Amelia Island

(click any picture to enlarge and begin a slide show)

 

Amelia Island is the northern most island on the Florida east coast. The city of Fernandina Beach is located at the north end and boosts a beautiful historic district and downtown area.  The southern end of the island is divvied up into plantation areas and is mainly gated communities, golf courses and the Ritz Carlton. We stayed toward the north end.

Railway Station

Railway Station

Amelia Island Lighthouse

Amelia Island Lighthouse

The Amelia Island Lighthouse was built in 1838 making it the oldest existing lighthouse in the state of Florida.  It is located near the northern end of Amelia Island in the northeastern part of the state. Its light marks St. Marys Entrance, the inlet leading to St. Marys River, the Cumberland Sound and the harbor of Fernandina Beach, Florida along the Amelia River.

Since 1736, the site where Fort Clinch now stands has been occupied off and on by troops because it sits at the entrance to the St. Marys River and the Cumberland Sound. Construction of a fort, later named Fort Clinch, was begun in 1847. Cindy, being a history buff, was in heaven here. As you can see from the pictures, the fort is remarkably well preserved. Volunteers are stationed at various posts throughout the fort and are in character. The have a tremendous knowledge of the history and large collection of artifacts on display.

Fort Clinch

Fort Clinch

TNT

TNT

The Brink

The Brink

Supply Store

Supply Store

Passageway

Passageway

Cannon Aimed at Guy Fishing on Beach

Cannon Aimed at Guy Fishing on Beach

Espana Restaurant

Espana Restaurant

Cindy and I were first introduced to paella in a small town outside of Barcelona called Sitges. Since our first introduction, we have become fans of this traditional Spanish dish. Who would have thought that Fernandina Beach offered some of the best paella on the planet? We found the restaurant Espana on TripAdvisor. We are big fans of TripAdvisor when traveling. The number one ranked restaurant in Fernandina Beach is a Spanish restaurant and their specialty is, you guessed it, paella. Yum! The fact they were located right next door to the Nassau County Health Department gave us comfort the kitchen was probably clean.

 

We often bring chocolate or fudge home to our neighbor who keeps an eye on our house when we are away. We have spoiled her with chocolate from all around the world. She swears the best fudge she has eaten comes from Fantastic Fudge at Fernandina Beach where it is made fresh daily.

Fantastic Fudge

Fantastic Fudge

On Saturday morning, the town has a farmers market. This is not deserving of a special trip. Given the choice to go or sleep in, I would opt for the latter. Portland Oregon has the bet farmers market, ever! However, I was very impressed with the olive tent.

Olives For Sale

Olives For Sale

We had popcorn in our hotel. Not being one to waste an opportunity we fed it to the seagulls on the beach. I was able to capture this picture. Thank you Cindy for your patience and for throwing popcorn in the air with the skill of a profession baseball pitcher. This was a shot from over 500 pictures taken.

Sea Gull

Sea Gull

Nice Beach Set Up

Nice Beach Set Up

One of the great things about Nassau County beaches is you can park on the beach (with a $5 daily permit). They also allow dogs. We first discovered Amelia Island because when we had dogs, we wanted to take them with us.  We have very fond memories of our dogs playing in the surf on this beach.

 

Okay, you are going to just love this. We are sitting on the beach.  Picture an old dark blue pickup truck with lots of dents and a bad paint job. Now jack the truck up and on this truck put some huge wheels and off-road tires. I’m guessing the wheels and tires were worth way more than the truck. And just for fun, add a muffler that sounds like there is a lot of holes in it. The word muffler is reminiscent of its former life. I think you know what I mean. We’ve all see jalopies like this before. So, do you have a picture in your head? Now add Dad, tattooed mom and three little very energetic boys hyped up on sugar. They were parked near us on the beach. The kids had a great time playing in the surf and sand and mom and dad were given a hard workout trying to keep up with them. It is now time for them to go. Dad rounds up the kids. I happen to glance over at this point. I saw dad pick up a young’n. He held him up and told him to rub his feet together to kick of the sand before getting in the truck. I swear, I’m not making this next part up. Dad then banged his kid against the huge tire to knock off any excess sand. The kid thought it was fun. I about fell out of my chair. I could hear Jeff Foxworthy, “You may be a redneck if…..”

Nassau County Court House

Nassau County Court House

The Nassau County Court House is located in downtown Fernandina Beach on Centre Street. This is one of the oldest court houses in Florida. It dates to 1891. Inside the floors creak as you walk and it is wonderfully preserved inside and out. The historic marker states it is and example of Itallianate style, it features a square domed clock tower with cupola, brick corbelling, bracketed cornice, brick pilasters, arched windows, granite sills and arcaded entrances with cast iron columns. Sorry, my picture really does not do it justice (get it?  courthouse – justice) …{groan}

Lesesne House - circa 1860

Lesesne House – circa 1860

Some of the architecture style resembles that of Key West. The Lesesne house dates back to 1860 and is still owned by the same family line.

 

The town of Fernandina Beach has a wonderful historic, very picturesque downtown. Here are a few pics to get you acquainted.

 

No Knob Door

No Knob Door

The Addison

The Addison

Shrimp Boat - Red Sky at Night...

Shrimp Boat – Red Sky at Night…

Pelican Crossing

Pelican Crossing

Blue Door Art Gallery Entrance

Blue Door Art Gallery Entrance

Church Humor

Church Humor

Palace Saloon

Palace Saloon claims to be the oldest bar in Florida.

Flowers on Centre Street

Flowers on Centre Street

Amelia Island offers some charming side streets with moss hanging off the Live Oaks. When you look at the location of Amelia Island to the proximity of Savannah, it is understandable why they bare a resemblance.

Moss Covered Trees - Scenic Road

Moss Covered Trees – Scenic Road

One our last night there, we had dinner on the beach. Willamette Valley VineyardsWe picked up a pizza from Tony’s Brick Oven Pizzeria.  Willy jeepers, it was so good.  It was complemented nicely with a bottle of Willamette Valley Vineyard pinot noir (probably illegal to drink on the beach). It was an awesome way to end our trip.

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