If your mind map is blank, you’re not alone: For most family travelers, the Florida landscape is dominated by Orlando. Wonderful fun, yes; However, many families are looking for a different type of vacation, a relaxing place, on the beach, a getaway.
Amelia Island for families
Amelia Island, a twenty-minute drive from Jacksonville, has two great beach resorts and interesting day trips if you feel like moving from the beach or pool. Take a nature walk or a boat ride; stroll through the beautifully restored Victorian town of Fernandina Beach; visit a historic fort; horseback riding on the beach.
Who was Amelia?
The island is named after an English princess: the daughter of British King George II. It is the only place in the US that has been under eight flags: French, Spanish, British, Patriots, Florida Green Cross, Mexican, Confederate, and American – this small island has been shaken by history since the rhythms of the Timucuan indigenous life broke down centuries ago.
The town of Fernandina Beach is a lovely place to stroll, with many restored Victorian buildings. For history on the ground: The Amelia Island History Museum is an oral history museum, specializing in walking tours and storytelling formats.
Weather and when to visit
Due to its location in North Florida, the island is cooler in the summer than further south. (Check average temperatures.) The island also has cool sea breezes. Amelia is long and narrow, only two miles wide. On one side are thirteen miles of beaches; The other side is bog wetlands.
April, May and June are lovely months. Some visitors may prefer the colder winter months for golf; With temperatures in the 60s, you probably won’t be swimming in the ocean, although heated hotel pools would still be fun.
And something you don’t have to think about: hurricanes. Brief thunderstorms are common from late spring through fall, but Amelia Island is lucky to have no hurricanes.
Nature tours and boat trips
With miles of wetlands and giant oak trees, Amelia Island has abundant birds to offer nature lovers.
Guests at the Amelia Island Plantation Resort can hike or bike seven miles of nature trails; Best of all, are the boardwalks that stretch down to the swamp. (Click above to see the photo.) You can experience the stillness of the wetlands, a place where many kinds of birds are found, and watch the tide go in and out of the swamp grasses.
Boat trips: It is recommended to go out on the water! Take a tour of the Amelia River, wetlands, and the Cumberland Sound.
In the water, the shrimp boats have a beauty of wings and you can see dolphins.
If you are lucky, you will see the wild horses on Cumberland Island.
