About Amelia Island

It’s easy to make memories on Amelia Island, Florida. Explore this unique barrier island with rich history and posh resorts. Amelia Island is the southern-most sea island of a chain of tidal and barriers islands on America’s eastern Atlantic coast that stretches from South Carolina through Georgia and ends with Amelia Island, Florida. Amelia Island is the home of Fernandina Beach, the second oldest city in the United States (an hour’s drive south is the oldest U.S. city, St. Augustine, Florida).

Take historic tours on foot (also on board a trolley or in a horse and carriage), to explore Amelia Island’s charming city of Fernandina Beach, with 450-plus historic structures on the National Register of Historic Places (homes, churches, commercial buildings).  Spend a day at the beach (13 miles of beachfront on the Atlantic Ocean), or relax at a spa.  Hike or bike ride, take a boat tour or go fishing. Visit Fort Clinch, one of the best preserved 19th century forts in America. Learn about local nature and Amelia Island’s eco-system while you paddle a kayak. Ride horses on the beach (or perhaps you prefer riding in golf cart?) While known for its beautiful beachfront and historic district of Fernandina, Amelia Island is also a haven for golfers with eight area golf courses. These are just some things to do on Amelia Island. (Check out Amelia Island Living’s custom, interactive mapping tool featuring top tourist attractions, zoom in and out to street level.)

Amelia Island’s miles of beachfront attracts the most visitors during the peak summer months (June, July, August).  However, Amelia’s beautiful beaches are especially nice in autumn and winter for beachcombing to find natural treasures like shark’s teeth, starfish, shells, and sand dollars. Amelia’s broad beaches at low tide enable bike riding right on the beach near the waterline, and it’s also a favorite place for a jog. If you’d rather not exert energy and just want to relax, escape to the seaside to enjoy Amelia Island’s posh resort spas (at the Ritz-Carlton and Amelia Island Plantation).

SPECIAL ANNUAL EVENTS ON AMELIA ISLAND, FLORIDA

FERNANDINA’S FESTIVALS: Amelia Island hosts fun festivals at various times throughout the year to complement the island’s compelling allure. QUICK LINKS TO AMELIA ISLAND’S TOP EVENTS AND FESTIVALS HELD ANNUALLY

February — Amelia Island Film Festival (http://www.ameliaislandfilmfestival.org, 904-335-1110).
February — Amelia Island Book Festival (http://www.bookisland.org/, 904-491-8176 ). Read article about February’s Film & Book Festivals…
March — Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, read Concours article, see photo slideshow
May — Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival, read article. Always first weekend in May each year.
May –Wild Amelia Nature Festival (http://www.wildamelia.com, (904-251-0016).
May into June –Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival (http://www.aicmf.com, 904-261-177).
October — Amelia Island Jazz Festival (http://www.ameliaislandjazzfestival.com).

October — Amelia Island Autumn Arts Festival, a juried fine arts street festival featuring 150 exhibitors, food and entertainment.

November — Amelia Island Holiday Cookie Tour of Bed & Breakfast Inns, enjoy each inn’s signature cookie and recipe (http://www.ameliaislandinns.com)
December — Amelia Island Holiday Historic Home Tour (http://www.ameliaislandmuseum.org)

In March each year, another top tourist lure is the AMELIA ISLAND CONCOURS D’ ELEGANCE, one of the world’s premiere rare classic auto events, with a grand display along the lush golf fairway at the Ritz-Carlton, Golf Club of Amelia.

While known for its posh oceanfront resorts with golf, pampering spas, and tennis (Amelia Island Plantation and the Ritz-Carlton), at the other end of the spectrum is Amelia Island’s 50-plus block historic district in Fernandina Beach. Fernandina has been preserved like a Victorian time capsule, providing a glimpse of small-town, yesteryear Florida.  Stay at one of the quaint bed & breakfast inns located in this idyllic small harbor town that showcases some of the best preserved Victorian-era architecture on the eastern seaboard in the U.S.  Admire gracious Queen Annes, charming Victorian cottages and bungalows, sweeping verandahs, and sidewalks lined with ancient oaks draped in moss. Various architectural styles were fashionable during the Victorian era, in the 1850 to 1910 period.  Stately magnolia trees, cabbage palms, sagos and hibiscus add to the southern landscape in this small, nostalgic town by the sea.   Quench your thirst on a “Pub Crawl,” or perhaps you’d rather a ghost tour exploring local haunts around town (both tours offered by the Amelia Island Museum).

