Enjoy the Spirit of the Holiday Season on Amelia Island, Florida
Experience A Coastal Christmas, Amelia Island, Florida (photo of dunes, Main Beach Park)
Experience a coastal Christmas on Amelia Island, Florida with a roster of holiday events during December 2011. Here are the highlights of seasonal activities happening in historic Fernandina Beach and elsewhere on the island.
A Christmas Story (December 1-3, 8-11, 15-17th in 2011)
Are you a fan of “A Christmas Story,” the classic holiday film known for its leg lamp and many other memorable scenes? The Amelia Community Theatre in downtown Fernandina presents “A Christmas Story,” the beloved memoir of growing up in the 1940s and Ralphie’s quest for a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas. Tickets are $20 per adult, students $10. For more information and to buy tickets, call (904) 261-6749 or purchase tickets online at www.AmeliaCommunityTheatre.org.
Fernandina Woman’s Club “Glow Night” — December 2, 2011 from 5:30 to 8:30 pm
If there’s ever an evening to hop in the car and take a drive along Atlantic Avenue, it’s the first Friday night in December each year. Witness a 2-mile long glow from luminaries that line this main east-west corridor crossing Amelia Island (from Fernandina’s historic Centre Street heading east along Atlantic Avenue leading to the beach), ending at the Woman’s Club located on Jean LaFitte Blvd. — just behind the Fernandina Beach Recreation Center. “Christmas Glow Night” is a wonderful annual tradition, held on Friday evening from 5:30 to 8:30 pm and open to the community. Enjoy free punch & cookies, Santa Claus, face painting and entertainment by the Bean School of Dance performing on stage at the Woman’s Club clubhouse on Jean LaFitte Blvd. (Additional food and beverage will also be available for purchase).
Holiday Tour of Historic Homes 2011 in Fernandina Beach (December 2-3, 2011) 10 to 4 pm
Experience the Amelia Island Museum’s tour showcasing privately-owned historic homes, professionally decorated for Christmas with guests transported between the homes via trolley. It looks like the museum has lined up some marvelous homes in Fernandina’s historic district this year! This is the very first time these particular homes have been open to the public for viewing, so it’s a very special treat! Tickets to preview the historic homes are $25 prior to December 2, 2011 or $30 on days of the tour. Also new this year, an additional ticket can be purchased for a luncheon and costume display at Beech Street Grill, available for $15. Seatings are at 11:30 am and 1:00 pm with advance reservations. See more about the museum’s Holiday Home Tour or call the museum at (904) 261.7378, ext. 100.
One of the Historic Homes on 2011's Holiday Home Tour
Taste of Amelia (December 2, 2011)
With a theme of “Ring in the Holiday Season,” it’s the 20th annual celebration of this culinary fair featuring the cuisine of Amelia Island’s finest chefs and restaurants and fine wine> The event is a fund raiser for the Nassau County Volunteer Center. Enjoy cocktails from 6:30 pm to 7 pm followed by the tasting 7 to 9 pm at the Omni Amelia Island Plantation Ballroom,, $40 per person. Jazz music by Crescendo Amelia, a silent auction and more. Required attire is semi formal (for further information call 904-261-2771). Tickets can be purchased at various places including downtown at the News-Leader’s office on Ash Street and at Century 21 on Centre Street, at the Plantation Shop and Horizons within Palmetto Walk on First Coast Highway, and at the Nassau County Volunteer Center at 1303 Jasmine Street and a few other locations. Also buy tickets online at the Volunteer Center’s website.
Holiday Parade of Paws, Historic Centre Street, Fernandina (December 3, 2011)
Pet Parade of Paws Historic Fernandina Beach December Event
Prance your precious pet in holiday attire down historic Centre Street (or head downtown to watch others in the pet parade). This annual tradition is a pet lover’s delight, giving owners a chance to walk with pets in their holiday best. (Pet owners can even sign up the day of the parade, late registration is 10 am at the Central Park gazebo on Atlantic Avenue in Fernandina Beach — the park is the “staging area” for parade participants). Registration fee of $10, a fund raising event to benefit the Nassau Humane Society. The parade starts at 11 am in downtown Fernandina, on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011. Head to Fernandina to watch this cute parade and get in the holiday spirit. Pet owners can choose between two route options along Centre Street ( a half mile or one mile route, both ending at Central Park.) Also enjoy fun activities at the park before and after the parade. Awards will be announced immediately after the parade. For more information call (904) 583-0776. Register in advance at Nassau Humane Society Dog Park or Redbones Dog Bakery.
Fort Clinch Union Holiday Encampment (December 3-4, 2011)
Florida’s Fort Clinch State Park Holiday Encampment in Fernandina Beach is a gathering of volunteers in Civil War era costumes as they decorate the fort for Christmas. Volunteers place fresh greenery on the mantle, put up and decorate a period Christmas tree, and portray daily life as it was in the winter of 1864. The ladies string berries and popcorn on the tree while cheerful fires burn in the fireplaces and soldiers answer questions about what it is like to be stationed at Fort Clinch. For details call (904) 277-7274, or visit Amelia Island Living’s Fort Clinch page with video and photo gallery slide show of this wonderful state park on Amelia Island.
Fernandina’s Lighted Holiday Parade (December 10, 2011)
America’s Youth will sponsor the Holiday Light Parade, a land parade of lighted floats at 6 p.m. in downtown Fernandina Beach. Applications to participate are available by at the Visitors’ Welcome Center (the old train depot). Call Sandy Price for further info at 904-206-0756.
The Amelia Island Ritz-Carlton Holiday Events 2011
Read two articles covering the magical ambiance during the holiday season “Amelia Island Ritz-Carlton Casts Holiday Spell With Spice and Sparkle, and “Amelia Island Ritz-Carlton Christmas and New Year’s Eve 2011 Holiday Events.”
Omni Amelia Island Plantation Holiday Events 2011
Throughout the holiday season, the Omni Amelia Island Plantation is offering a variety of festive events. (Also see related article about The Omni Amelia Island Plantation’s Annual Holiday Charity Celebration at The Spa & Shops featuring wonderful Christmas tree lighting ceremony, horse and carriage rides, and fun holiday activities for the kids happening Thanksgiving weekend.) From cooking demonstrations, wine tastings and cookie decorating to horse drawn carriage rides, Santa’s workshop and delicious holiday buffets including on Christmas day — the resort is hosting fun activities for the whole family. Ring in the New Year with a special dinner for two at The Verandah restaurant or enjoy favorite menu items and entertainment at The Falcon’s Nest. Visit Amelia Island Plantation’s website and check their event calendar online for more specifics._________________
Also see scrolling event news feed for what’s happening in the next 30 days around Amelia Island – even more upcoming activities to experience.
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