FLORIDA PLACES AND DESTINATIONS:
AMELIA ISLAND
Amelia Island, Florida has been named among the Top 10 North American islands by Conde Nast Traveler’s Reader’s Choice Awards.
Also making the 2007 Reader’s Choice Awards is The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island. The 444-room beach front resort was ranked #21 among the Top 50 US Mainland Resorts.
Located just off the coast of northeast Florida, Amelia Island is a barrier island rich in colorful history and breathtaking natural beauty. Surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, Intra- coastal Waterway, strong-currented Nassau Sound and one of the East’s largest and deepest inlets – Cumberland Sound – Amelia Island is edged with natural Appalachian quartz beaches and framed by dunes as high as 40 feet.
Thirteen miles long and two miles wide, the northern and southern tips of the Island are park preserves which make up nearly 10 percent of the entire Island.
Amelia Island’s small size belies the host of activities she offers her guests. From golf and tennis at world-class resorts to kayaking, sunset sails and horseback riding on the beach, Amelia Island provides an array of activities for those who want to keep busy. For those who want pure rest, relaxation and quality time with loved ones, there is no better place than Amelia Island.
The Island offers all types of accommodations, restaurants and shops to meet the needs of the most discriminating traveler or budget-minded family. The Island is home to Florida’s only spoken history museum and a Civil War fort where monthly reenactments are conducted.
The island is home to Fernandina Beach, once a vibrant Victorian seaport village, and now a charming downtown district of eclectic shops, attractions and eateries.
Fernandina Beach, is also known as the "Isle of 8 Flags" for it has had the flags of France, Spain, Great Britain, Spain (again), the Patriots of Amelia Island, the Green Cross of Florida, Mexico, the Confederate States of America, and the United States. flown over it since 1562. In fact, it is the only municipality in the United States that has flown eight different national flags.
To celebrate a part of the towns history, The Fiesta de Santa Maria takes place in Fenandina Beach each year in September to celebrate its historic latin heritage. Visitors enjoy latin cuisine from area restaurants, music, dancing, plus a marketplace with a variety of vendors.
Photo: Amelia Island Tourist Development Council
