Travel to Amelia Island in Northeast Florida
♦ Routes (free): Detailed travel itineraries in USA
General
Amelia Island Amelia Island is an island connected by bridge to the mainland in northeast Florida, right on the border with the state of Georgia, north of Florida. The island is about 21 km long and its maximum width is about 6 km. The island is known for its wonderful sandy beaches on one side, and on the other, canals, marshes, and rivers with many plants and animals.
The island has three communities: Fernandina Beach, Amelia City, and American Beach.
The island is named after Princess Amelia, daughter of King George II of Great Britain and Ireland. Over the years, the island has exchanged 8 flags of rule since the middle of the 16th century, ruled by: the French, Spanish, British, Florida, the Green Cross, Mexico, the Confederacy, and the USA. Therefore, the island's nickname is "Isle of Eight Flags."
The best way to travel on Amelia Island in northeast Florida is by bicycle.
Bicycles can be rented for a full day for 15-20 dollars per pair, and you can ride on the long beaches, alongside characteristic houses, each with a private access path to the sea.
Near marshes, a lighthouse, and up to the center of the historic town of Fernandina Beach, where you can walk and eat at one of the restaurants.
The oldest lighthouse in Florida, built in 1839, is located on Amelia Island Amelia Island Lighthouse and is still active today. It can only be visited by pre-arranged guided tours.
Did you know? Amelia Island is also the birthplace of the modern shrimp industry.
The oldest saloon in Florida is located on Amelia Island (Palace Saloon).
♦ Recommended accommodations in Amelia Island:
The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island
The most luxurious and prestigious hotel on Amelia Island. A 5-star beachfront resort with 2 swimming pools (one indoor), a gym, tennis courts, a golf course, a spa, a bar, and four restaurants (one of them, SALT, is considered the best restaurant in the area). The hotel offers spacious rooms and suites suitable for up to 6 people. Internet and parking are available for an extra charge. The hotel organizes various pirate-themed events such as treasure hunts, a sunset toast to the life of pirates, etc.
Residence Inn by Marriott Amelia Island
An excellent suite hotel in the center of the island, about 450 meters from the beach in a convenient and central location. The hotel features a swimming pool, a gym, and a charming courtyard with a barbecue and outdoor fireplace. It offers studio apartments and one-bedroom apartments with a living room; all units are very spacious with a fully equipped kitchen. The price includes breakfast. Free internet and parking. Bicycles can be rented on-site for an additional fee.
Hampton Inn & Suites Amelia Island
A modern 3-star hotel in the historic center of Fernandina Beach, built in a Victorian style. The hotel overlooks the inland waterways of Fernandina Beach near the harbor. The price includes breakfast. The hotel has a swimming pool and offers spacious rooms and suites suitable for up to 6 people. Free internet and parking.
Tours and guided excursions in Amelia Island from Viator:
Fernandina Beach Fernandina Beach
Fernandina Beach is a small town in the northern part of Amelia Island. It is a cute and vibrant town known for its rich pirate history. Its historic center is full of colorful 19th-century Victorian-style buildings, shops, cafes, and restaurants.
From its marina, cruises depart to nearby islands for dolphin watching and fishing.
In the center of the town, there is also a visitor center that was once a train station.
One of the important people in the town's history was David Levy (lived 1810-1886), and his statue is located next to the town's visitor center as a mark of appreciation for his work. He is considered the father of Florida's railroads. He was also a lawyer and politician (Senator). His father was from Morocco and his mother from Europe, and they moved to Florida when David was a child.
State Parks
In the Amelia Island area, there are many state parks - nature parks belonging to the State of Florida. Entrance to the parks is cheap (2-8 dollars per vehicle per park), and each park is different in its character and travel options.
The best parks:
Fort Clinch in Fort Clinch State Park
Fort Clinch is located in a state park Fort Clinch State Park at the northern end of Amelia Island. It is a pleasant surprise in its preservation and the nice display of its historical exhibits.
This is a very large fort with impressive displays in its various rooms showing how people once lived there. At the entrance to the building, you meet two guides dressed in the spirit of the period who tell visitors the history of the place. In many rooms, you can see through the windows the contents of the rooms with old furniture, beds, dining rooms, kitchens, and weapon storage rooms.
