Amelia Island Beaches
AT THE BEACH ON AMELIA ISLAND: GUIDE TO AMELIA ISLAND’S PUBLIC BEACH PARKS OFFERING LARGEST PARKING LOTS AND FREE BEACH ACCESS
Beach Bounty, Amelia Island: Shells, Urchins
Low Tide Bike Riding, Amelia Island, Florida
Fort Clinch Fishing Pier, Amelia Island, Florida
People can enjoy swimming at Amelia Island beaches from late April right through September (with the average high temperature 87°), and sometimes into October (average high temp is 80°). During the cooler months, many will find beachcombing in both late fall and mild winter days, a very peaceful and gratifying experience on Amelia Island. “Off-peak” beach season (November thru March), there may only be a handful of people for miles on Amelia Island’s beaches — you can really experience some solitude at the beach.
A trip to Amelia Island’s beaches can really be a fulfilling experience, not just for the “typical” beach and water activities, but also for unique sights. You may see horseback riders in the distance (horseback riding on the southend of the island from Amelia Island State Park). From May through October is sea turtle nesting season, so you’ll see the marked nests of loggerhead turtles. The beach is also a venue for outdoor activities like a yoga or fitness class, ocean kayakers, surfers, and those riding bicycles right on the beach (at low tide). Low tide provides a hard enough surface that allows bikers (with the wider mountain bike tires), to pedal in the hard packed sand toward the water. Riding a bike on the beach, as you breath the salt air, could be one of the most satisfying biking experiences of your lifetime, and a great workout, too! Note that it is legal to have leashed dogs at the beach on Amelia Island, and some local residents do enjoy bringing their pooch to the beach for a walk.
TIDAL POOLS FOR THE KIDS AT LOW TIDE ON AMELIA ISLAND
Low tide often offers wonderful tidal pools, ideal playgrounds for the little ones. So, if you have young children, a wonderful time to visit Amelia Island beaches is around low tide. You will often find tidal puddles that will bring glee to the young as they play in shallow water and chase darting minnows that get trapped in the pools. Parents will be able to relax a wee bit more, with diminished stress watching children in the less-threatening tidal pools (as compared to supervising children in the ocean waves with potential strong currents).
PETER’S POINT PARK, AMELIA ISLAND, FLORIDA
Peter's Point Beach Park (looking north), Amelia Island
Peter’s Point, on South Fletcher Avenue, is a public beach park on Amelia Island (Nassau County, Florida) with very large parking area, restrooms, outdoor showers, and picnic tables. Peter’s Point borders the Carlton Dunes (near the Ritz-Carlton) in the Summer Beach Resort area. Peter’s Point still allows limited beach driving. Thus, those with 4-wheel drive vehicles can actually drive onto the beach at Peter’s Point and park. However, all non-Nassau County residents are required to have a beach driving permit. Beach driving permits are available at the historic courthouse in Fernandina Beach located on Centre Street. Those with children (and all the beach gear that goes with kids) will find beach driving particularly convenient — not having to carry the beach chairs, boogie boards, beach toys, picnic lunches, etc. over the wooden dune walk overs. But if you don’t have a vehicle with 4-wheel (or all wheel drive), don’t be tempted to drive on the beach. The likelihood is you’ll get stuck and need a tow (and then your day at the beach will cost you a few hundred dollars). Peter’s Point does have lifeguards during the summer tourism season.
MAIN BEACH PARK, FERNANDINA BEACH, FLORIDA
Lifeguards at Main Beach Park, Fernandina Beach
If you’re looking for beach access with a few concessions, (like a game of beach volley ball, putt putt golf, and a drink or bite to eat at the beach), you’ll prefer Main Beach Park on the north end of the island where there is a restaurant (Sandy Bottoms), and the retro putt putt (reminescent of yesteryear Florida) serves milk shakes, ice cream, other beverages and snacks. Main Beach park offers public restrooms and outdoor showers, picnic tables, gazebos, and children’s playground beachfront. You can park your vehicle at Main Beach parking lot enter the beach for free. However, you cannot drive a vehicle onto the beach at Main Beach Park. Main Beach does have lifeguards during the summer tourism season.
