We spend a few nights along Florida’s Forgotten Coast. We spend some time in the middle of a vast state forest, as well as a few nights at the fanciest ocean-side RV Resort we’ve ever been to!
Florida’s Forgotten Coast
The Beaches
The beaches along the Forgotten Coast were perfect white sandy beaches. Absolutely beautiful. We stopped at Carrabelle Beach for lunch and enjoyed the soft warm sand. We had been told that the town of Carrabelle was quiet and pleasant, and that the RV Resort was a pleasant community, however we didn’t spend enough time here to find out for ourselves.
We also visited St George Island and learned about the lighthouse that had fallen down and had been rebuilt. The State Park was quite popular for shelling and camping too, complete with hiking trails. We wished we had more time here!
Mexico Beach had also been recommended as a quieter beach town than its neighbor city to the north, Panama City. A mighty long and beautiful beach was there, and we stopped here for an Oceanside lunch.
Read about how these beaches stacked up with the other beaches we visited in Florida: Beaches of Florida
Florida Forest Land
Road out to Mack Landing Campground in the Apalachicola National Forest. (drone aerial photo) Ochlockonee River winding through Apalachicola National Forest. (drone aerial photo) Florida surprised us with how much forest land it has. We explored parts of the Apalachicola National Forest when we camped at Mack Landing as well as Tate’s Hell State Forest. In this Forgotten Coast area we saw many signs of burning, as well as an active burn itself!
A local recommended that we check out the Dwarf Cypress Boardwalk out in Tate’s Hell. This stand of dwarf trees has a boardwalk up and over them. Despite being hundreds of years old, the stunted trees huddle beneath their pine tree neighbors.
Camping
Here we found many camping opportunities in the forested land. Mack Landing was a boondocking campground we found in the Appalachicola National Forest. For $3/night we happily stayed in the peace and quiet of the forest. With only a handful of campsites of which none were occupied, we very much enjoyed our time out here. The only thing was that cell service was nowhere to be found, so we had 3 days of wonderful disconnected bliss!
On the flip side, we then spent two nights at the most luxurious and fancy RV park so far. We got a good deal through our Passport America membership, otherwise we wouldn’t have chose to stay at Coastline RV in Eastpoint, FL for the high regular price! We had a view of the ocean and a decorative brick patio. We made some friends with fellow RVers who tipped us off to the fact that the showers in the clubhouse were phenomenal! From here it was also very easy access to St. George Island.
Towns & Things To DO
The only towns we really visited on the Forgotten Coast were St. George Island (if you can count that) and Apalachicola. St. George Island had a visitor center, gift shop, lighthouse, a State Park, and a few restaurants and shops. Just before the bridge to go to St. George there is the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve (ANERR) that is a free scientific exhibit and research center.
While we didn’t have time to go, we heard rave reviews from locals and fellow campers. For groceries and such, we headed for Apalachicola. This was a really cute town, and we wish we had more time to stay here. It is a seafood town, and holds and annual Seafood Festival that draws thousands of people. The rest of the year, you can still get fresh seafood practically right off the boat down at the docks.
Groceries! Fresh fruit and veggies from the Bay Organics store in Apalachicola sure made the fridge colorful! It has a cute downtown area with bars, breweries, restaurants, special interest shops, and more. Everything is within walking distance, and I believe we walked close to the whole thing in about an hour just meandering through the shops and breweries. Apalachicola is home to the John Gorey Museum who was the father of ice making and air conditioning. It also has an awesome new organic food shop called Bay Organics that we were excited to find after taking a look at the Piggly Wiggly!
Hope this helps you plan your visit to the Forgotten Coast! Having some fun out in Tate’s Hell State Forest 🙂
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