Prime 11

Panama City, FL to Apalachicola, FL

Posted on by Jackie Schanz
Today we travel 70 miles in the ICW along Florida’s Panhandle.
Some areas of the ICW are wide, like a lake, such as Big Cove outside of Panama City.
Other areas are narrow like creeks.

Again we see the abandoned derelict boats.

This one appears to have been here quite a while.
We see tree lines trying to make a comeback from the battering of recent hurricanes and storms.

Some trees though are still sturdy and strong, supporting some impressive inhabitants!

🦅

As we near Apalachicola, we turn off the ICW and into Scipio Creek. One huge sandbar stands directly in our path to our dock, so we must navigate past our destination and then make the turn into the creek. During high tide the sandbar disappears, making the water seem navigable. Reading the charts and adhering to the markers are a must.

There is still a lot of damage from hurricanes.

Remnants of Michael’s destruction!
We pass the salty shrimpers. There are 3 major types of shrimp harvested from the nearby waters of Apalachicola: white, brown and pink shrimp. Apalachicola Bay shrimpers average more than a million pounds per year, nearly 20% of the state’s shrimp supply.

We arrive to our dock.

Thankfully not this one, but the one right next door.
Our dock is at the old icehouse, which has since become an event center.
The event space inside the Ice House openly leads into our dock area. We meet a bride planning her late June wedding at this event center. Not sure this venue will hold true to its name, Ice House, come June though…
This is the front façade of the Apalachicola Ice building. Interesting to note that Dr. John Gerrie, who arrived to Apalachicola in 1833, was the pioneer in the invention of refrigeration, air conditioning and artificial manufacture of ice. Cheers to Dr. Gerrie!

For dinner, we walk nearby to Up The Creek Raw Bar.

What’s on the menu?? Oysters and more oysters. We order some red wine to accompany our meal. They serve us a Kool-Aid pour in their sizable plastic cups!

In prior years, the waters of Apalachicola, with its brackish nature, was very conducive for oyster growth, resulting in nearly 90% of the Florida fresh oysters being harvested from this area. It is quite a different story today. 2025 marks the last year of a 5 year moratorium of harvesting any oysters at all. Environmental conditions, over-harvesting, and disease have plummeted the population of oysters. Hurricane Michael, which led to 80,000 gallons of semi-chlorinated sewage water to accidentally be released into the nearby waters, was likely the final nail to warrant a moratorium. Whether they rescind the moratorium this year is anyone’s guess. However, the harvesting will never reach the heights of the past. Tonight, our oysters are from Cedar Key, FL. They were very good!

After our oyster and wine dinner, we hear live music coming from Belle’s, which is situated right across from the Icehouse Building.

Belle’s Saloon
We saddle up to the bar, order a cocktail, and end our first day listening to karaoke.

Apalachicola is a very small town with an “old Florida” vibe, often bringing you back to the simpler times of the past.

In various locations, you occasionally come across an old telephone booth. Although, with an attached telephone book still, not so often!

While the vibe of old Florida is present in the historic buildings and its laid back friendly people, Apalachicola has surprises up its sleeves for visitors. It has many unique boutiques, up and coming breweries, tasty restaurants, and one of a kind art galleries.

Boutiques line the streets of downtown.
Old Florida shops interspersed among the new.
A laid back afternoon in Apalachicola

Our last night, we stopped by the High Five Dive Bar and listened to a live band. We didn’t expect such varied nightlife, beyond Netflix, in Apalachicola!

The live band was a great treat!

We had a great few days in Apalachicola!

And the weather is starting to warm up!
We loved our stay in Apalachicola and, I, for one, leave the area feeling good especially after supporting many local small businesses! 😉

Next stop: Carrabelle, FL and a weather window wait for a Gulf Crossing!

2 thoughts on “Panama City, FL to Apalachicola, FL”

  1. I’m enjoying the interesting facts and stories you are telling about your voyage.
    Be safe and have fun on the rest of your journey.

    Reply

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