Amelia Island FL - Day Trip

From the campground it was an easy drive to Florida Rt A1A, north of Jacksonville along the coast.  We first came upon Ft. George Island and were able to see the Florida of an era gone by.  Settled generations ago, it is lightly populated and allows you to imagine how Florida looked long ago.  As the day went on, we were more aware of all the islands that dot the southeaster US coast.  North along A1A there are many modern 'high end' gated resort and residential areas.  It is a very pretty area and a nice drive.  We visited American Beach and Jan picked up some shells.

Farther north is an older style beach front destination area, a 50's - 70's era look.  This is Fernandina Beach along the coast, and there is a FABULOUS historic downtown.  (check the link here to the photo tour on this page). We did see the Amelia Island Lighthouse...at a distance.  The road to it is closed, and we did not spend the time to venture into the Fort Clinch State Park property to see it from across the Egan Creek.

We did walk the historic area and had lunch.  Traffic and crowds were light on this mid week day.

Amelia Island is a really nice destination, a place one could vacation for a week at a variety of levels of accommodations.  Amelia Island is the northern most portion of Florida.  Across the river is St Mary's, Georgia.  We went there next.  After a short ride up RT 17 to Rt 40 we were at St. Mary's. 

It too is a historic area, but stuck in time...  There are no modern developments.  There are no crowds.  There is no beach.  It is a quaint area with many old structures that are well kept.  There are some river front activities and a nice park.

Several B&B's dot the area, and there are a few nice restaurant stops.

There is a ferry to Cumberland Island and there is a Naval Base - Submarine that looked interesting, though we did not take the time for either.  After 5 hours sightseeing, it was a quick 40 hop back to the Whale for a restful night, dinner and a movie.