and lunches, to Saint James Bay Golf Resort, which provides upscale dining. My favorite is Fathoms Steam Room and Raw Bar. You can dine inside, but my favorite spot is on the deck overlooking the river. At dinnertime, there is a band. There is a decided Key West feel here. All the seafood choices are great, but remember they rate Apalachicola Bay Oysters as one of the best in the world so that’s my first choice. In Eastpoint, Red Pirate Family Grill and Oyster Bar is a rustic seafood choice with music and a mini golf course. If you want to experience Carrabelle nightlife, try Harry’s. It crosses Florida with New Orleans vibes.
13. Lodging
Old Carrabelle Hotel is my choice for best lodging on the Forgotten Coast. It’s a historic bed-and-breakfast in Carrabelle. It’s small but owners, Kathy and Skip Frink, keep everything spotless. They decorated each room uniquely with a Florida theme. They furnish breakfast via a voucher you can use at your leisure at local restaurants. It’s walking distance from the river walk and the historic section. The building dates back to the early 1900s, but it has all the modern amenities you could desire.
Conclusion: Driving along Highway 98, you’ll see some of the most beautiful white sand beaches in Florida. The nicest thing is, they are mainly uncrowded. There are no interstates coming here, but it’s worth veering off the beaten path for what you find in the Forgotten Coast. There is easy driving and parking. I didn’t see any parking meters, and no paid parking lots. There are many RV parks as it is a popular snowbird location.
