itKeeping real on Amelia Island

The Timucua lived on Amelia Island for over 3,000 years – learn more about the First Peoples at the Museum of History. Amelia Island State Park protects 230 acres of maritime forest, salt marsh, and beaches.

It only takes 10 minutes to cycle from Fernandina Beach to the Fort Clinch State Park main entrance, so the whole island is easy to cover with pedal power.

On Ash Street in Fernandina Beach the road divides around an old live oak, because in the 1890s Katherine MacDonnell Bailey, a pioneering conservationist, defended the tree from workers sent to cut it down for road expansion.

Little NaNa dune at American Beach is part of the dune system that nurtures inland areas of Amelia Island. Its shelter and beautyberry, with bright pink berries. As much a part of Amelia Island as beach views, maritime forest provides a lush backdrop to the hiking trails that crisscross the island. allows large plants, such as Spanish bayonet yucca and saw palmetto, to become established and support dunes to grow higher. Tall ancient dunes then provide enough protection to the interior of the island for maritime forest to grow.

Underneath a canopy dominated by live oak, which is shaped by the wind, the understory of Amelia Island’s maritime forest is rich with shrubs such as sparkleberry, a large blueberry,

Being on holiday is time to slow down, and one of the best ways to do that is to travel at the speed of cycling. Amelia Island has relatively flat terrain, which makes cycling easy and it’s recognised as a Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists, meaning it has plenty of cyclefriendly infrastructure. On Amelia Island this includes car-free bike trails that give close up views of wild scenery.

On this island that is only two miles wide, you are never far from seeing the influence of the sea on land.

Birdwatching

Bring binoculars to get a good look at birds without disturbing them. A pitstop on the north to south Atlantic flyway for birds, more than 300 species pass over or nest on the island. A highlight is Florida scrub jay, a rare bird that is endemic to Florida. Look out for them around oak scrub – each autumn they cache thousands of acorns, then dig them up and eat them over winter and spring.