APALACHICOLA -- The high-tech hedonism of Miami's South Beach. The perpetual carnival atmosphere at the Magic Kingdom in Orlando. The Caribbean-like flavor of the Keys. The high school and college spring break havens of Destin and Panama City. The twin meccas of retirees and Canadian snowbirds, Tampa and St. Petersburg.

Will the real Florida please stand up?

Those who believe the whole of the Sunshine State has been parceled out in fiefdoms for various demographics will be thrilled to learn that the real Florida is alive and well in the Panhandle, 80 miles southwest of the capital, Tallahassee, along a stretch of the Gulf of Mexico referred to by residents as the ``Forgotten Coast.''

Forgotten, in this case, is a good thing. The epicenter of the region, Apalachicola -- or ''Apalach,'' as the locals call it -- is a well-preserved reminder of what Florida was like a half-century ago, when orange groves outnumbered theme parks, the Everglades had not been drained for commercial development and huge swaths of north Florida slumbered under oak trees swagged with Spanish moss.

NO ROCK STARS

Apalachicolans are quick to say their town isn't for everybody. What you won't find is nonstop nightlife led by British rock stars and Brazilian supermodels, wet T-shirt contests led by beer-swilling coeds and daily parades led by Mickey and Minnie.

What you will find are vast pine forests, many of which have national and state status; protected shallow bays, pristine beaches and miles of peaceful river. There are parades of a sort, but instead of Disney characters, they are made up of hikers, cyclists, kayakers and anglers. Though there are no rodents smiling for the cameras, there are osprey, sea turtles and bald eagles aplenty, especially at Cape St. George State Reserve, a 28-mile-long barrier island that separates Apalachicola Bay from the Gulf of Mexico.

Since its founding in 1831, Apalachicola has been famous for three commodities: cotton, lumber and oysters, all of which have helped shape its destiny. With its namesake river and the bay leading to the gulf, the shipment of cotton was the town's first major industry, and in the decade before the Civil War, Apalachicola was the third-largest port on the Gulf of Mexico. River Street was lined with three-story brick warehouses for cotton storage (today, those warehouses have been converted into shops and art galleries).

After railroads made it more efficient to ship cotton, timber from the vast cypress forests in the area became the leading industry, and wealthy lumber magnates built many of the magnificent Victorian homes that still line the city's streets.

But perhaps no industry has defined Apalachicola as much as the harvesting of its namesake oysters. Today, oysters from Apalachicola Bay account for 90 percent of those harvested in Florida, and 13 percent of the oysters consumed in the nation. Statistics aside, you can see why Apalachicola oysters are justly famous by ordering a dozen on the half-shell at any number of local restaurants.

ONE STOPLIGHT

For a town that has only one stoplight, Apalachicola (population: 2,331) has a surprising number of historic buildings tucked away in its compact downtown area.

One of the most important is the Dixie Theater on Avenue E, which first opened in 1913, offering lavish theatrical productions. After a period of decline that forced it to close its doors in 1967, the Dixie was rediscovered in the 1990s, lovingly restored, and is once again home to live theater.

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