All along the GICW, the curving river intersects with bayou after bayou. It’s a beautiful area.
And here’s a nice piece of riverfront property.
We think the one above must have gotten lost from the adjacent field of houseboats, tucked in a bayou just off the channel.
We crossed into the Eastern time zone (sprung forward) that we had departed at Chicago six weeks ago. Then we passed this railroad swing bridge. It stays in the open position unless a train is coming.
Our destination is Apalachicola, Florida. This Panhandle city has a rich history and maritime culture, along with bountiful natural resources. The bounty of the sea is evident from the scores of shrimp boats with their booms and nets.
This area also has alligator. The only one we saw was on the menu at a local restaurant, billed as “fresh-caught in Scipio Creek” which is where our marina is located! So swimming is REALLY not a good idea!
The shrimp boats cruised past Monarch at her dock, all day and all night. This one was towing in a disabled fellow shrimper, who must have lost his engine.
Here, they temporarily “park” in the reeds, so the first vessel could reel in his booms, reducing his width enough to navigate the increasingly narrow channel.
The town has about 900 historically designated buildings, and the city has constructed a walking tour of 35 of those, within an area about six blocks square. We did more than one walkabout in the three full days we were here. This is the First United Methodist Church. Built in 1846, a kitchen fire in a nearby house destroyed this and 72 other downtown buildings. It was rebuilt in 1901.
The Coombs House was considered the most elegant residence in Apalachicola when a local lumber magnate built it in 1905. It is a classic Queen Anne style home with ornate verandas, and is now a B & B.
This is the Three Soldiers, Detail statue, honoring soldiers who fought in Vietnam. It is cast from the original mold of the Washington, DC Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial Three Servicemen Statue.
Adjacent to the memorial is the Orman House, a Historic State Park. Built in 1838 by slaves, the wood for this two-story house was cut to measure in New York and shipped to Apalachicola via sailing vessel around the Florida Keys.
We saw many monarch butterflies while here, this one in the Botanical Gardens adjacent to the Orman House. We think this area is on the migratory path for the monarchs, as well as for us! We later returned to the Gardens for a fund-raising weenie roast, to raise money so the local police and fire departments can buy toys for Christmas for needy children in the area.
Built in 1838, the Raney House was placed on the National Register of Historic Homes in 1972. It is owned by the city, and provides a glimpse of life in the early 1800s.
The Gibson Inn was built as a hotel in 1907, and is the cornerstone of the preservation efforts in Apalachicola. It is one of the few inns on the Federal Register of Historic Places that is still operating as a full service facility.
In addition to shrimp, oysters are a local delicacy. This is a small pile of shells near a processing plant. We saw other shell mounds that were at least as high as a two-story building. We see that the shells are used for roadbeds, as we would use gravel up north.
This city is a charming, seafaring town, with lots of local charm and very few chain stores or fast food franchises. The restaurants are many and varied, with excellent oysters, shrimp and fish, and pecan pie as staples. We sampled them all!
All along the GICW, the curving river intersects with bayou after bayou. It’s a beautiful area.
And here’s a nice piece of riverfront property.
We think the one above must have gotten lost from the adjacent field of houseboats, tucked in a bayou just off the channel.
We crossed into the Eastern time zone (sprung forward) that we had departed at Chicago six weeks ago. Then we passed this railroad swing bridge. It stays in the open position unless a train is coming.
Our destination is Apalachicola, Florida. This Panhandle city has a rich history and maritime culture, along with bountiful natural resources. The bounty of the sea is evident from the scores of shrimp boats with their booms and nets.
This area also has alligator. The only one we saw was on the menu at a local restaurant, billed as “fresh-caught in Scipio Creek” which is where our marina is located! So swimming is REALLY not a good idea!
The shrimp boats cruised past Monarch at her dock, all day and all night. This one was towing in a disabled fellow shrimper, who must have lost his engine. 
Here, they temporarily “park” in the reeds, so the first vessel could reel in his booms, reducing his width enough to navigate the increasingly narrow channel.
The town has about 900 historically designated buildings, and the city has constructed a walking tour of 35 of those, within an area about six blocks square. We did more than one walkabout in the three full days we were here. This is the First United Methodist Church. Built in 1846, a kitchen fire in a nearby house destroyed this and 72 other downtown buildings. It was rebuilt in 1901.
The Coombs House was considered the most elegant residence in Apalachicola when a local lumber magnate built it in 1905. It is a classic Queen Anne style home with ornate verandas, and is now a B & B.
This is the Three Soldiers, Detail statue, honoring soldiers who fought in Vietnam. It is cast from the original mold of the Washington, DC Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial Three Servicemen Statue.
Adjacent to the memorial is the Orman House, a Historic State Park. Built in 1838 by slaves, the wood for this two-story house was cut to measure in New York and shipped to Apalachicola via sailing vessel around the Florida Keys. 
We saw many monarch butterflies while here, this one in the Botanical Gardens adjacent to the Orman House. We think this area is on the migratory path for the monarchs, as well as for us! We later returned to the Gardens for a fund-raising weenie roast, to raise money so the local police and fire departments can buy toys for Christmas for needy children in the area.
Built in 1838, the Raney House was placed on the National Register of Historic Homes in 1972. It is owned by the city, and provides a glimpse of life in the early 1800s.
The Gibson Inn was built as a hotel in 1907, and is the cornerstone of the preservation efforts in Apalachicola. It is one of the few inns on the Federal Register of Historic Places that is still operating as a full service facility. 
In addition to shrimp, oysters are a local delicacy. This is a small pile of shells near a processing plant. We saw other shell mounds that were at least as high as a two-story building. We see that the shells are used for roadbeds, as we would use gravel up north.
This city is a charming, seafaring town, with lots of local charm and very few chain stores or fast food franchises. The restaurants are many and varied, with excellent oysters, shrimp and fish, and pecan pie as staples. We sampled them all!
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