Amelia Island

Understand

Fernandina Beach is, in reality, two separate cities with different origins. Old Fernandina was founded by the Spanish in 1811 to counter growing American power in the South and was the last Spanish colony in the Americas according to the centuries-old Laws of the Indies. The town sits on the shore of the Amelia River just south of where it meets the ocean. It was taken over by the U.S. after Spain handed over Florida in 1821. The streets (and street names) in Old Fernandina remain from Spanish times.

A couple miles to the south, the American city of "New" Fernandina was founded later in the 19th century. This became the larger of the two towns which together make up today's Fernandina Beach. Unfortunately, Old Fernandina's Fort San Carlos eroded into the widening Amelia River and nothing remains of it, but to its north the American Fort Clinch is well preserved.

American developers hoped that New Fernandina would become another Manhattan, but Florida's climate and its then-malaria-spreading mosquitoes (not to mention the difficulty of getting to Florida in the first place, in those days) prevented this. Fernandina Beach regardless grew into a significant town with a pretty downtown, many shops and eateries, museums, and historic houses. To its south but still on Amelia Island are small beach towns including the once-segregated American Beach and Franklintown. Both are home to upscale resorts and clubs. At the island's southern tip, and with beautiful beaches, is Amelia Island State Park.

Get in

FL-A1A's northern terminus is in Amelia Island, and therefore this road can be used to access Amelia Island from the south. There is also a connection by road on the western side. There is no route directly north to or from Georgia.

Go next

• St. Augustine preserves far more of Spain's colonial legacy in Florida
• Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve includes a reconstruction of 16th-century Fort Caroline and the site where a Spanish mission once stood, among other historic sites