Planning your next getaway is a great way to beat the post-holiday blues. Resolve to make 2015 rejuvenating, adventurous, and unforgettable on Amelia Island.
- Try Stand Up Paddleboard Yoga with Kayak Amelia. Even if you've practiced Yoga for years, this is a uniquely tranquil experience: surround by nature's beauty, your board (safely tethered and anchored) becomes your yoga mat.
- Clip-clop through historical high points. Historic Downtown Fernandina Beach was a magnet for the rich, famous, and infamous during the Victorian time period. Hear all about it as you roll past beautiful historic homes in the knowledgeable (and charming) hands of Olde Towne Carriage Company.
- Play a round while enjoying spectacular seaside and marsh views offered by Omni Amelia Island Plantation’s stunning Ocean Links golf course (it was named one of the 50 Best Courses for Women, and Amelia Island has been named one of the world’s best islands for golf.)
- See the island from the water. Amelia River Cruises offer richly narrated tours from the historic waterfront along the wild beaches of Cumberland Island. The Amelia Boat Club will rent you a boat (and even arrange for a captain.)
- Surrender to a spa treatment at The Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island (such as the signature 'Heaven in a Hammock' massage where you receive the treatment in zero gravity as you rock gently in a hammock's embrace, plus the relaxation offered by the Spa’s adults-only salt water pool.)
- Explore Fort Clinch, one of the best-preserved Civil Era forts in the US set in an enchantingly wooded state park. On the first weekend of every month, re-enactors stage a “Union Garrison” event where you can experience what daily life at the Fort was like in 1864.
- Go ride a bike. Amelia Island is home to enough trails and paths to give you a change of scenery each day. The island provides a number of options from rugged trails winding past century-old, moss-laden live oaks to smooth scenic coastal paths and even on the beach at low tide. Bike rentals are available throughout the island.
- Take the kids to the Pirate Playground, a shady playscape designed to be accessible and enjoyable for children with a range of physical abilities. It borders on the entrance to Egan’s Creek greenway, a perfect spot for a walk (and for pictures.)
- Learn about the fascinating history of American Beach, a legendary oceanfront haven for African Americans during the Jim Crow era. In its heyday, the homes, restaurants and nightclubs attracted superstars such as Ray Charles and James Brown. The new American Beach Museum features a filmed tour by MaVynee Betsch – aka The Beach Lady.
- Stroll, shop and eat in Historic Downtown Fernandina Beach. Down and around Centre Street, you’ll find a range of eclectic independent local businesses with genuine Southern charm.
- Spend a Saturday savoring outdoor markets: the Fernandina Beach Market Place downtown and the Amelia Farmers Market at the Shops of Omni Amelia Island Plantation offer delights ranging from fresh produce to sweet treats to flowering plants and artisanal wares.
- There aren’t many places in the country where you can go horseback riding on the beach. Experience it on Amelia Island where professional guides (and well-trained horses) are waiting for you.
- Take a free and fascinating tour of Burbank Sport Nets, where they have been hand crafting nets for shrimp and fish trawls for nearly 90 years and currently make all kinds of sport nets. Their net makers periodically demonstrate their craft at the new Shrimping Museum located in the Maritime Welcome Center on the harbor front.
- Go on an aerial adventure with Air Amelia’s “trike” flying or powered hang gliding that brings you breathtaking views of the entire island and surrounding area.
- See a sea turtle (excavation) If you’re on Amelia Island during the spring and summer, you can experience one of the most ancient and moving rites of spring. Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch volunteers monitor and flag nests and host nest excavations, many of which are open to the public.