People say, that in Florida, the further north you go, the more Southern it is. Based on today, I concur with that sentiment.

I was enticed up to Florida’s Forgotten Coast by a unique event (more about that soon) but decided to come a day early so I could explore this section of the Panhandle.

I broke up my 5 hour drive this morning, by stretching my legs alongside the Suwannee River. Did you know Stephen Foster’s “Old Folks at Home” (aka Swannee River) is Florida’s state song?

During the next two hours I passed boiled peanut and Tupelo Honey stands before being greeted by a Piggly Wiggly market. Definitely signs of Southern culture.

After spending a warm but breezy afternoon wandering the beach on St. George Island I headed over to Apalachicola. The town was once famous for its oysters, though the harvest has been closed for the past five years.

According to locals they have survived mainly by shrimping, fishing, and farm raising oysters (a labor intensive process). It will be interesting to see how the town rebounds after the oyster harvest reopens next year.

I backtracked to Carrabelle to end my day. Snapped a quick photo of the World’s Smallest Police Station before catching sunset on the Carrabelle River. Not a bad way to end a day of exploring!