Last Updated on May 1, 2022 by Brie
1.) The St. George Island Trading Co.
Honestly this was your run of the mill beach shop, but a cute beach shop/souvenir shop is always a must when you are visiting the ocean. They offered free hermit crabs to anyone who brought a cage (we didn’t invest) but my daughter got one of their colorful mermaids at s souvenir. This beach shop was right across from the light house. One of the highlights of this beach shop that set it apartments from others I’ve been to were the hilarious postcards. So here is a bit of the excitement from the beach shop, in case you have never been.
2. Play ground
There is a cute green children’s play ground on the island beside the lighthouse. If you take a trip to the lighthouse or the beach shop from above you can’t miss it. That’s actually how we discovered it. There is also a music stand (which a local said people played at every Sunday night) and a basketball court. My daughter and I definitely enjoyed the playground and pretended the green tunnel was the belly of a fish we were climbing through.
3.) Old Time Soda and Fountain Gifts and Sea Shells In Apalachicola Market Street
While this one is roughly a 15-minute drive from the island it is well worth your time! It is a cute beach shop with that old fashion vibe! You have your usual shells for sale, and then you have beautiful shell art. There are also hilarious signs to buy, and cute tee shirts. The other great part about this shop is its entire row of ocean themed children’s books! And lasly if you are still digging my pitch for this shop, the entire shop is set around an ice cream parlor, and popcorn vinder! So if your ever in the area this is a must stop shop!
4.) Market Street in Apalachicola:
Goodness can I push on this place. I felt like I was dropped back in time as I shop hopped from store to store here on Market street. Many of them had that old hardwood floor/old town vibe to them. There were so many cute artisan shops I just didn’t have the time to catch every name as we ducked in and out. A few that suck out to me were of course the Old Time Soda and Fountain, and the Apalachicola chocolate company. (I can’t help it, I’m a chocolate lover!) The chocolate was rich, but still really good! My daughter absolutely loved the mentioned chocolate, and honestly it tasted like a huge hunk of Andes mints! Here’s a photo sampling of what you might see on your market Street Adventure:
5.) Island Adventures (beach wear and rentals)
This one was a definite must to check out. While many island Shoppes are overcrowded with tinny isle and too many choices, this store was quite spacious with just the right amount of options. From a jewelry counter, to name brand shoes such as Crocs the store had it all. There were some really cute souvenir gift items here as well that were tasteful, unlike some of the tackier things on the island. There was also a great selection of reasonably priced kids beach toys.
6.) Island dog, Beach and Surf Shop.
While in my opinion many things were over priced in this store they had the cutest sets of coastal bags, in all shapes, sizes, and beach themed colors. If they weren’t $35+ I would have gotten one! The jewelry here was very dainty and beautiful as well. They had extremely unique hermit crab cages which were round and hanging.
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7.) St. George Island Lighthouse and Museum.
As an initial warning, before you all get too excited about your little tot getting to climb the lighthouse on this island…they don’t allow kids under 40 inches tall to go up into the lighthouse. Unfortunately, my daughter fell an all of 38 inches tall. But we got to step inside the base and just look up, we also got to look around this gift shop and museum