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We love an island getaway and that’s one of the many reasons we love living in Jacksonville!
When we don’t have time to jet off across the world, we have a world-renowned island and multiple beaches right in our own city! Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island is the perfect spot to visit from afar or for a relaxing staycation! The perfect day trip is a visit to Amelia Island! Check out the link below for more information on Northeast Florida’s coastal gem!
Check out our top recommendations on where to eat while you're visiting the island!
No beach getaway is complete without margs with friends and that’s why we love La Surena Mexican! Right in the heart of Fernandina Beach and only a short walk from the beach access, La Surena serves up some of the best shrimp tacos around! Plus, their week is full of daily specials to indulge in delicious enchiladas with a big basket of chips and salsa!
This restaurant doubles as a Mexican grocery store so you can keep the fiesta going straight to your hotel on the beach!
Florida is famous for their fish sandwiches – grouper please – and no one does classic Florida fish dishes better than The Salty Pelican! This beach bar and grille has the most perfect location right in Fernandina Beach with a harbor view and the best seats in town for sunset cocktails!
The best way to enjoy The Salty Pelican? Go full Florida style with a catch of the day sandwich, blackened with their signature Pelican Sauce! And always go with the smoked fish dip as a starter to get all the fish dishes in you!
It’s a well known fact in Florida that the absolute best and freshest fish is from fish shacks on the beach. Timoti’s Seafood Shak proves Florida locals right everyday with their amazing selection of fresh catch fish! Their menu is all the best fish dishes – and even a few veggie options – and sides. But what we really love? Baskets full of fresh catch fried fish with a heaping pile of hush puppies, fries, and delicious Cole slaw!
Pair your basket with a vodka lemonade for the most refreshing Florida day on the beach! The shak is close to the beach with their own outdoor seating perfect for relaxing and letting the ocean breeze cool you when you drench your fish in hot sauce!
Bright foods and vibrant walls are all the rage at Cafe Karibo. We love how inviting the bright colors and eclectic decor at the cafe is and how cozy the garden patio is, giving the perfect recluse only minutes from the big city!
Cafe Karibo brings the color from the walls straight to your plate with a range of food options from around the world! We absolutely love coming here for a cozy night among friends in the fresh island air! The Karibo burger is a must try and we love pairing it with the Mediterranean couscous salad for a light and fresh start!
Island getaways call for crazy burger combinations, giant fries, and creamy milkshakes. Tasty’s Fresh Burgers is the place to get your burger fixings with some of the most unique and delicious burgers around! We’re obsessed with the sweet and tangy taste of the Carolina BBQ burger and their southern style fries!
Right in the historic district, Tasty’s is the perfect place to stop before you drop while shopping through the streets of the town!
Get a taste of Spain at Espana Restaurants & Tapas. They have over 20 years of restaurant experience and take lots of pride in their services and in their classic recipes. Some of the highlights on the menu are their fine wines and awesome tapas. They also sell some really tasty salads like the Ensalada de Cabrales, which has crumbled blue cheese, romaine hearts, onion, tomato, and a drizzling of a light balsamic dressing!
These restaurants are a must-visit for a day in Fernandina Beach! For a unique breakfast experience, head to the second floor to Tortuga Jacks for Baja Mexican Breakfast every day of the week! Nothing can beat their breakfast with an oceanfront sunrise view! This beachfront dining spot is perfect for the whole family!
Who knew Asian street food would be the perfect beach day snack? The creators of Wicked BAO sure did and we love them for it! Their compact menu options make it super easy to go in for some delicious bao buns to share with friends! Try the bao trio to really get a taste for this place – and then another trio, and another because you’re going to keep coming back to this spot!
Everything on the menu is delicious, and some of our favorite items are the Bulgogi Beef Bao, the Fried Sweet Corn, and the the Crispy Rice Tots. Best of all, you can enjoy Wicked BAO anywhere with their take-out options!
Now that your dining options are covered, it’s time for fun!
Afternoon rain forcing you indoors? Duck Pinz lanes and cocktails are waiting for you! Duck Pinz is the ultimate island style bowling, with a location right next to a world class beach and a cocktail bar fit for Jimmy Buffet!
This vibrant bowling alley specializes in duckpin bowling – miniature bowling – for a unique option on your island getaway! We love coming in during the afternoon to beat the classic 4pm rainstor
Gone are the days of the Segway, now you can ride in style with Amelia Island Board Rental! We love how sleek and easy to ride the electric long boards are from here! We have so much fun hanging out with friends and riding along the beaches on their boards! With options for a beach tour or historic tour to choose from for your perfect island escape!
Amelia Island Board Rental also has cool Harley style electric scooters to rent by the hour to explore the island at your own pace! Just like their boards, the business is always on the move with no physical location so be sure to book ahead online!
We love tuning into our competitive side with a round of drinks and mini golf at Gregor MaGregor’s Mini Links and Drinks! This mini golf course combines the nostalgic fun of one of our favorite childhood outings with the chill of ice cold drinks.
Gregor MaGregor’s Mini Links and Drinks is the perfect spot to cool down off the beach with a frozen mojito in hand – and maybe a corn dog or two – while challenging your friends for the next round of drinks! Once you’re done, stay for another round of drinks on the patio before deciding your next move for the day!
Seaside Park is the perfect spot for a family or friends day! You can enjoy a delicious picnic, a relaxing walk in the wooden boardwalk or take a refreshing stroll on the beach. The park counts with gravel parking lot and on-beach parking.
Pro Tip: 4-wheel drive vehicles highly recommended for on-beach parking.
