day trip from Ritz Carlton Amelia Island
 

What would you do to get away from the hotel for a day trip?

Thanks!

How far do you want to travel? The town of Fernandina is nice. Farther afield you could go to St. Augustine or Savannah.

Thanks for your reply. How far are each of those two destinations from Amelia Island? Are the Cumberland Islands worth visiting for the day? How far are they?

Thanks very much!

Fernandina Beach is just at the other side of the island you will be on.
St Augustine would be about , not quite an hour from Amelia Is.
Savannah is too far, about 3 hours from Jax/Amelia Island.
Across this little bridge by the Ritz on Amelia Is are 2 State parks called Big Talbot and Little Talbot Islands, you really should spend a couple of hours there, seeing all the skeletal trees lying on the beach is worth the trip alone. There is also a lovely old Plantation House/museum just past there..called Kingsley Plantation.

Fernandina is a nice little town but if you're not shopping, you won't have much of a day. There is a good French restaurant in town, Le Clos, and The Plantation Shop has a little bit of everything that defines an upper-middle-class Southerner.

Ask at the Ritz and they will book you for a trail ride along the beach on very calm horses :) But if you are going during the winter it will be much too cold---we were freezing last April.

The Ritz is so lovely and relaxing that I am quite content to curl up with a book and wait for lunch. Or dinner.

Thank you for your replies and suggestions.

Less than an hour to St. Augustine sounds easy enough. Maybe we'll do that.

If we're interested in natural beauty, is there someplace other than the Talbot Islands that you think we should check out?

Thanks, again!!

This board moves so quickly that I'm moving this to the top. Hope you don't mind.

http://www.nps.gov/timu
This is the list of all the state parks in Fl..around Jax. You can see Kingsley Plantation and whatever else is nearby. The Talbots are probably on this list also.

Thank you, Scarlett! I will look into that.

If you are interested in natural beauty, visit Cumberland Island. It's worth the trip. Its future is uncertain as some are pushing for more development on the island.

Thank you! I looked into visiting Cumberland Island and it sounds beautiful. Great suggestion!

Ask at the Ritz about a trip to White Oak Plantation. It's a game preserve (African game) established by the Gilman's who owned the paper mill in St. Mary's, GA. It's a nice half day visit and well worth the trip. You can even arrange lunch or dinner there. Downtown Fernandina has a nice history museum that will give you a good review of the local area's history. Also, visit Ft. Clinch State Park (and fort) on the north end of the island. Great view and you might even see a nuke sub transiting the channel if you're lucky. Several good restaurants in town (Le Clos already mentioned). Also try Espana, Embers at the Addison, and 29 South. There's a great little coffee shop (kofe hous) about 5 mins from the Ritz that's locally owned and roast their own coffees on site. Great fresh pastries baked each morning. Staff at the Ritz should be able to give directions, etc. Cumberland Island is a full day (min) trip and would be ok if you have the time. Talbot Islands already recommended and are also good. This time of year the weather is iffy but I see no reason to go as far afield as St. A. It's a long tedious drive thru JAX. Enjoy AI and its environs first.

I agree with that suggestion too. We went to St Marys for a day and just enjoyed walking around town and having lunch in one of the restaurants that overlooks the water. It is a charming little place.

There's also a great museum about Cumberland Island in St. Marys. But it'll just make you want to visit Cumberland Island even more! It's one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.

For clarification, didn't mean to imply that White Oak is in St. Mary's. It's actually across the line in Florida, near Hilliard. Nonetheless, you won't find it without assistance and need to arrange in advance to get in. The Ritz should be able to arrange it for you and you could combine that with a visit to St. Mary's as well. That would definitely be a full day event.

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