Looking for the Old Florida

Looking for the Old Florida?  The Old Florida before high rises, superhighways, and traffic jams still exists in Franklin County just an hour south of Tallahassee, Florida’s capital. Franklin County is a kickback place with something for everyone – fishing, shopping, boating, hiking, and history. The county includes Apalachicola, Carrabelle, and St. George Island. 

1. Life is a beach: With miles and miles of pristine sandy beaches most people come for the beaches that are perfect for tanning, swimming, shell hunting, or just walking and hoping to catch sight of dolphins at play. St. George Island alone has 22 miles of beach and their beaches are dog friendly.
2. On the briny foam: There are plenty of marinas so bring your own or rent a boat. Go fishing for flounder, grouper, snapper, amberjack and sea bass. Or go diving for an up close and personal look at the water life or take a leisurely trip in the Gulf. Take a relaxing one hour tour of Apalachicola’s historical waterfront and estuary with Captain Larry of Wheelhouse Tours.

3. Oystering: Gourmands generally agree that Apalachicola oysters are the best in the world. They are plump with a mellow taste that should be enjoyed raw untainted by sauces. Go oystering with Book Me a Charter to learn how to tong, cull, and harvest oysters the way fishermen have been harvesting these delicacies for over 150 years. 
4. Wild things: The area is filled with wildlife including deer, bear, and other critters but the most amazing are the sea

turtles.  From May to November the sea turtles come ashore to lay their eggs for your viewing enjoyment as they have for over a thousand years but do not disturb them. Most accommodations have information on how to protect the turtles. 
5. Birding: Birds are everywhere but a hike in Tate’s Hell State Forrest, St. George Island State Park, or with birding expert Alan Knothe in the Apalachicola National Estuarine Reserve tickle the feathers of all birders. The Apalachicola National Forest is home to the world’s largest population of red-cockaded woodpeckers.
6. Camp Gordon Johnston: The World War II museum is

dedicated to the 250,000 amphibious WW II soldiers and support groups who trained at the camp. A video shows their intensive training, which included practicing for the D-Day landing. 
7. Lighthouses: In Carrabelle climb the 112-year-old fully restored Crooked River Lighthouse and tour the replica of the Crooked River Lighthouse Keeper’s House that recently opened. The historic St. George Light that was reconstructed by a dedicated group of local citizens after the original succumbed to beach erosion. 
8. Museums: A walking or Golf Cart Tour of Apalachicola with stops at John Gorrie State Museum, historic homes, and the recently renovated Dixie Theater. Over 900 historic homes and buildings are in Apalachicola’s National Historic District.
9. Shopping: Art galleries, antique shops, and boutiques make shopping a joyous adventure in Apalachicola, Carrabelle and St. George Island. The beauty of the area has inspired artists including watercolorist Linda Clark and photographer Richard Bickel’s insightful photographs.

10. Tee time: Golfers will love St. James Bay golf course an Audubon International “Certified Silver Signature Sanctuary” 18-hole, par 72 championship course with wetlands and water hazards present at every hole. Spectators include herons, egrets and even an occasional lazy alligator. 


Accommodations range from the historic Coombs Home Inn in Apalachicola to beachside villas on St. George Island to a cozy beautifully decorated Barrel House on Alligator Point. 

Thinking about winter getaways

It is never too early to start planning your winter getaway especially if you plan travel during the holidays or school breaks. Travel gurus will say the best time to book air tickets is on Tuesday and the cheapest days to fly are mid-week, and for U.S. tickets they suggest start looking three months in advance and five months ahead of time for international tickets. I don’t think it is ever too soon to start looking. We already have our tickets for December. When I am booking air tickets I have a figure

in mind and when I find something reasonable I buy and never check again. I usually by our tickets to Asia in May, try to fly midweek, and avoid holidays if I can. If you are flying internationally check when the country you are visiting have holidays; for example, in Asia Chinese New Year is a very busy time. Sorry to say this but I have always found the best international air deals to be with foreign carriers and they offer better service. We have found it financially beneficial to take the train to NYC and a taxi to JFK because we often get great deals on ANA (All Nippon Airline) which is one of the top five best airlines. 

Often some of the least expensive flights are to Aruba, Bonaire, and

Santo Domingo.  The ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao) are out the hurricane belt and great destinations.  Think out of the box – try something different. I have seen great deals to places in Nicaragua and Columbia. 

If you are thinking of buying a time share, condo or even a house in some sunny location – do the math first.  Do you want to have to deal with two properties – taxes, utilities, maintenance and being locked into one destination? As strange as it sounds it does not cost us any more to winter in SE Asia than staying in snow country.  We often stay at the same place for a couple weeks – we love Ngapali Beach in Myanmar but we also like to try something new.  Last year we really enjoyed our stay at

the Holiday Inn Resort in Penang, Malaysia. We are planning to go there again this winter.  It always pays to join an airline’s or hotel’s customer loyalty program. We have an Intercontinental Hotels (think Holiday Inns) credit card where we can get and use points.  This coming winter we are considering the Holiday Inn Resort in Batam, Indonesia – room with breakfast is $79. The hotel has three outdoor pools and one indoor swimming pool, but alas it is not on the beach but with three pools we might not care.  There are always condos, apartments, and houses to rent but I don’t want to do the cooking and cleaning.  If I wanted to do that I could stay home.

If you are thinking of places in the U.S. check out St. George Beach south of Tallahassee – there are a lot of places to rent, golf courses and an amazing beach. Instead of pricey Hilton Head consider nearby Fripps Island which is lovely. If it is not a beach you are interested in there are great places in Arizona

like Tucson. Get a feeling for the Old West in Bisbee and we loved the woods around Prescott. Looking for something artsy? Check out unique Arcosanti. There is someplace for everyone this winter. 