Get out in the great outdoors and one of the largest park systems in the country at Fort Clinch State Park. This Civil War fort turned state park is a great way to learn about Jacksonville’s history and immerse yourself in their exhibits and galleries within the fort! The park is way more than just the fort and is home to 1,400 acres and beautiful Florida nature with a full canopy and trails below to explore! Keep an eye out for their gopher tortoises while exploring!
If you’re looking for a great historic show, be sure to visit Fort Clinch State Park on the first weekend of the month to see the soldier garrison fire the cannons!
Time for a treat! Located in the heart of Downtown Historic Fernandina Beach, Fantastic Fudge serves the most delicious and unique handmade confections. From marble slab fudge, to hand dipped chocolates, they have a wide collection of sweets to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Pro Tip: Ice cream is a must! Especially with their freshly made waffles cones!
Main Beach Park is another great access point to our beautiful beaches of North Florida! You can take a stroll along the sandy shore or enjoy the beautiful views by walking along the easily accessible boardwalk over the dunes. This park also offers picnic shelters, volleyball courts, and loads of fun for the whole family!
Want to learn all you can about Amelia Island? Amelia River Cruises is our favorite way to learn about this great island while out on the water! We love that they over a wide variety of tours throughout the day to explore what matters to us most! From shrimping eco tours to BYOB cruises, Amelia River Cruises has it all!
If you can’t decide, we suggest the Cumberland Island Tour to touch on a little bit of everything!
Explore Amelia Island and its surrounding areas by water with this romantic sailing charter for two! Take your significant other on an unforgettable journey as you sail across the beautiful Cumberland Sound, past Fernandina Beach, or around Amelia Island!
We love a good island boutique full of swimwear and classy dinner outfits and Amelia Island is full of places to shop!
The Salty Local is full of beach boho looks perfect for this Florida island! The flowing maxi dresses are perfect to throw on between beach bars and after soaking up the sun when you head out to dinner! Our favorite items are the stunning Florida local jewelry, we are proud of our home and love to show it off in our accessories!
The real gems of The Salty Local are their locally handmade soy candles so any room you stay in can smell like your beach vacation! We suggest stopping into this shop before dinner to pick out your perfect sunset look!
We love the feeling of shopping local and seeing friendly faces, and that’s why we love the experience at Red Otter Outfitters! We always find big name brands we’ve known and trusted for years, but in a small shop near downtown. Feels boutique but with great national brands to get us ready for a day at the beach or hitting the great outdoors!
You’re definitely going to want to carve out some time in your day at Fernandina Beach to explore Red Otter Outfitters, try on great shoes, and shop their eclectic finds throughout the store!
Love sustainability as much as we do? Then you need to check out Color It Green! This shop is on a mission to provide Amelia Island with gifts and clothing with a purpose! No fast fashion here, only items that you’ll be able to love for years to come!
We love how Color It Green has just about everything we need, from clothing – even baby clothing – to home care to jewelry. Our favorite items, though, are for our fur babies, knowing we can give them cute and comfy collars that are also good for the Earth!
If you want to learn more about sustainability, they even have a whole blog to help you learn more!
Colie’s Clothing and Gifts is another stop on your way to finding your perfect boho beach style dress for dinner! The shop is full of earthy colors and pastels to wear at the beach and at garden patios! Located right in the heart of historic downtown Fernandina Beach, making it an easy and must-do stop on your day out on Amelia Island!
The shop is located between some great restaurants, and we love finding our best fit, then heading out for drinks in our new looks!
On the beach or off the beach, these spots are going to satisfy you with cold drinks and good times!
This craft distillery is serving up only the smoothest spirits made with locally sourced ingredients. With unique flavors such as their Florida-themed Orangecello and Venture Smoked Pepper Vodka, you must drop in for a tasting! While you’re there, be sure to try Florida’s first-ever straight bourbon, too!
Fernandina Beach residents rave about Hammerhead Beach Bar, and we know you will too! Right across from the beach, this indoor-outdoor bar is full of great drinks and billiards tables to get a start on your day! This bar embodies the island style with bikini-clad ladies and shirtless men with an ice-cold beer in hand!
We suggest starting your Sunday funday bar crawl at Hammerhead to fill up on their $2 Corona Light Sunday special!
Drink your way into Fernandina Beach history and visit The Palace Saloon! Opened in 1903, this bar has been a local favorite for well over a century and will continue for centuries to come! As the oldest bar in Florida, the saloon comes with a few haunts to really make you question if you moved your drink or if you drank one too many.
The Palace Saloon prides itself on being a place that brings people together – living or not! This place is a must-visit on your day at Fernandina Beach with live music throughout the week and bottomless mimosas on Sundays!
If your beach day involves live music, we suggest hitting up The Green Turtle Tavern! This local watering hole is famous for providing live music and entertainment, a full seven days a week! They even have a separate Facebook page to help you stay up to date on all the entertainers coming into the tavern!
This spot is perfect at night, when the dreamy overhead lights come on and the music starts, you forget about everything and enjoy your time on Amelia Island.
Mocama Brewing on Amelia Island is a versatile destination that caters to visitors throughout the day. They offer an impressive selection of quality craft beers alongside excellent coffee, making it an ideal stop whether you’re looking for a morning pick-me-up or an afternoon drink. The dual-focus approach means there’s something tasty for everyone, and the welcoming atmosphere makes it the kind of place where you can linger and enjoy well-crafted beverages at any time.
Grab a tasty coffee for a midday pick me up!
Need a quick pick me up? Visit Amelia Island Coffee for delicious coffees, refreshing drinks, and yummy snacks! Cool off from exploring this beautiful beach town with an iced coffee and a sandwich, or drop in for a tasty ice cream cone. Located right on Centre Street, there’s no better spot for a quick cuppa in Amelia Island!
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