The Sunshine State

Last weekend I flew to Florida to spend the weekend with a close friend from college. It was a bit of a belated 35th birthday trip for Christy & I. We had gone to New York City for our 30th birthday and she decided we needed to mark this birthday as well. The trip evolved from the initial concept but it was the perfect weekend getaway we both needed. I flew into Orlando Thursday night. We went to dinner with a high school friend of mine. It’s a story in itself how Angela & Christy got to know each other. Friday morning, Christy & I drove up to Amelia Island. It a 13 mile long island just north of Jacksonville. It is the only community in the USA that has existed under 8 different countries flags. Our hotel was in the sole town of Fernandina Beach. It was early enough in the summer season that things were fairly quiet and not crowded. We spent the afternoon wandering through the quirky little gifts shops of the main street. Someone was thinking when they named streets - the intersection of Front & Centre.
That evening we drove around the island down to the southern tip. Walked around the state park and out onto the old bridge that is now a fishing pier. Saturday we took advantage of the sunshine and spent the morning at the beach.

That afternoon in the drizzle we went to Fort Clinch State Park on the north end of the island. Toured the fort & ramparts. Got to see some dolphins frolicking in the river. We also took short detours in the park to walk out on the fishing pier and get a view of the light house while trying to ward off the mosquitoes. After dinner we took a walk through Fernandina Beach to view some of the beautiful old Victorian homes.

I highly recommend taking a trip to Amelia Island if you are looking for a little beach resort town. You can see the majority of the island in a weekend without being rushed. And the food choices were fantastic. A good number of nice seafood places to choose from. Christy & I were both impressed with the wine list at 29 South Bistro. They particularly impressed me by having Woodpecker English cider on it. I couldn’t pass up having one. All in all it was a fabulous weekend and exactly what I needed & expected.