You enter various tunnels in the fort and walk on the walls where many cannons are placed. The entire site is essentially an impressive open-air history museum.
The structure is located at a strategic point at the mouth of the St Marys River, which also serves as the border between the states of Florida and Georgia. The fort was used during the American Civil War by the armies of both sides. The fort offers a beautiful view of the coastal inlets and the river.
It is also recommended to walk on the beach at the foot of the fort; it provides a beautiful and interesting perspective on the impressive fort, and additionally, it is a recommended beach for collecting shark teeth that have washed up here and turned black in the sand after many years.
The park also has an easy circular nature trail that passes through typical vegetation, Willow pond Natural Trail, and near the park entrance, there is a recommended viewpoint of the Amelia Island Lighthouse located across the creek: Eagan’s Creek Scenic View.
Park Amelia Island State Park
The park is at the southern end of Amelia Island and adjacent to it is the fishing pier (details below). Access to the beach in this park is available for off-road vehicles, and fishermen and vacationers can find a spot to their liking to park on the beach for fishing or relaxing. It is a wonderful beach for walking, cycling, and is especially popular for horseback riding.
Fishing Pier - George Crady Bridge Fishing Pier State Park
Located at the southern end of Amelia Island, this is essentially an "improvised" fishing pier, as it once served as a bridge to the island that was abandoned when a new bridge was built next to it, so it was converted into a fishing pier.
It is pleasant to walk along this long pier, about a kilometer in length, watch the fishermen in action, see the birds in the vicinity, and enjoy the view of the river flowing into the sea. The southern end of the pier is blocked. It should be noted that every fisherman has a chart with the types of fish in the area and what size is allowed to be caught, and they indeed measure the length of the fish they catch; if it is not the appropriate size, they release it back into the water. Fishing laws are strictly enforced there, and offenders are fined.
The following fish was released back to the sea as it was slightly less than 18 inches in length:
It is advisable to park in "Amelia Island" State Park and from there get on the bridge and walk on it.
Big Talbot Island State Park – Big Talbot Island State Park
Very close to Amelia Island at its southern end, across the bridge leading south, are two islands called Little Talbot and Big Talbot. There are several walking trails on the islands.
The most impressive trail on Big Talbot Island is called Boneyard Beach. From the parking lot next to the main coastal road (A1A), you enter a forested area for a trail parallel to the beach with viewpoints. The sight revealed on the beach is truly like a graveyard for trees. Giant tree skeletons are scattered all along the sandy shore.
You cannot immediately go down to the beach because there is a cliff of several meters. Continue for several hundred meters along the cliff to a point where there is a convenient descent to the beach, and from there you walk among the giant tree skeletons, some of which you can climb. The forest reaches the edge of the cliff, and when the sea is stormy, the waves erode the soft cliff ground, slowly causing it to collapse, and then the trees fall to the beach and die. This is the reason for all the tree skeletons there.
Slightly more than a kilometer south of this trail is another trail on Big Talbot leading to Black Rock Beach. A rocky beach as its name suggests with birds, and at low tide, you can walk on the rocks and see crabs among them. There are also a few tree skeletons there. You can dedicate about an hour to each of the trails mentioned.
Short video about a trip to Amelia Island:
Trips from Amelia Island:
Cumberland Island
It is the southernmost and largest island in the state of Georgia; there are no motorized vehicles or paved roads. Only 37 permanent residents live there, and only 300 visitors are allowed to arrive each day. The island has pristine maritime forests, wild beaches, and marshes. About two hundred wild horses live on the island and move freely. The first residents arrived on the island about 4,000 years ago and were natives of a tribe called Timucua. The island, popular among American celebrities, can only be reached by ferry CUMBERLAND ISLAND FERRY departing from St Marys, located 40 km (40 minutes drive) from Amelia Island.
The city of Jacksonville
It is recommended to go on a day trip in the nearby city of Jacksonville (about 50 minutes drive southwest of Amelia Island) where you can walk on the river promenade, in its historic district called Riverside, and in the "San Marco" neighborhood built with Italian inspiration, which also has a lake and canals. The city also has a large and recommended zoo.
More distant cities are St. Augustine which is the oldest city in the US, located about an hour and a half south of Amelia Island
or The city of Savannah located about two hours north of the island in the state of Georgia.
