Amelia Island, FL, Guide and Information

In northern Florida, Amelia Island offers beautiful beaches, award-winning accommodations and fun for the entire family. A unique mix of southern charm and Floridian culture, Amelia Island quickly becomes a favorite destination for many first-time visitors, prompting them to revisit year after year.

If this is your first time visiting the island, you’ll find lots to see and explore, but where do you go when you're hungry? Try one of these five restaurants or cafes — you might just discover a favorite spot to return back to, time and time again.

Imagine Florida at its finest, enhanced by southern charm. Amelia Island is as lovely as its name. (Doesn’t Amelia conjure up thoughts of grace and beauty?) Named for Princess Amelia, daughter of George II of England, Amelia Island does indeed possess a delightful blend of pristine nature and historic architecture along with many wonderful places to lodge, dine, shop, re-center yourself and recreate.

Part of the Sea Islands chain of islands that stretch along the east coast from South Carolina to Florida, this thirteen-mile-long island is the northernmost of Florida’s barrier islands. At four miles across at its widest part, Amelia Island abounds with fabulous soft-sand beaches, parks and a wide variety of other places to relax, rejuvenate and have fun. If you travel south along the A1A, the main drag, you’ll pass through beguiling beach bungalows, impressive mansions, quaint inns and B and Bs and high-end resorts until you arrive at beautiful Amelia Island State Park at the southernmost tip.In terms of beaches, you can discover lots of beachfront access points along the way as well as parks and other places from which to enjoy the magnificence of the Atlantic Ocean. At the northernmost tip, Main Beach Park ranks tops for its sand dunes, boardwalk and public sports and recreation facilities. Farther down at Peters’ Point Park, you can drive right up onto the beach and cast your line into the big blue. It’s a great place to park it for a while, since many amenities such as bathrooms are provided. Don’t forget your cooler! Down south American Beach is noteworthy for its historic significance and allure. Founded during the Jim Crow era when African Americans were not allowed to go on the beaches at nearby Jacksonville, today American Beach is a community in transition. Listed as an historic site by the National Register of Historic Places, many of the old endearing homes have been restored to their original splendor; others lie in wait of beinlks looking to embrace the renaissance of this unique part of Amelia Island.

The flip side of your Amelia Island Discovery Map offers a terrific overview of much of what Fernandina Beach has to offer. From its tree-lined streets in its historic downtown to its bustling waterfront on the Intracoastal Waterway (also known as the Amelia River), you can easily surmise the lay of the land of much of what is to see and do. Know, however, that these are just some of the highlights and if you venture out – especially on foot – you’ll discover even more on your own.