An Amelia Island Tradition, Ritz-Carlton's Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
17-Foot Gingerbread Pirate Ship, Amelia Island Ritz-Carlton
Stepping into the lobby of Amelia Island’s Ritz-Carlton hotel during the holiday season scintillates the senses.
The aroma of gingerbread permeates from a magnificent culinary feat — a 17-foot long gingerbread pirate ship. Songs of the season filter through the lobby. Fireplaces are aglow. Along with gorgeous seasonal décor, it’s an experience not to be missed. One would be hard pressed to see a more pleasing holiday scene in Florida.
Like busy elves in Santa’s workshop, come November, Ritz chefs are mixing, rolling, cutting, baking and decorating upwards of a thousand pieces of gingerbread that form the life-sized pirate ship. The ingredient list boggles the mind, a recipe that calls for around 3,000 eggs, 435 egg whites, 1,200 pounds of flour, 900 pounds of sugar, 300 pounds of shortening, 15 gallons of milk and 14 pounds of special holiday spices. But it’s the skill and elbow grease that makes this come to life, much to the delight of young and old alike.
The gingerbread ship will be docked in the lobby of the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island November 22 – December 28, 2010. Complimentary tours are held.
An Amelia Island Tradition, Ritz-Carlton's Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
A wonderful time to visit the Ritz to see the gingerbread ship is on Thanksgiving “Eve”. An island tradition, the annual tree lighting ceremony will be held this year at 5:30 pm on Wednesday, November 24, 2010, a signature event ushering in the holidays on Amelia Island, Florida.
Visitors will enjoy holiday refreshments, live entertainment, and the lighting of the towering 50-foot tree in the courtyard of the Ritz-Carlton at the oceanfront. The ceremony finishes with a holiday fireworks display. The public is welcomed to visit the Ritz-Carlton to view the gingerbread ship and witness the Christmas tree lighting ceremony, an event that many local residents enjoy each year.
For additional information call the Amelia Island Ritz-Carlton at (904) 277-1100.
November 24, 2010: Holiday Character Dinner
The public is invited to join Santa, elves, reindeer and some of Christmas’ most famed holiday characters that will be present to share a dinner that ignites the festive spirit in children, young and old. The dinner starts at 6:30 p.m. in the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island Talbot Ballroom. The cost is $49 per adult and $25 per child (ages 5-12), and reservations are required.
November 25, 2010: Thanksgiving Day Feast at the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island
From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., a traditional meal with all the trimmings will be offered in the Ritz-Carlton Ballroom during the resort’s annual Thanksgiving feast. The event features a lavish buffet, live music, and children’s games. The cost is $89 per adult and $45 per child (ages 5-12), and reservations are required.
For more information on these Ritz-Carlton events, call the Amelia Island hotel at (904) 277-1100.
READ “Seaside Thanksgiving, Coastal Christmas Amelia Island,” for many more Thanksgiving and holiday events happening around Amelia Island, Florida in November and December 2010.
