The little town of Apalachicola in the Panhandle of Florida has a charming old Historic District. It is now the centre of Florida's oyster fisheries (Apalachicola Bay). Within easy reach of the town are the offshore St George Island with its beautiful beaches; St Vincent Island, a nature reserve (turtles, various species of birds); and the St
Joseph Peninsula, an unspoiled region with magnificent beaches. Two areas popular with nature-lovers are the Apalachicola National Estuarine Reserve (the estuary of the Apalachicola River) and, farther inland, the Apalachicola National Forest. On the southern edge of the Apalachicola Forest is Fort Gadsden (1814).