For lovers of Lighthouses

Aficionados of lighthouses will find them just about everywhere. Not only are they along the coast but also along lakes, rivers, and canals. There are about 1000 lighthouses of various designs in the United States with Michigan having the most with over 150. Some are now automated, others are museums, and some even offer accommodations to the public. The oldest working American lighthouse is the one on Sandy Hook, New Jersey. When it was lit in 1764 it was only 500 feet from the tip of Sandy Hook. Due to changes in the shoreline it is now nearly 1.5 miles from the tip.

1. New York: Tibbets in Cape Vincent is located where the St. Lawrence meets Lake Ontario. The Lighthouse features the only original working Fresnel lens in Lake Ontario. In 1991 the Lighthouse Quarters became part of Hostelling International.
2. Maine: The Nubble Lighthouse in York is a complex of several buildings. Next to the 88-foot tower is the two-story, six-room lighthouse keeper’s house, a workshop, generator building, and the boat house. One unique aspect on the island is the Trolley – a basket on a cable – that allowed goods to be transported to the island.
3. Connecticut: Mystic Seaport Lighthouse is located on the grounds of the Museum of America and the Sea. It is a replica of the Brant Point Lighthouse on Nantucket. The original was built in 1746 and was the second operative lighthouse in New England.
4. New Jersey: Barnegat Lighthouse is known affectionately as ‘Old Barney.’ The name derived from the Dutch word, ‘Barendegat,’ which means ‘inlet of breakers.” It was operational for nearly 100 years. Today visitors can see the original Fresnel lens.
5. South Carolina: The Hunting Island Lighthouse is South Carolina’s only publicly accessible historic lighthouse in the state. At 132 feet high it rewards those willing to climb its 167 steps with breathtaking views of the Hunting Island State Park, the sweeping Lowcountry marshland and the Atlantic Ocean.
6. Florida: Visitors who are more than 44-inches in height may climb the Crooked River Lighthouse. The iron and steel structure guided fishermen and oystermen through the treacherous pass between Dog and St. George Islands, and along Florida's Panhandle for nearly 100 years. The keeper’s house is now a museum.
7. Michigan: Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse was established in 1892, and is located at the southeast end the Mackinac Bridge. It was originally constructed in 1890 to signal fog, with the light being added in 1892. It was deactivated in 1957, and currently serves as a maritime museum.
8. Wisconsin: The Cana Lighthouse was built in 1869 and lit in 1870 and is now a museum. Step inside the Keepers' House where, beginning in 1869, the first of a number of lighthouse keepers tended to the light, which guided sailors and protected them from the dangerous shoals extending out from the island into Lake Michigan.
9. California: The Port Hueneme Lighthouse in Oxnard was established in 1874 to guide shipping through the Santa Barbara Channel which runs between the California coast and the Channel Islands. The two-story Victorian building has a twin at Point Fermin with both being lit on the same day in 1874.
10. And more: There are many lighthouse associations. Some protect one specific lighthouse, others list all those in an individual state, and others are organized by area. The United States Lighthouse Society’s web site, www.uslhs.org, list many of the associations.

Enjoying Oysters in Apalachicola, Florida

Oysters never appealed to me and I have been able to avoid them until our recent trip to Apalachicola. We are at a house party where they had piles of oysters harvested that day. I could not avoid trying them so I had to practice what I preach. To my surprise they were delicious.

John went out on a tour where he learned how the fishermen have been harvesting oysters for hundreds of years. It is hard work and they go out in all kinds of weather. Long poles that resemble rakes hinged in the middle are used to scoop up clumps of oysters. Oysters like to live where fresh water from rivers meets the salt water so Apalachicola is perfect. Amazingly, an oyster can pump and filter at least 25 gallons of water in 24 hours. Interestingly from 1880 to 1920 New York State was the oyster capital of the United States.

Apalachicola is just one of the small quaint towns in Franklin County an hour’s drive south of Tallahassee. I didn’t think we were “Florida” people. But we loved the area around Apalachicola. It is what Florida used to be like. Franklin County is eighty-seven percent national preserves, state forests and protected lands with virtually deserted pristine beaches, and something for everyone – fishing, kayaking, museums, shopping, golf, swimming, or doing absolutely nothing. It is the last vestige of Old Florida, a Florida that does not exist anywhere else – no high rise hotels, no traffic congestion making it the ideal place to relax, kick back, and do whatever tickles your fancy.

We went to hear Bruce Drye talk about turtles and the nesting areas on the local beach. When the loggerhead turtle hatches it is only about two inches long but the adult loggerhead sea turtles are among the larger of the sea turtle species and weigh an average of 275 pounds. There are several volunteer groups that try to protect the sea turtles and their nests. “Sea turtles migrate between nesting areas and foraging areas, often traveling hundreds, even thousands of miles to reach a desired location. Some individual turtles that nest in Franklin County may travel as far as the coast of Central or South America to forage before returning to nest,” Mr. Drye explained. He also said, “Turtles are not decision makers. They operate on instinct so if people leave the lights on in their house the baby turtles head toward the house instead of to the sea and if there are beach chairs and other things in the way they get trapped.” Our lovely villa on the beach on St. George Island had instructions about what to do to protect the turtles during nesting time.

On an historic tour of we learned that in 1837 the Orman House was built near Syracuse then unassembled and prepared for shipping. It traveled by sailing ship to Apalachicola where it was reassembled. It was a similar situation with the Episcopal Church, which was built near White Plains, NY, and shipped to Apalachicola, where over 900 historic homes and buildings are in Apalachicola’s National Historic District.