Day 2
Apalachicola and Port St. Joe
62 milesApalachicola—or Apalach, as the locals call it—is an oyster town: 90 percent of Florida's and 10 percent of the country's oysters are harvested in the area. Originally a port for the bustling cotton trade, the town dates back to the early 1800s. Take in the well-preserved antebellum architecture, or head to the pier to watch the shrimp boats bring in the day's catch. Then visit the Apalachicola Nature Center and walk to the lookout point at the end of the Nature Trail Boardwalk, keeping an eye out for ospreys.
Head inland on Route 71 North to Wewahitchka, where you can visit one of the last few apiaries that make pure tupelo honey. At L.L. Lanier & Son's (318 Lake Grove Rd., 850-639-2371), third-generation honey farmer Ben Lanier makes it just the way his father and grandfather did. The bees that pollinate the white tupelo gum trees here—which flower later than almost everything else—give the honey its distinctive flavor. Stock up on it and head 1.5 miles north to the Dead Lakes State Recreation Area (850-639-2702), a surreal spot where the Chipola River flooded a cypress wood, creating a Dali-esque tableau of dead stumps.
Take Route 71 North back south to Port St. Joe (where 71 intersects with U.S. 98). Explore the trails at St. Joseph Peninsula State Park before settling in for dinner at the Indian Pass Raw Bar (8391 Indian Pass Rd., 850-227-1670). Bikers, families, and old-timers gather here for the oysters, which you can order raw or baked. There aren't really any rules at this local institution—just grab a drink from the fridge, let the waitress know what you want, and be sure to get a slice of key-lime pie before heading back to the Gibson Inn.
Next Page: Rosemary Beach to Seaside
