Family’s favorite beach getaway retaining its charm
Twenty-seven years ago, Paul and I first visited Cape San
Blas, Fla. A friend told us the beaches were pristine and secluded and there
was little commercialism.
Skeptical, we made the seven-hour trip, feeling we were out
in the middle of nowhere soon after we passed Columbus. The verdict? We
fell in love with the cape and the surrounding charming towns of Apalachicola
and Port St. Joe. We vowed when we had children, we would bring them to Cape
San Blas every year.
Our first trip with babies was when our oldest was 2 and our
second child was about to turn 1. We also brought my parents on the beach trip,
something we continued to do when we ventured back to the beach year after
year. When the children were little, we loved to play on the beach for
hours, swimming in the Gulf, building massive sand castles, burying Paul in the
sand, feeding the sea gulls, taking long walks and fishing. Oh the
fishing. How fun it was catching small sharks, pompano, whiting, catfish and even
stingray and crabs.
We took our boat to the beach a few times. Although that
added to the preparation stress, we had so much fun exploring the bay. Dolphins
swam right along with us and watching young children see that sight is truly
priceless.
Apalachicola is the oyster capital of America. And there are
plenty of raw bars and restaurants in the sleepy town. On a recent trip, we
tried a place new to us called Up the Creek. Besides the oysters, we had one of the best tuna tartares.
The presentation was as amazing as the dish itself. We even met the young chef
who created the dish, T.J. Elliot, who said he was a self-taught cook. Wow.
That was impressive.
The cape is remote. It is probably not for those who like
vacations that include putt-putt golf, water parks, high rises and fancy
dining. There are no fast food restaurants on the cape, and not that many in
the neighboring towns either. Grocery stores also are not plentiful.
When we used to come back years ago, there were even fewer
grocery stores. I used to bring almost all of our food, giving Paul headaches
as he struggled to pack the endless supplies.