Through the Window, Fort Clinch, Amelia Island

FORT CLINCH STATE PARK, A “MUST SEE” DESTINATION IN FERNANDINA BEACH, FLORIDA

Of interest to history buffs will also be Amelia Island’s civil-war era fortress (surrounded by more than 1,100 preserved acres of maritime forest) in Fort Clinch State Park (904)277-7274. This Civil War fort, designated a National Historic Landmark, is perched on the beach overlooking Cumberland Sound with nature trails, fishing pier, gift shop, and 62 campsites. Nature Walks at Fort Clinch — Hike through coastal hammock with your guide and learn about native plants and animals as you walk around Willow Pond trail. Nature tour is offered Saturdays at 10:30 am. Call (904)277-7274 for further information. BE SURE TO WATCH THE FORT CLINCH STATE PARK VIDEO.

FLORIDA’S OLDEST LIGHTHOUSE, OLDEST HOTEL AND OLDEST SALOON

Amelia Island is also home to the oldest existing lighthouse in the state of Florida, the Amelia Island Lighthouse, dating back to 1839, the oldest surviving hotel (the 1857 Florida House Inn), and the oldest continually-operating Saloon (The Palace).

The Amelia Island Museum offers various walking tours of historic district. The museum is noted as Florida’s first oral history museum. The newest tour is the museum’s “Pub Crawl” on Thursday evenings. This “Happy Hour History” tour visits four historic pubs (get one drink at each watering hole). The museum is located at 233 S. Third Street. Call (904)261-7378 to confirm tour times and make reservations.

Local Art Scene — Amelia Island is home to a thriving artist colony, so enjoy browsing over a dozen art galleries. A special monthly art event is the Gallery Walk, Fernandina Beach’s “Art Ragous” self-guided tour of 13 art galleries on Amelia Island, Florida, held the second Saturday evening each month from 5:30 to 8:30 pm. The Artwalks showcase a wide array of fine art, including photography, pottery, copper, metal, stained glass, watercolors, acrylics and more. Visitors also have the opportunity to meet and mingle with the artists behind the work. Two of the largest galleries on the art walk in downtown Fernandina Beach, are the Art & Antique Center at 702 Centre Street and the Island Art Association at 18N. 2nd Street. Call (904)277-2717 for further information.

ENJOY LOCAL NATURE — AMELIA’S NATURAL BOUNTY IS PLENTIFUL. WILDLIFE, PRESERVED STATE PARKS, COASTAL NATURE ABOUNDS

Great Blue Heron, Amelia Island

A WEALTH OF PRESERVED LANDS SURROUND THE FAIR ISLE OF AMELIA

It’s Amelia’s natural treasures, a gift of mother nature, that appeal to those seeking the bounty of the beach and the simple pleasures of the outdoors. Amelia Island, literally, is surrounded by waterways and the preserved lands of three other nearby islands. Location! Location! Location! If you’re looking for islands in Florida to visit, it’s easy to island hop around Amelia! Amelia Island is uniquely situated, so visitors can easily explore four barrier islands, snugly located together for the traveler’s logistical ease. Slightly north of Amelia is Cumberland Island, GA (a protected National Seashore) and to its south is Big Talbot and Little Talbot Islands (Florida State Parks).

The abundance of nature and wildlife in the Amelia Island area attracts eco-tourists desiring outdoor activities like hiking, biking, birding, boating, fishing and paddling. Amelia’s natural bounty includes salt marsh, 13 miles of beaches on the Atlantic coast, maritime forest, coastal hammocks, and, of course, its waterways – Egans Creek (and the Egans Greenway preserve), the Amelia River/intracoastal, Cumberland Sound and the Atlantic Ocean.

TOURIST TIP:  SEE THE TIPS OF THE ISLAND. The Amelia Island State Park encompasses the southern tip of this barrier island and is a nesting ground for shore birds. It’s also the base for a horse ranch where you can take a horseback riding tour of the southend’s beaches.  Fort Clinch State Park sprawls across the island’s northern tip.  You’ll see the best of coastal nature in northeast Florida by visiting the tips of Amelia Island, Florida and the nearby Talbot Islands.

Whether you’re a seasoned bird watcher or a novice interested in a new hobby, the Amelia Island area is a wonderful place for exploring bird life. Right here on Amelia Island, you’ll discover the “gateway” of the East Florida Birding Trail, part of a 2,000 mile trail that extends throughout the state. Amelia Island’s Fort Clinch State Park is the gateway to the birding trail on Florida’s east coast.The Great Florida Birding Trail has been developed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, along with the Audubon of Florida, the Florida Parks Service, and Visit Florida.

Also experience local nature through Amelia Island Plantation’s extensive nature program, offering a wide variety of educational tours both on and off the resort property, including  ”Birds of Amelia, Shell & Shark Tooth Hunt, Beachside Naturalist Walk, Nature Photography, Children’s Discovery, Critter Talk, Stargazing, Naturalist Kayak, Nature Bike Hike, and Edible Plant.”  For further information on Amelia Island Plantation’s Nature Programs, call the resort at (904)261-6161.