Franklin County, Florida
Apalachicola
A doctor here built a machine to make ice, because his patients were dying of fever.
Dr. John Gorrie (1803-1855) practised medicine in Apalachicola, where an 1841 yellow fever outbreak led him to cool sickrooms with ice and then to build a mechanical ice-making machine. He is recognised as the father of air conditioning and refrigeration.
What this place is
Why Apalachicola is here
The settlement was incorporated as West Point in 1828 and took the name Apalachicola in 1831.
Oysters were sold locally as early as 1836, and the Ruge Brothers Canning Company was established in 1885 by Herman Ruge and his sons.
Sponging was a mainstay from the mid-1870s: Apalachicola had 16 sponge vessels working in 1879, and by 1895 between 80 and 120 men were employed in the trade.
- 1831Named Apalachicola
- 1841Gorrie's yellow fever winter
- 187916 sponge vessels
- 1885Ruge Brothers cannery
Worth the trip
What to look for
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Orman House Historic State Park on Market Street, whose grounds include the Chapman Botanical Garden and the Three Soldiers Detail South memorial.
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Battery Park, at the mouth of the Apalachicola River, is the town's waterfront green and the ground on which the Florida Seafood Festival is held.
- 03
John Gorrie Museum State Park on Sixth Street: the site was donated to the State of Florida in 1955 and the one-storey brick museum building was constructed in 1957.
Time your visit
The weekend that matters
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November
Florida Seafood Festival
Billed as Florida's oldest maritime event, a two-day festival at Battery Park at the mouth of the Apalachicola River that draws tens of thousands. The 2026 edition, on 6-7 November, is the 63rd annual.
Hotels, inns, rentals and campgrounds
Where to Stay
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Hotels
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Hotels
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Hotels
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Hotels
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Inns Bnb
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Hotels
Restaurants, seafood, cafes and bars
Where to Eat
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Bars Breweries · $
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Seafood · $
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Seafood · $
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Restaurants · $
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Restaurants · $
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Cafes Bakeries
Parks, beaches, museums, tours and charters
Things to Do
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Parks Nature
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Parks Nature
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Lafayette Park
Parks Nature
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Tours Charters
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Tours Charters
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Marinas Boating
Apalachicola on the record
Pictures of the place
Archive and Creative Commons photographs of Apalachicola. Nothing here is generated; every image is credited to the person who took it.
75 guides, written from this town’s own record
Guides
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The Best Things to Do in Apalachicola, Florida
The town’s history is a matter of public record, and its present is best measured in oysters, river water, and the quiet patience of its waterfront.
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The Best Restaurants in Apalachicola, Florida
The oyster trade in Apalachicola predates the town’s current name; the waters have been working for a long time. Here is where to eat on them now.
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Where to Stay in Apalachicola: Hotels, Inns and Rentals
The town is small—2,304 people, by the last count—and its lodging stock matches the scale: a few historic inns, a handful of hotels, and some rentals that take over whole houses or houseboats. Here is where to lay your head in Apalachicola.
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A Weekend in Apalachicola: What to See, Eat and Do
The river gives the town its shape and its history. Apalachicola, population 2,304, sits at the mouth of the Apalachicola River, where the water finally meets the bay. The name changed three times in three decades—Cottonton, then West Point on incorporation in 1828, then Apalachicola from 1831—but the work stayed the same: pulling a living from the water and the timber around it. A weekend here is best spent walking the compact streets, eating what comes off the boats, and remembering that this small grid of roads once mattered far beyond its size.
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16 Things to Know Before Visiting Apalachicola, FL
A working waterfront of 2,304 people where the history is structural, not decorative. Here are sixteen things to know before you go.
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The Best Time of Year to Visit Apalachicola
The right time to visit Apalachicola depends on what you want from a town that built itself on ice, timber, sponges, and oysters—and whether you can tolerate the heat that made ice necessary in the first place.
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Apalachicola or St. George Island: Which to Visit
Apalachicola shipped ice before it shipped oysters. That sequence matters more than any beach.
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The History of Apalachicola in 10 Landmarks
Apalachicola’s history is written in its river, its docks, and its brick; here are ten landmarks that mark the passage.
Public record
Apalachicola by the numbers
- 2,304Residents (2023)
- 12.7% Homes held for seasonal use
- 125 Places in this guide