Tucked into the Florida coastline just as you pass the border in from Georgia you’ll find a great little spot for a nice, quiet, fun filled family vacation, it’s called Amelia Island. Amelia Island is the southernmost of the Sea Islands, which is a chain of barrier islands that stretches along the east coast from South Carolina to Florida. Because it is just inside the boarder from Georgia, Amelia Island still has some of that Southern charm, the streets are lined with oaks rather than palms and the businesses are more sedate meaning you’re more likely to find them advertised in wood block signs than neon. It’s a little more subtle than the rest of Florida; it’s very quaint and peaceful.
Amelia Island is a lush beautiful island; it’s rather small at just 13 miles long and about 4 miles wide. It has two towns Fernandina Beach and Amelia City, two state parks Fort Clinch and Amelia Island State Park and two main beaches Summer Beach and American Beach. The island is very rich in history. Fernandina Beach is known as the “Isle of 8 Flags” because it’s the only municipality in the United States that has flown eight different national flags. American Beach is historic because during segregation and the Jim Crow era when African Americans weren’t allowed to swim at the Jacksonville beaches this is where they’d come it was the largest and most popular beach of it’s kind in the area.
Summer Beach is at the south end of Fernandina Beach and this is a seriously ritzy place, it’s an upscale resort development consisting of private homes, condos and the Ritz-Carlton Resort, like I said it’s fancy. This is where you’ll find some great golf courses, spectacular hotels and quaint bed and breakfast Inns with beautiful private beaches. Although access to these beaches is limited, there are some other public beaches on Amelia Island and you can even drive on some of them. If you ever get a chance to drive on the beach I highly recommend it. There’s nothing like driving along with sound of the waves and the birds and the smell of the ocean it’s a wonderful experience.
After you explore the fort you can go relax on one of over 3 miles of beaches or go hiking along a six mile self-guided nature trail. We chose to go and fish from their 1/2 mile long pier. I caught a sheepshead and a redfish but I had to throw the red back, it was too small. My friend asked if I wanted to spend the night there, they have to full facility camping grounds, but I’m not a roughing it sort of person so I opted out. The camping grounds were beautiful though, one was along the Amelia River and the other was on the Atlantic Ocean side.
As we were leaving Amelia Island, headed off the northern side, we passed a pedestrian-only fishing bridge across Nassau Sound. I asked my friend about it and was told that this was the George Crady Bridge Fishing Pier. It’s a mile long and is a popular local fishing spot; people catch jacks, drum, whiting and even the occasional tarpons, I made a mental note to stop there when I visit again.
After we left I couldn’t help but reflect on the day and think to myself “What a great little place”, tucked quietly into the coastline of Florida. Packed with History, loads of outdoor fun and great places to stay, what more could one ask for?
If you’re looking for great places to vacation in Florida this summer, make your travel plans today. Try Amelia Island, you’ll find it’s just what you and your family are looking for.
