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Amelia Island
wasn’t always the peaceful parcel of vacation land it is today.
In fact, more than 300 years of see-saw battles occurred over ownership
of this 13.5-mile-long sandbar now regarded as one of Florida’s
premier holiday destinations. Located in the northeast corner of the
state, 32 miles north of Jacksonville, the island lapped by the
Atlantic Ocean is the only U.S. territory to have been under eight
different flags beginning with the French in 1562. Over the following
three centuries it was seized (sometimes more than once) by the
Spanish, English, American Patriots, Mexican rebels and the Confederacy
before finally becoming the property of the United States.
It’s not surprising the various parties
that fought over it each believed the bitter battles they waged were
worthwhile although I doubt their motivations had anything to do with
lying on a beach and catching some rays.
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Amelia Island has 117 holes of golf with four of the top courses located within the Amelia Island Plantation.
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Named after Princess Amelia,
daughter of England’s King George II, the entire east shore is one,
long giant beach and the island’s annual average temperature is a
comfortable 70F, a climate that seemed pretty darn good to me in early
February.
While I consider myself especially well acquainted
with Florida, Amelia Island was a blank page I was about to fill. I
made my headquarters the Amelia Island Plantation, the largest resort
complex on the island. Located on the southern tip of this slender
sandbar, the only complaint with the mega resort was finding my way
around its 1,350-acre site punctuated by bike paths, nature trails, a
shopping village, vacation villas and an upscale inn--all meticulously
placed within an impossible maze of streets shaded by majestic oaks
dripping Spanish moss.
Moreover, golfers don’t have to go
further south into Florida than just across the Georgia border where
Amelia Island has 117 holes of golf with four of the top courses
located within the Amelia Island Plantation.
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Horseback riding is popular with many Plantation guests.
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All four are superb tracks
designed by renowned architects (Pete Dye, Bobby Weed, Tom Fazio) whose
inspired layouts incorporate oceanfront sand dunes, marshland, water
features and stands of centuries-old live oaks. The resort also has 3.5
miles of pristine beach, 20 swimming pools, 10 dining spots, a
state-of-the-art spa and a health and fitness centre.
While
Amelia Island Plantation is virtually a one-stop vacation resort, the
island that’s only two miles wide at its broadest point can be driven
from tip to tip in less than an hour and has plenty of interesting
nooks and crannies to be explored. Among its busiest and most popular
tourist attractions is the community of Fernandino Beach, once a
thriving Victorian seaport that now boasts a 50-block historic district
with numerous original buildings dating back to the late 19th century.
Located near the northwest tip of the island its downtown streets are
lined with charming establishments housing everything from an ice cream
parlour to a chocolate factory, restaurants, and an old fashioned candy
emporium. There’s also several boutiques, souvenir stores, antique
shops, art galleries, small inns and the famous Palace Saloon purported
to be Florida’s oldest continuously operating drinking spot. Also,
Fernandino Beach maintains a long history in the shrimping industry
where shrimp boats depart daily from the town’s docks. For a cultural
fix, the community has two theatres offering live performances
(Shakespeare, contemporary drama, Broadway musicals, comedies) from
September to June.
Fernandino Beach is also the place to visit
the Amelia Island History Museum housed in an historic jail. Here, a
fascinating collection of permanent exhibits, memorabilia and art work
paint a vivid picture of times past. Golf buffs can hit the links at
the Fernandina Beach Golf Club where its 27 holes have been praised by
Golf Digest magazine.
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Amelia Inn King Room – casual elegance.
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As small as the island is, it’s not too
small to house The Fort Clinch State Park, part of the U.S. Parks
system. Its centrepiece is a remarkably well preserved 1847 fort that
was garrisoned by Confederate and Federal troops respectively, although
no battles were ever fought there. Within the fort, costumed
interpreters give regular tours and re-enact the daily life of Civil
War-era soldiers. Today, the fort is surrounded by a 1,121-acre park
defined by pristine beaches and sand dunes, nature trails and salt
marshes. The park also has a six-mile unpaved, “loop” trail for hikers
and off-road cyclists.
Overall, it’s actually mind-boggling
how much this tiny island has to offer vacationers. Amelia is renowned
for both offshore and back-country fishing and a number of local
charter companies are equipped to get people outfitted and on the
water. There’s horseback riding on the beach, naturalist tours and
Amelia Island Plantation has 23 clay tennis courts.
Truthfully,
the three days I spent on the island were not nearly long enough to
sample everything it has to offer. However, I was there long enough to
know that if I were going to be marooned on an island, Amelia would be
among my top choices.
TRAVEL PLANNER
For more information on the Amelia Island Plantation see www.aipfl.com or call 1-800-874-6878. For more about the island see www.ameliaisland.org.
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