SEASIDE PARK, FERNANDINA BEACH, FLORIDA
Seaside Park Holiday Beachgoers, Labor Day
In between Main Beach Park toward the north end of Amelia Island, and Peter’s Point toward the southend of the island, is Seaside Park near Sliders (at the roundabout of South Fletcher Avenue and Sadler Road. There is a smaller public parking lot at Seaside Park with dune walkovers and a couple of picnic tables, but no public restrooms or showers. Beach driving is allowed here, so with a beach-worthy vehicle, it’s possible to drive onto the beach and park. Sliders is an oceanfront restaurant/bar, a local landmark, with outdoor tiki bar and often has live entertainment. Also close by Seaside Park near the roundabout is a beach equipment rental shop and place to rent bicycles, for those who’d like to pedal around Amelia Island (bicycle riding at low tide right on the beach is a great Amelia Island experience.)
FORT CLINCH, ONE OF FLORIDA’S BEAUTIFUL, NATURAL STATE PARKS
Fort Clinch State Park Beachfront
Apart from the free beach access parks noted above, if you want to see the one of the most natural areas of Amelia Island, pay a small fee to enter Fort Clinch State Park . It’s a great deal and beautiful spot to spend the day on Amelia Island. Fort Clinch State Park has lovely, uncrowded beachfront on both the Atlantic and Cumberland Sound. The Atlantic Ocean beachfront at Fort Clinch is accessible by wooden walkways over what is probably the island’s largest remaining area of undisturbed natural dunes.
Fort Clinch is a must-see attraction on Amelia Island, with over 1,200 acres, a half-mile long fishing pier, historic fort tours, picnic area with playground equipment, hiking and biking trails. (Tip: bring bug spray if you plan to go to the picnic/playground area near the fort or hike/bike in the wooded areas of the park.) The entry fee for Fort Clinch State Park is $6.00 per vehicle, 2 to 8 passengers. Fort Clinch State Park is open daily from 8 am until sunset. Tour the historic fort itself for an additional $2 per person. Like sleeping under the stars? A camping adventure awaits you at Fort Clinch State Park, with some campsites just steps away from the riverfront and great fishing spots.
The Fort Clinch entrance is located at 2601 Atlantic Avenue, near the Fletcher Avenue intersection, close to Main Beach in Fernandina Beach. Construction of the fort began in 1847, but it was never 100% completed. During the later years of the civil war, the fort was occupied by both Confederate and Union troops. Pedal through the park by bike, a great place to take a bike ride on Amelia Island. It’s a 3-mile biker ride into the park from the entrance at Atlantic Avenue to the fort in the rear of the park, perched above the Cumberland Sound. There are also wooded bike riding trails within the park for mountain bikes. For more information call Fort Clinch State Park at (904)277-7274.
In addition to Fort Clinch State Park on the northend of Amelia Island, at the opposite tip of the island to the south is the Amelia Island State Park. Kelly Seahorse Ranch operates horseback riding tours from this state park, where riders can experience horseback riding right on the beach. (There aren’t many places on the east coast of the US where people can ride horses on the shoreline.)
The Amelia Island State Recreation Area (State Road A1A just before the bridge that takes you off Amelia’s south-end), contains over 200 acres of untouched land, beaches, salt marsh, and forest — a wonderful natural environment. It is open all year long, with a bargain admission price of only $1. (This area of Amelia Island is a favorite spot of local fishermen who cast from the shore.) Driving on the beach is allowed (with permit for non-county residents) in Amelia Island State Park. For further information call (904)251-2320.
NEARBY FLORIDA COASTAL STATE PARKS
Also, just off Amelia Island’s southern tip, other nearby state parks are Big Talbot Island State Park and Little Talbot Island State Park. Big Talbot Island offers a boat ramp, fishing, canoe trails to explore the marshes, plus hiking trails. Little Talbot Island contains five miles of beaches with sandy dunes and marshes. Little Talbot offers camping as well as hiking, swimming and fishing.
Amelia Island is the most northern point of what is called “the historic Buccaneer Trail,” which continues through the Talbot Islands, Fort George Island and south on A1A through Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach, and Ponte Vedra Beach. The trail which follows the path of French explorer Jean Ribault, as well as Spanish settlers and even pirates, ends in St. Augustine, “where continuous European settlement of the New World began.”
