Amelia Island - are the bridges scary?
 

Hi - I have a friend who wants to visit Amelia Island & Fernandina Beach but she has a problem driving over high & long bridges. We live in the SF Bay area & she can't drive over the GG or Bay Bridges but she can drive over the Benicia & Vallejo bridges. So - can anyone tell me what the bridges to the island are like and if there are any pictures on line point me to them.
Thanks!

The one and only bridge to the island will take you a minute or so to cross and should not cause your friend any problems. Stay at the Ritz Carlton.

I found that big bridge from I95 to Amelia Island to be less scary than all the bridges in Jax. There is one that is a causeway sort of bridge, the #295, and that one scares me to death!
There is one small tiny little bridge that you can take on the Amelia Island Plantation side of the island that is easy to drive over..sorry, don't remember the name or how to get anywhere once you are over it lol.

No, the bridge is not scary (my wife doesn't care for them either). Scary = bridges out towards Key West. I would suggest staying in the Old Town unless you like the resort thing. There are many nice B & B's there, & many things w/in walking distance (restaurants, shopping,etc.)

Thanks everybody.

Thanks for posting this. I am also thinking about going to Amelia Island and was wondering about the bridges. I lived in FL for 9 years and don't mind causeways but I HATE high bridges. If I fly into Jacksonville, do I have to cross any bridges going to Amelia Island from JAX? Jacksonville looks like it has several bridges in the downtown area but it looks like the airport is north of downtown and I would avoid them driving to Amelia Island. I have a lousy sense of direction though and hope someone can fill me in . Thanks!!

Yes, Amelia Island is an island , lol, and you must cross a bridge to get there..there are small causeways at one end but the Fernandina end has a big bridge..that is the one you would take off of 95 from the airport.

Jax is full of bridges, I got sort of used to them, but the blue one gave me the creeps as did the looong causeway that 95 runs from the north side to the south side..trucks and everyone else drive way too fast and it is scary.

Thanks, Scarlett. I should have edited that post again before clicking "post my reply" button! I know that I have to cross at least one bridge to get onto Amelia Island but was just wondering if it was a high and scary bridge. I actually kinda like causeways, it's just the big, busy bridges that make me nervous. I will find a way to get there as long as I don't have to cross anything like the Sunshine Skyway or Tappan Zee Bridge! Guess I will avoid Jacksonville though except for the airport. I have driven through Jacksonville before but don't remember anything really frightening during either trip so guess I was able to bypass any bridges even though I took I-95 and I-10.

The Tappan Zee Bridge used to make me crazy, I always feared going off the side..and don't even talk to me about that bridge up along the Hudson, I think the Rip Van Winkle Bridge..omigod.

Jax is not really that bad..and I have always had a problem with causeways..(<i> and I was just being goofy about it being an island and needing a bridge :D</i>

I think you can approach Amelia Island from the south on A1A on a ferry, but you would have to be pretty paranoid to bother.

By the way, Fernandina Beach (old town) is definitely worth it.

I think to the south is where the little causeway kind of bridges are and to get to those, you drive past ( coming from the direction of Jax) Little Talbot and Big Talbot Islands....... look at the beach on Big Talbot, the skeletons of full sized trees ..just amazing. There is also a fully restored plantation that I cannot remember the name of but that also is worth a stop.
Definitely worth crossing a scary bridge :)

we recently crossed the sunshine bridge in fl. I do not have a phobia about bridges, but while crossing it I remembered reading this message.

We noticed that the side guard rails are not very high. This seems to be common on the newer bridges in florida that we crossed, while we have not seen such low side guard rails elsewhere.

I wonder why they have a building code that allows this. certainly doesn't seem that safe if there is an accident. but of course, it saves money!

I don't know if it saves much money but it does allow a better view and, in all honesty, cars falling off bridges is not a major cause of death or injury in Florida.

The bridge isn't too bad.

The only thing scary about that area is the over-development.