I was fortunate to grow up in Atlanta and in a family with a beach house right on Amelia Island's Fernandina Beach. This was back, I'm chagrined to admit, in the 1960s and '70s. We'd make the long journey down multiple times a year in one or the other of the big Buicks of the day my dad favored. The trunk would be packed to the max, as would be the car itself with my parents, me and a neighborhood friend I'd invite to go with us, my older sister, and Duke, our German Shepherd. Often, we'd also be pulling a trailer packed with various household goods and tools and such. Most of these idyllic beach visits would last for several weeks at a time.
You can imagine what the place meant to me as a young person. Untold hours of fun time spent body surfing the waves of the Atlantic. Fishing right out in front of our house or off the long pier down the beach a ways. Enjoying the distinctly beachified enclave of shops and entertainments - the putt-putt golf course, the pinball machines and ball bowler arcade game. The go kart track and a multiple-pit trampoline operation that couldn't possibly be allowed to operate these days. The sound of the surf rocking me to sleep every night. The thrill of a teen-age summer beach romance – walking hand-in-hand on the beach with an impossibly big night sky filled with stars, working up the courage to stop, turn, and offer my lips for one of the first real kisses of my life.
My father sold the beach house decades ago and due to the various kinds of responsibilities and limitations we all take on as adults I stopped making those annual or even occasional getaways to Fernandina Beach. But I went back recently, the first time in something like a quarter-century. Had to be a massive disappointment right? Sacred childhood and teen memories impossible to hold up? Beach, attendant attractions, and quaint downtown now a sprawling, tightly-bunched corporatized, homogenized, concretized mess taking up every square inch of sand and land by now, right?
Thankfully, mercifully, no. I was struck by how little had changed – and I mean that in the best possible way. Don't get me wrong. There has been some bit of development on the beach, of course, but minimal. And there are 21st century conveniences and technologies everywhere, of course. A few of the iconic buildings are now gone and the dock/harbor isn't quite what it used to be. But there's still a vibrant marina and some shrimping boats. And the nicely compact, eminently walkable and thoroughly charming downtown has far more interesting shops than I remember from the old days, many more restaurants and watering holes, more B&Bs and it has received an overall cleanup with structural work and fresh coats of paint.
WhenI was visiting as a kid, I don't recall anybody ever referring to "Amelia Island." It was just little ol' Fernandina Beach. Now, people are more likely to recognize the area as Amelia Island. Among its most appealing attractions is, of course, the 13 miles of beaches, along with the abundant wildlife. If you can't chill out on the beach here, you need to seek medical attention immediately.
One activity you owe it to yourself to take advantage of is an Amelia River Cruise (1 N. Front St., Fernandina Beach, Fla., 904-261-9972) preferably captained by Pajama Dave, a well-known town character and exceptional boat pilot who says he hasn't worn anything but pajama pants for 25 years. Dave will offer interesting historical info about the area with droll wit while showing off Fernandina's historic waterfront, local beaches and salt marshes, the wild horses on nearby Cumberland Island, Georgia, and much more.
Fernandina Beach's 50-block downtown Historic District is also a major draw. A couple of classics that were there when I was coming all those years ago are the MarinaSeafood Restaurant and The Palace Saloon. The former is the oldest restaurant on Amelia Island, an unpretentious eatery situated nearly at the harbor front.
The Palace Saloon (117 Centre St., Fernandina Beach, Fla., 844-441-2444) is "Florida's oldest continuously operated drinking establishment," a decidedly old-school bar that still has inlaid mosaic floors, embossed tin ceilings,hand-carved mahogany fixtures with renderings of undraped female fixtures, a 40-foot bar lit with gas lamps, and quality murals on its walls.
The whole downtown is a great shopping, eating, drinking, lodging, just-plain-lookin'-experience. Pajama Life (12 S. 2nd St., Fernandina Beach, Fla., 904-310-9314) Pajama Dave's contribution to the pajama-wearin' culture, offers just what you'd think along with a few T-shirts and gifts. For good eats try local seafood at the Crab Trap (31 N. 2nd St, Fernandina Beach, Fla., 904-261-4749) some Italian-inspired deliciousness at Moon River Pizza (925 S. 14th Street, Fernandina Beach, Fla., 904-321-3400) and indulge your sweet tooth at Fantastic Fudge (218 Centre St., Fernandina Beach, Fla., 904-277-4801. Great shopping options include Ship's Lantern (210 Centre St., Fernandina Beach, Fla., 904-261-5821) and Bijoux Amelia (317 Centre St, Fernandina Beach, Fla., 904-310-6086). If you're not turning one up at The Palace, you might imbibe at Amelia Tavern (318 Centre St., Fernandina Beach, 910-310-6088) or the Salty Pelican (12 N. Front St., Fernandina Beach, Fla., 904-277-3811).
Downtown Fernandina Beach is great to walk and the Amelia Island Museum of History (233 S. 3rd St., Fernandina Beach, Fla., 904- 261-7378) offers guided walking tours to provide some interesting historical context. Amelia Island Downtown Tasting Tours (117 Centre St., Fernandina Beach, Fla., 904-415-5578) is a great intro to the food scene. Old Towne Carriage Company (115 Beech St., Fernandina Beach, Fla., 904-277-1555) and Amelia Island Carriages (904-556-2662) offer their own special conveyances if that's your preference.
Lodging options on Amelia Island are plentiful and various, from chain hotels,privately operated hotels, condos and B&Bs, to resorts, like the Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort (39 Beach Lagoon Rd., Fernandina Beach, Fla., 904-261-6161).
