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Published: March 22nd 2011
We’re folding up the Florida AAA map for another year – what would we do without it. Especially love those little dots along a route indicating scenic highway. Sunday was a scenic highway day. From our North Beach Saint Augustine campsite, we”jeeped” up A1A toward the Jacksonville Beaches and Amelia Island. The Jacksonville Beaches are beautiful. We took the Mayport Ferry and enjoyed the 9 minute ride along with many families and cool Harley groups heading for the beach! The ferry crossing (St. Johns River, a major of port entry for Jacksonville) saves 28 miles and only costs $5 for a carful. The area is a mix of fishing, shrimping and associated industries, a US Navy Base, pawn shops, and waterfront restaurants like the “Sandollar” where we had a bite before our return ferry. We hadn’t reached those scenic dots quite yet!
Wild and wonderful Huguenot Park where cars are allowed on the beach was total scenic route! Just think what an advantage to people with physical challenges, families and fisher folk loaded with gear and tailgaters to park on the beach! We followed the coast up to Big Talbot Island Beach, a State Park where the magnanimous ranger told us
Boardwalk One of the Talbot Beach Accesses
The sand here in the Jacksonville / Amelia Island is like superfine white sugar - It's wild and beautiful. Floridians can drive their cars on some of these beaches. Out of staters need a permit! to drive through without paying the $5 fee, “but if you stay more than a half hour stop back and put $5 in the box!” We stayed more than 30 minutes and made good on the way out.
We spied kayakers in the sawgrass as we crossed from Jacksonville to Amelia and think Kayak Amelia would be a good place to get outfitted to paddle the calm waters next trip.
Amelia Island is the only place in the United States where the flags of 8 different powers have flown since its founding in 1562. We could tell you the 8 countries if only we had located the Amelia Island Museum of History. Everything in Amelia seems to be hidden and there is no visitors’ center; unless it is well hidden. Henry Flagler bypassed Amelia Island as he routed his railroad which accounts for it being so nice and low key!
We inquired at a convenience store about the "where abouts" of “town.” The clerk and customer guided to the shops at golf resorts like Amelia Plantation; too bad they didn’t point us further north to Downtown Fernandina, the quaint sea port at the north end of the island. We’ll give
Beautiful Dunes - Protected Vegetation
You can't even remove driftwood from Talbot Park. There are strong currents. All sorts of danger warnings about swimming. It is wildly beautiful. that a try next fall when we try for a campsite at the very popular Fort Clinch State Park.
LESSONS LEARNED --- Aside from there being no visitors’ center and aside from the natives’ misdirections, we violated one of our own rules of research. We didn't take our "1000 Places to See Before You Die" nor did we take our AAA Florida TourBook with us! We might have had a more satisfactory tour of Amelia Island had we done so. We have been so lucky “happening upon” great spots that this experience was a good wakeup call - do your research, bring your guide books, and ask more than one local where to find the POI!
Sunset cocktails and dinner at Aunt Kate’s on the North River side of the campground were delightful. This restaurant (with the same owners as The Reef) is fairly new. Watching dolphin play as we sip our sun set sangrias and munch on oyster parmesan and shrimp ‘n grits is a great way to bid Florida adios!
We are slowly heading north. Next stop, a return trip to Savannah! The Georgia map is unfolded; the AAA TourBook is on the dashboard.
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