Amelia Island

[Littlemeyer]

Calling all WCN Travel gurus....(I know you're out there :big_grin:)

We're thinking of vacationing on Amelia Island, just north of Jacksonville, FL, this summer.

Anybody ever been? Know of any good places to stay, eat, etc.? (We'd actually prefer to rent a beach house, but something that's a part of a complex is not being ruled out just yet either.)

We've heard it's quiet and relaxing there, which is EXACTLY what we're looking for since we'll have our 1-yr old daughter and 4-yr old niece with us.

Thanks in advance for any help!

[Littlemeyer]

Bump, in the spirit of this new forum. :thumbup:

And, in the spirit of me needing some information on where to vacate. :icon_mrgreen:

[RP_McMurphy]

Amelia Island is very quiet and nice. To the north is Fernidana Beach a small town. For good ride follow A1A which will take you thru Mayport a classic Florida fishing villiage then on thru Jacksonville Beach on the other side of Jacksonville is my favorite Guana River state park. Follow A1A some more and you run into Saint Augustine which is a day trip into itself.

[UFWildcat]

Coming to my neck of the woods!

Don't know much about Amelia Island but I've heard its great.

[BrassowFan]

Amelia Island is very quiet and nice. To the north is Fernidana Beach a small town. For good ride follow A1A which will take you thru Mayport a classic Florida fishing villiage then on thru Jacksonville Beach on the other side of Jacksonville is my favorite Guana River state park. Follow A1A some more and you run into Saint Augustine which is a day trip into itself.

Saint Augustine is a great place to spend a day.:thumbup:

[Rockober]

Saint Augustine is a great place to spend a day.:thumbup:

BrassowFan is correct. A very nice day visit or you may want to stay there for a day or two. I believe they have a Hampton Inn at St. Augustine right off the water. Back to Amelia Island, I stayed at the Ritz Carlton and it was very nice. They have nice beaches.

If you are looking for another quiet beach that is very laid back, look at New Smyrna Beach. Its just south of Daytona.

[UKcat]

I have been there for just a few hours, going through on A-1-A; looking at lighthouses and sight-seeing. Very beautiful area; I have stayed at Jacksonville Beach; very nice also. I LOVE St. Augustine; I could stay there again and again. Also the previous mentioned state park is one of my favorite on A-1-A.

[UedK]

Years ago my wife and our then two young boys went to Amelia two years in a row. We stayed at Amelia Island Plantation (free condo) both times but if we had a choice one of the times we would rather have been up near Fernandina in a regular beach house.

We enjoyed it. Laid back, not commercial, and Fernandina is a sort of through back small fishing town. Great seafood. We even found a cool old beach hotel with a bar and partied upstairs with the band after the bar closed.

Jacksonville offers some nice side trips. We toured an aircraft carrier and a destroyer.

Also, I always wanted to take a side trip to Cumberland Island. You can see it accross the estuary on the north side of Amelia. Cumberland is a very well maintained nature peresertve with a lot of great history. Day trips can be arranged from Fernandina or from Brunswick (?) GA.

[Littlemeyer]

Thanks, everyone, for the posts. :thumbup:

We've actually got several ideas of things to do from you guys. We plan on checking out that wildlife preserve on Cumberland Island, and also will go down to Guana River State Park.

This trip is still several months away, but I'll try to remember to come back here and post some pics.

Again, thanks for the input!

[RP_McMurphy]

If you want a look at what North Florida looked like before man that is the place.

[RxRusty]

I've been to Amelia for business meetings on 3 different occasions. Each time I've told myself I should come back and spend some more free time there. It is a little off the beaten path so the commercialization is at a minimum. Very relaxing spot. My only concern is that it is a bit pricey. Others are correct that there are a few good side trips from there but if it were me, I'd sit on the beach or patio (with a view of the beach) and spend all day reading a good book, with coffee in the AM and a glass of wine in the PM. Oh yeah...this would be a very romantic location if that's what you are looking for because it has never seemed crowded to me. Have fun!