A Girls Weekend in Amelia Island, Florida
Just off of Exit 1 in the Northwest corner of Florida, lies an island with 13 miles of beachfront, a long history under eight different flags and a cute, little beach town with shops and shrimp boats. And very few people have ever heard of it.
Amelia Island was named for King George II of Britain's daughter. Flags from Spain, England, France, Mexico and the Confederate US have flown over the island from it's different rulers. Today it's a sleepy little island with a couple of big resorts, seafood restaurants, condos for rent and one of the most infamous auto weeks, the Concours d'Elegance, in all of the US.
My first visit to "Florida's Favorite Island" was in the Spring on a girls weekend with my mom and sister. We arrived on a beautiful Friday evening and strolled down the main street of little Fernandina Beach - the main town of Amelia Island. After checking out a few of the shops, we started perusing menus for dinner choices. We settled on Amelia Tavern and Brewpub. It was a delicious meal with the Tavern's own brews and we exited to a gorgeous sunset over the pier.
Saturday morning started with breakfast at our hotel and then we were off to view the beach. Our first stop was the Ritz Carlton Amelia Island for a coffee at Coast, the Ritz's restaurant. Located beachfront, the Ritz is one of the locations for the Concours d'Elegance which is the biggest event of the year for the island.(Some 300 volunteers man the show and hotel rooms are sold out a year in advance) Held during the month of March, this car show is the premier show in the state of Florida. The charitable event is like a "beauty pageant for rare and elegant cars." Also included during the week are auto auctions, charity raffles and even fashion shows with profits going to charity. If you're a car aficionado, this is the event for you.
After seeing the beach and wandering the Ritz, we were ready for lunch. A quick drive down the beach road led us to The Surf. Also a hotel, the Surf is located across from the beach and serves up pub food in a beachy atmosphere.
From there we drove past all the beachfront homes and took a drive around the island. There is a lighthouse but it is privately owned and only open one weekend per month, so we drove past to see it and then went back for a little more shopping. Parking is free along the main street and there are lots of cute little shops in Fernandina Beach. Fun fact: the house used in the filming of the Pippi Longstocking movie from 1987 is located in Fernandina Beach. It's now for sale so if you'd like to own a piece of movie history you can purchase it for a mere $750,000.
But all to soon our visit to Amelia Island was over and it was time to move on to our next stop. If you haven't been, give Amelia Island a try. It's got beautiful beaches, a swanky resort, cute little shops and I'm told, a car show to die for. If those sound up your alley, I'm sure you'd love it.
How about you? Have you ever heard of Amelia Island? Or have you been?
Linking up with: My Corner of the World at Photographing New Zealand!
Amelia Island was named for King George II of Britain's daughter. Flags from Spain, England, France, Mexico and the Confederate US have flown over the island from it's different rulers. Today it's a sleepy little island with a couple of big resorts, seafood restaurants, condos for rent and one of the most infamous auto weeks, the Concours d'Elegance, in all of the US.
My first visit to "Florida's Favorite Island" was in the Spring on a girls weekend with my mom and sister. We arrived on a beautiful Friday evening and strolled down the main street of little Fernandina Beach - the main town of Amelia Island. After checking out a few of the shops, we started perusing menus for dinner choices. We settled on Amelia Tavern and Brewpub. It was a delicious meal with the Tavern's own brews and we exited to a gorgeous sunset over the pier.
Saturday morning started with breakfast at our hotel and then we were off to view the beach. Our first stop was the Ritz Carlton Amelia Island for a coffee at Coast, the Ritz's restaurant. Located beachfront, the Ritz is one of the locations for the Concours d'Elegance which is the biggest event of the year for the island.(Some 300 volunteers man the show and hotel rooms are sold out a year in advance) Held during the month of March, this car show is the premier show in the state of Florida. The charitable event is like a "beauty pageant for rare and elegant cars." Also included during the week are auto auctions, charity raffles and even fashion shows with profits going to charity. If you're a car aficionado, this is the event for you.
After seeing the beach and wandering the Ritz, we were ready for lunch. A quick drive down the beach road led us to The Surf. Also a hotel, the Surf is located across from the beach and serves up pub food in a beachy atmosphere.
From there we drove past all the beachfront homes and took a drive around the island. There is a lighthouse but it is privately owned and only open one weekend per month, so we drove past to see it and then went back for a little more shopping. Parking is free along the main street and there are lots of cute little shops in Fernandina Beach. Fun fact: the house used in the filming of the Pippi Longstocking movie from 1987 is located in Fernandina Beach. It's now for sale so if you'd like to own a piece of movie history you can purchase it for a mere $750,000.
But all to soon our visit to Amelia Island was over and it was time to move on to our next stop. If you haven't been, give Amelia Island a try. It's got beautiful beaches, a swanky resort, cute little shops and I'm told, a car show to die for. If those sound up your alley, I'm sure you'd love it.
How about you? Have you ever heard of Amelia Island? Or have you been?
Linking up with: My Corner of the World at Photographing New Zealand!
Wow, that looks like a fun and scenic place! I'm glad you shared your photos with us :)
ReplyDeleteYour link is a great part of 'My Corner of the World' this week! Thanks for joining us.
My Corner of the World
Thanks for visiting, Betty! And for the link-up!
Delete