Sopchoppy, FL

Sopchoppy sits in Wakulla County's wooded Gulf Coast country, about forty-five minutes southwest of Tallahassee and close to the Ochlockonee River. The name comes from a variation of Lockchoppe, a Muskogee name associated with the nearby river. The city grew on the edge of the Apalachicola National Forest, where pine flatwoods, river water, fishing, and back roads shape the landscape.

ATTREbyabe / CC BY-SA 3.0

The local calendar has one wonderfully specific centerpiece: the annual Worm Gruntin' Festival, held on the second Saturday in April. Competitors use the old worm-grunting method—driving a stake into the ground and rubbing it with metal—to bring earthworms to the surface for fishing bait. Sopchoppy Depot Park hosts the festival along with Christmas events and monthly community markets, and the historic depot gives the gathering a natural town center. Ochlockonee River State Park adds a boat ramp, longleaf pine forest, trails, and wildlife habitat just outside town. Sopchoppy is a city where a river name, forest roads, a depot park, and a very unusual festival all belong to the same local rhythm.