Explore Florida’s Historic Fishing Towns

In partnership with: Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

What makes a Florida fishing town special? We dropped anchor along the coastline from the northern Gulf to the Keys and back up the Atlantic Coast to find out.

Find Gems in the Emerald Blue in Destin

As an 11-year-old, David Krebs started fishing with “Buck” Destin, the great-grandson of the town’s founder and one of the early “saltwater cowboys.”

“When I drive across the Destin bridge and look to my right at the pass, I see the white sand, the beautiful turquoise water and how it drifts off into the dark blue,” Krebs says. Besides the gorgeous scenery it offers, Destin has gained a reputation as the “luckiest fishing village.”

Krebs still owns a fishing vessel, the Alleluia, that he purchased from Buck. He also owns Ariel Seafoods Inc., which processes 3 million pounds of fish two blocks from the Destin Harbor. Those fish wind up on plates all over the world.

There’s a lot to love about Destin, but that view from the pass is it for Krebs. “Even for a waterman like me, it’s unique.”

Apalachicola’s Bountiful Waterways

Off the beaten path, Apalachicola offers a taste of old Florida. “You’ve got your choice: freshwater fishing, bay fishing and offshore fishing,” says Tommy Ward, owner of 13-Mile Seafood Market. Part of the Forgotten Coast, Apalachicola is dotted with oak trees and offers a full view of the sky stretching over the Gulf.

Ward is a fourth-generation owner and says his fish house is the first stop when many visitors arrive in town. “They bring me something from their part of the country, maybe sausage or cheese,” he shares. And before they leave, Ward fills up their coolers with fresh catch from Gulf waters: 13-Mile brand oysters, shrimp and snapper, if it’s in season. “My dad was a big believer in quality products. He told me, ‘Don’t sell anything you wouldn’t feed your own family.’”

Cortez: A Working Waterfront Village

“There are fish houses on our shoreline that have been there since the 1920s,” says Karen Bell, co-owner of A.P. Bell Fish Company and sole owner of Star Fish Company in Cortez Village. “People say, ‘I can’t believe a place like this still exists.’” Buildings are white clapboard, houses have porches, and boats and nets are in front yards. “It’s a simpler kind of life.”

Bell is the fish house’s third generation. “We sell exactly what the boats are catching,” she says. Grouper is available year-round, and the mullet are fat and flavorful in the fall through December. Pompano season is spring and fall, trout season is summer (most years) and stone crabs open up in October.

And you can’t beat Bell’s view. “The bay is beautiful; it’s a great place to live and work.”

Behind-the-Scenes Dockside in Key Largo

Spiny lobster can be plucked from Florida waters today and on your plate tomorrow, wherever ground shipping delivers. Key Largo Fisheries has come a long way since Tom and Rick Hill’s mother sold conch fritters from a pop-up tent on Saturdays.

The Hill brothers have preserved a way to experience the Florida Keys through access to a working waterfront, complete with docks, a wholesale/retail fishery, a marina and a cafe.

Their market buzzes with workers wielding knives at the fillet table, grading lobster and packaging bait. Fishermen bring in their fresh-caught black grouper and yellowtail snapper in one section, while product is gel-packed in coolers for FedEx and UPS in another.

Tom Hill says their ballyhoo fisherman father started the business in 1972. They’re now shipping upward of 110 boxes of seafood a day all over the world.

See more: Oceans of Florida Seafood

Fernandina Island Life

Fernandina Beach is a friendly community with old Victorian homes, a downtown anchored by a scenic harbor and historical ties to the modern shrimping industry. The Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival celebrates that connection annually and legendary net maker Billy Burbank still calls Fernandina home. The third-generation owner of Burbank Trawl Makers, Inc., Burbank drew national attention to Fernandina’s maritime heritage by developing an effective Turtle Excluder Device to protect turtles (still required for wild-caught shrimp today).

With its natural deep-water harbor, there are plenty of seafood and fish houses in this authentic seaport village.