Having exhausted all the sightseeing opportunities at Crooked River, we decided it would be a worthwhile 33 mile, 57 minute drive to explore Amelia Island known as the Isle of Eight Flags.

Amelia Island is a 13 mile-long and two mile-wide island and the southernmost jewel of the Sea Island chain of barrier islands off the southeastern coast of the United States with a fascinating and somewhat tumultuous history! Circa 1000, Native American bands associated with the Timucuan mound-building culture settled on the island, which they called Napoyca where they remained until the early 18th century. After that, the island frequently changed possession and has been under eight flags – French (1562–1565), Spanish (1563-1763, 1783-1812), Great Britain (1763-1783), Patriots of Amelia Island (1812-1813), Green Cross of Florida (1817), Mexico (1817-1821) and the United States (1821-Present).

Perched on the northern most point of the island is the historic city of Fernandina Beach. To get acclimated to the things to see and do in the city and on the island, our first stop was at the Amelia Island Visitor Center, a brick building that was once a train depot where interactive map tables and displays provide the lots of information about the island. This was the site where the main office of the first Atlantic to Gulf State Railroad was located in 1856.

Spanning approximately 55 blocks, the town contains over 400 historic structures, many listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The main drag, Centre Street stretches from the waterfront to the beach, lined with antique shops, galleries, eateries, and architectural treasures.

Strolling down Centre Street, here are a few of the historical buildings we saw:

U.S. Post Office – Customs House – Courthouse, built in 1912.

Memorial United Methodist Church, established in 1822Nassau County Courthouse, built in 1891. Lesesne House, the oldest house in Fernandina built in 1860.

We had to poke our heads into the Palace Saloon, the oldest bar in Florida, the only saloon that bore the distinction of being the “Shipcaptain’s Bar” in the early 1900’s. Pretty cool inside!

Tired from all the downtown walking, it was time to leave the city, headed for one last stop at Seaside Park to check out the beach.

A few hours certainly wasn’t enough time to thoroughly explore everything that this city had to offer. Definitely need to return in the future.