Come to the Coast for Four Days of Freedom Festivities This Month!!

Come to the Coast for Four Days of Freedom Festivities! Have you made any plans yet to celebrate Independence Day? Come to the Forgotten Coast this July and enjoy four days of fireworks and festivities in Franklin County. Whether you want to enjoy the fireworks from a waterfront balcony or beachfront boardwalk (or anyplace in between!) lodging providers can still hook you up with the perfect Freedom Getaway. Click here for vacation specials. Want to be on the water to see the fireworks? How about chartering a guideboat to take you out on the river or bay to enjoy overhead fireworks from the comfort of your own front row seat?! Click here to find charter boat captains. From Alligator Point to Apalachicola, almost every community is planning Independence Day festivities. Get a video preview of the festivities here! Eastpoint - July 1 Come enjoy fireworks over the Bay at the 2nd Annual Eastpoint Freedom Festival, hosted by the Eastpoint Civic Association. Fireworks will begin at dark-thirty on Saturday July 1. Carrabelle - July 2 Carrabelle will host its annual fireworks extravaganza on Sunday, July 2 along the Carrabelle Waterfront at dark-thirty.  Apalachicola - July 3 In Apalachicola, the Apalachicola Bay Chamber presents Apalachicola’s Waterfront July 3rd Celebration on Monday July 3 featuring all-American food vendors, music and fireworks. St. George Island - July 4 On St. George Island, everyone is welcome to join in the annual July 4th celebration. Stick around all day and enjoy festivities and fireworks on the beach behind the Blue Parrot Oceanfront Cafe about dark-thirty. Lighthouse Full Moon Climbs July 2 & 3 Two historic lighthouses in the county will host full moon climbs on Sunday, July 2 and Monday July 3. The Cape St. George Lighthouse on St. George Island Sunset and Full Moon Climb will be held on Sunday, July 2, from 8:30 pm until 11:30 pm. The Crooked River Lighthouse will host a Full Moon Lighthouse Climb on Monday, July 3 from 8-10 pm.  Camp Gordon Johnston Museum Features Atomic Bomb Exhibit July 18 through August 25 The Camp Gordon Johnston WWII Museum in Carrabelle will present a special exhibit about the Atomic Bomb and the End of WWII. This exhibit will open Tuesday, July 18 and run through through Saturday, August 25. This exhibit commemorates the anniversary of the two bombings that brought WWII to a close. It will explore what made these bombs so destructive, and how they were kept secret.  In addition, the exhibit will display artifacts relevant to the surrenders and wars end like Soviet Army equipment, Nuremberg trials related documents, occupation souvenirs from Japan, photos of post-war Germany, and more. Visitors can use a Geiger counter to measure the radioactivity of samples of uraninite and trinitite, and see vintage film of the aftermath of the bombs in Japan. The Camp Gordon Johnston museum is open every Tuesday through Saturday from 11 am to 5 pm. There is no charge for admission, but donations are gladly accepted. Click here to learn more. Tips For Night Beach Walks During Turtle Season Here are simple tips for making your night beach walk fun and safe for you and the nesting sea turtles. If you take a flash light, make sure it has infrared LED bulbs that emits long wavelengths that do not disturb the sea turtles. (The SGI lighthouse gift shop and the Reserve Nature Center sell the turtle safe flashlight.)  If you see a nesting female on the beach, give her plenty of room to find a place to nest. Do not shine a light at her or take photos with a flash. Remain quiet and out of her sight. If disturbed she may abandon her nest and return to sea. Also, do not disturb the tracks or the nest that she leaves. Sea turtle program volunteers use the tracks to locate the nest and protect it from predators, and to collect important information. If you are lucky enough to witness a sea turtle on land, enjoy the experience from a distance and cherish the memory for life! Learn more about our turtles here. Staff at the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve in Eastpoint will host local “Turtle Talks” each Tuesday this summer. The July dates are 11, 18 and 25 from 2-3 pm. These weekly talks help visitors learn all about our nesting sea turtles. The talks are free and registration is not required; however seating is limited. Please note that Franklin County has a Leave No Trace Ordinance that requires chairs, umbrellas and equipment to be removed nightly from the public beaches in order to help mama turtles more easily navigate the beaches to nest and allow hatchlings a clear path back to the water from their nests in the dunes. And, if you dig a hole on the beach during the day, fill it in! July Farmers and Artisans Markets Apalachicola The Apalachicola Farmers' Market will host its July events on Saturday, July 8 and 22 from 9 am to 1pm at the Mill Pond at Scipio Creek.  Can't wait till the weekend? The Apalachicola Growers Market features fresh vegetables, micro greens, coffee, gourmet goodies and more. Held most Wednesdays from 9am to noon at 56 Commerce Street in Apalachicola.  Carrabelle The Crooked River Lighthouse is hosting a Country Farmer's Market Saturday, July 1, 15 and 29  from 9 am-1 pm at the foot of the lighthouse at 1975 Hwy 98 W, Carrabelle Beach.  AREA EVENTS  July 3 - Crooked River Lighthouse Full Moon Climb July 1, 15, 29 - Carrabelle Country Farmers' Market July 2 - SGI Lighthouse Full Moon Climb July 5, 12, 19, 26- Apalachicola Downtown Market July 8, 22 - Apalachicola Farmers' Market July 18-Aug. 25 - CGJ Exhibit July 22 – C-Quarters Youth Fishing Tournament July 1 - Eastpoint Freedom Festival July 2 - Carrabelle Fireworks July 3 - Apalachicola Fireworks July 4 - SGI Fireworks

Franklin County Tourist Development Council • 731 Hwy. 98, Eastpoint, FL 32329 • 866-914-2068

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