Amelia Island is an island town at the northeast tip of Florida, just south of the Georgia border. It includes the city of Fernandina Beach.
Understand
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Fernandina Beach is, in reality, two separate cities with different origins. Old Fernandina was founded by the Spanish in 1811 to counter growing American power in the South and was the last Spanish colony in the Americas according to the centuries-old Laws of the Indies. The town sits on the shore of the Amelia River just south of where it meets the ocean. It was taken over by the U.S. after Spain handed over Florida in 1821. The streets (and street names) in Old Fernandina remain from Spanish times.
A couple miles to the south, the American city of "New" Fernandina was founded later in the 19th century. This became the larger of the two towns which together make up today's Fernandina Beach. Unfortunately, Old Fernandina's Fort San Carlos eroded into the widening Amelia River and nothing remains of it, but to its north the American Fort Clinch is well preserved.
American developers hoped that New Fernandina would become another Manhattan, but Florida's climate and its then-malaria-spreading mosquitoes (not to mention the difficulty of getting to Florida in the first place, in those days) prevented this. Fernandina Beach regardless grew into a significant town with a pretty downtown, many shops and eateries, museums, and historic houses. To its south but still on Amelia Island are small beach towns including the once-segregated American Beach and Franklintown. Both are home to upscale resorts and clubs. At the island's southern tip, and with beautiful beaches, is Amelia Island State Park.
Get in
[edit]FL-A1A's northern terminus is in Amelia Island, and therefore this road can be used to access Amelia Island from the south. There is also a connection by road on the western side. There is no route directly north to or from Georgia.
Get around
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See
[edit]- 1 Fort Clinch State Park (Fort Clinch), 2601 Atlantic Avenue (Fernandina Beach), ☏ +1 904 277-7274. 8AM-8PM. Beach access, camping, and historical Civil War fort. $6 with 2-8 people per vehicle, $4 single occupant vehicle, $2 pedestrians and byciclists.
- 2 Amelia Island Museum of History, 233 S Third St (corner of S Third and Cedar Streets), ☏ +1 904 261-7378, [email protected]. 10AM–4PM (closed Su). Docents will tour the museum at 11AM and 2PM each day the museum is open. $10 adults, $8 seniors, $8 active military, $5 children.
Do
[edit]- 1 Amelia Island State Park (7 miles (11 km) north of Little Talbot Island State Park on SR A1A, and 8 miles (13 km) south of Fernandina Beach). The park consists of 200 acres (0.81 sq km) of beaches, salt marshes and coastal maritime forests. Activities include fishing, hiking, sunning, watching wildlife, and horseback riding. 45-minute horseback tours along the shoreline are given four times daily. The park is open from 8AM till sundown year round.
Buy
[edit]- 1 Fantastic Fudge, ☏ +1 904 277-4801. Closes 7PM. Delicious fudge and ice cream for low prices.
Eat
[edit]- 1 The Surf (The Surf Restaurant & Bar), 3199 South Fletcher Ave (Fernandina Beach), ☏ +1 904 261-5711, [email protected]. Noon-10PM. A restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating. Features a full bar and live entertainment. Serves lunch and dinner, with choices of excellent steak and seafood.
- 2 Brett's Waterway Café (Brett's), 1 South Front St (Fernandina Beach), ☏ +1 904 261-2660. Seaside dining with indoor and outdoor seating. Choices of steaks, shrimp, fish, soups, and salads. Features a full bar.
- 3 Joe's Second Street Bistro, 14 S Second St, ☏ +1 904 321-2558. 11AM–3PM, 5:30–9:30PM (closed Tu).
Drink
[edit]Sleep
[edit]- 1 Hoyt House Inn, 804 Atlantic Avenue, toll-free: +1-800-432-2085, [email protected]. A magnificently restored 1905 Queen Anne Historic Mansion with 10 rooms, heated pool and spa, near fine dining, the beaches, and everything historic.
- 2 The Amelia Island Williams House, 103 S. 9th St (take the Amelis Island exit off I-95), toll-free: +1-800-414-9258. Check-in: 3-6PM, check-out: 11AM. A historic home built in 1856. $195-275.
- 3 Amelia Hotel at the Beach, 1997 S. Fletcher Ave (I-95 to exit 373; go east about 12 miles then right on Sadler; dead end at hotel on left), toll-free: +1-877-263-5428, [email protected]. Check-in: 4PM, check-out: 11AM. Some rooms have balconies and ocean views. All guest room stays include free hot continental breakfast, free WiFi, free local phone calls and free parking. Hotel amenities include outdoor pool, beach access, interior corridors, fitness room, in-room microwave & mini-fridge, in-room coffee, and in-room hairdryer.
- 4 Residence Inn Amelia Island Florida Hotel, 2301 Sadler Road, Fernandina Beach, ☏ +1 904-277-2440. Suite lodging within walking distance to the beach and ocean front restaurants.
- The Fairbanks House, 227 South 7th Street, Fernandina Beach, ☏ +1 904-277-0500, [email protected]. Historic house sitting on an 8,000-square-foot property and close to many of the area’s attractions. Complimentary gourmet breakfast each morning.
Connect
[edit]Go next
[edit]- St. Augustine preserves far more of Spain's colonial legacy in Florida
- Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve includes a reconstruction of 16th-century Fort Caroline and the site where a Spanish mission once stood, among other historic sites
| Routes through Amelia Island |
Callahan ← Jct N  S ←
|
W  S
|
→ Jacksonville → Daytona Beach |