Amelia Island has been on my list of places I want to go for…a long time. 

I’m not even sure how I first heard about it, but the northernmost island on Florida’s Atlantic coast that was known for being more similar to Georgia and South Carolina’s lowcountry than more familiar Florida beaches has always fascinated me. 

Well on a recent week long road trip to a few different places in northern Florida, I finally made time for a visit. 

Weekend on Amelia Island

I spent a weekend on Amelia Island taking in all of the sites, and here’s what you need to know:

Why Go to Amelia Island

For starters…there are a LOT of beach destinations in Florida, so why should you pick Amelia Island? After visiting, I think these are the main draws: 

Proximity to Southern Cities

Amelia Island’s location right on the FL/GA state line makes it a drivable destination to people living in Jacksonville, Georgia, South Carolina, and even parts of Tennessee, North Carolina, etc. 

Golf & Tennis

Amelia Island is a golfer’s paradise. It’s also home to Cliff Drysdale Tennis, a 23 court state of the art tennis facility which makes it a huge tennis destination. 

Fernandina Beach

Fernandina Beach is one of the cutest beach towns in Florida…maybe anywhere. The historic downtown is lined with trees dripping with Spanish moss, cute shops, and yummy restaurants. It’s everything you’d want in a laid back beach town but with a slightly more refined Southern vibe. 

River Cruises & Cumberland Island Tours

One of the top things to do in Amelia Island is a river cruise to see the marshes and barrier islands. Part of what makes Amelia Island unique to any other place in Florida is that it shares more in common with Georgia and South Carolina’s famous “lowcountry” than the more tropical white sand beaches further south. So a boat cruise up the river or over to Cumberland Island is a must. 

Fort Clinch State Park

The drive through Fort Clinch State Park is sooo lovely and has me wanting to plan a trip to Savannah or Chaleston to see more of the Lowcountry. 

***Want to save major $$$ on a fancy beach resort? My favorite travel hack is cashing in points to score free nights at some of the island’s most high end resorts. My go to hotel brand is Marriott so I use this Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card to rack up points for a lot of my trips to Florida. If you pay for your monthly expenses on the card and are responsible about paying it off every month, the points add up really fast. Plus, if you sign up through my link, you’ll get THREE bonus free nights to use. In Florida, use your points at some of my favorite Marriott properties like the Swan Reserve at Walt Disney World, the Vinoy in St. Pete, the EDITION Miami Beach, the JW Marriott Marco Island, and the soon to open St. Regis Longboat Key. 

Where to Stay

Ritz Carlton Amelia Island

I cashed in some Marriott points to stay at the Ritz Carlton Amelia Island, and as expected, it’s the most luxurious spot on the island. 

It’s just a quick drive south from Fernandina Beach, but it feels pretty isolated and you won’t find any crowds. 

While the beach isn’t what I’m used to on the gulf coast (white sand, turquoise water, sand dollars), the beach here has its own kind of wild beauty. 

The water is rougher and colder, but the beach is wide and flat making it perfect for long walks and lots of beach combing. 

The hotel’s beach services were closed up for winter when I visited, but even in colder months they have bonfires on the beach available. 

Amelia Schoolhouse Inn

If you’re just staying for a few days on Amelia Island and planning to do more sightseeing and shopping than hitting the beach, I LOVE the Amelia Schoolhouse Inn. It’s walkable to the historic downtown, and obviously quite a bit cheaper than the Ritz Carlton. 

Side Note: If you’re looking for a rental car for your trip, I LOVE Discount USA Car Rental. They’re seriously the only company I ever use. I started using their sister company (Discount Hawaii Car Rental) on my Hawaii trips almost 10 years ago and now I use their main site for all of my other trips. They’ll give you the very best prices, you don’t have to reserve with a credit card or pay until you show up, you can cancel and re-book anytime if you find a better rate, and they usually have a special that adds additional drivers for no fee. It’s a no brainer. Click here to check rates for your trip.

Where to Eat

I was only on Amelia Island for a couple of days, but here are the places I ate and liked:

Mezcal Spirit of Oaxaca

We stumbled in here on our first night and it was a home run! We actually talked about going back again the next night ; ) Being from Oklahoma, I’m much more familiar with Tex-Mex style food, but I loved this regional Mexican cuisine and most of the menu sounded interesting. 

The Crab Trap

We popped in here for an early dinner and while there’s some construction going on in the area, I think it’s going to be a really nice area when it’s all finished. 

We had some truly amazing shrimp here (shrimp cocktail AND fried shrimp!) plus probably the best lobster bisque I’ve ever had (it had huge chunks of lobster in it). 

Amelia Island Coffee

This local coffee shop is perfect for breakfast or an afternoon pick me up while you’re shopping. Their breakfast sandwiches are great, but I loved the banana bread the most!

On Another Note: If you’re looking for a condo or vacation rental for your trip, I always book with Vrbo. They’ve got the largest selection of rentals you’ll find anywhere and you can easily filter to find exactly what you’re looking for. Need a specific number of bedrooms and bathrooms? Narrowed it down to a certain location? Want flexible cancellation terms? Need to stay under a fixed budget? Click here to search for Florida vacation rentals for your trip.

Want to Read More Posts about Florida? I’ve got plenty!

Check out these destinations: Miami (Things to Do Besides Party & Where to Stay) // Key Biscayne // Sanibel & Captiva // Longboat Key & Anna Maria Island // Marco Island // 30a // St Augustine // Amelia Island // St Pete Beach // St Petersburg // Fort Myers // Dunedin // Crystal River & Weeki Wachee Springs // Honeymoon Island & Caladesi Island State Parks // Tarpon Springs // Matlacha & Pine Island // Apalachicola

Trying to narrow it down? Siesta Key vs Anna Maria Island // St Pete Beach vs Clearwater Beach // Sanibel vs Marco Island // Destin vs Panama City Beach // Destin vs 30a // Key Biscayne vs South Beach // Seaside vs Rosemary Beach 

Best Beaches in Florida with Seashells

Best Florida Tennis Resorts

P.S. If you want to follow along on my travel adventures in real time, you can follow me on Instagram (@caitylincoln). My post captions are full of travel tips and I have a ton of story highlights and videos with great info. And share my account with your travel loving friends! Your support really helps me keep this blog running!