Amelia Island is a quaint and traditional town in northern Florida. This island provides the perfect vacation destination to slow down, relax, and enjoy nature. Although Amelia Island is known by tourists, the island keeps it’s charm and natural views as it has avoided tourist traps and big industrialization. If a trip to Amelia Island is in your future, here are some ideas of what to do on the island.

Enjoy the beaches

Obviously, a complete trip itinerary for a vacation in Florida includes ample time spent on the beach! The lengthy beaches offer plenty of space to sprawl out to catch the rays or play outdoor games with kids on the beach. I recommend a sunrise on the beach during your stay, because there is no better way to start the morning! Main Beach Park and Seaside Beach are two common beaches to visit.

If you have a car with four wheel drive, I recommend taking a short trip to Huguenot Memorial Park which is a fun drive-on beach. Huguenot is the perfect spot for a day long excursion with friends, beach games like cornhole or Spikeball, and grilling necessities. If you are visiting on the weekend, make sure you arrive early! Amelia Island State Park is another drive-on location with great shelling. Just so you know, Huguenot and Amelia Island State Park both cost a small fee.

Check out a turtle nest excavation

Amelia Island beaches are home to over a hundred turtle nests each year, so this is a beautiful spot to try to see baby sea turtles going out to sea! There are various species that can be found on the island such as Leatherback turtles, Loggerhead turtles, and the Green Sea turtles. The sea turtles hatch between June and October typically. They tend to hatch at night, so not many people see this miracle.

What is a nest excavation?

There is a team of volunteers that advocate for sea turtles and nature conservation on the island. Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch ensures that the nests are protected throughout the season. Also, after they are notified that the turtles have hatched, the team heads to the nesting site a couple days after to gather data and determine if any baby sea turtles need help getting to the water. This is called the nest excavation.

If you visit the island during peak hatching season and see a group of people on the beach, go check it out as you may witness a nest excavation! You can learn about sea turtles, watch them dig into the nest, and see them record data. They record how many egg shells were found, whether any deceased turtles were found, and if there are any live sea turtles that need assistance. If there are live sea turtles, you can watch them be sent out to the sea. This is a bucket list experience for sure!

I live pretty close to Amelia Island and have gone to three turtle nest excavations at sunrise. There were no live turtles during the first two excavations. But on the third excavation, there were several live sea turtles that we were able to send out to the ocean! I believe it was 8 or 9 turtles! This experience was certainly on my personal bucket list. During the entire experience, I was smiling ear to ear. It was so amazing!

I asked the team of volunteers how often the nest excavations have live turtles. They said it is approximately 1 in every 5 nest excavations. To check out their turtle nest excavation schedule, click the link. I hope you get lucky and are able to experience this incredible miracle!

Head downtown Amelia Island

Amelia Island has a nice stretch of boutiques, coffee shops, and restaurants downtown. You can also find the oldest bar in Florida called Palace Saloon. My favorite shop downtown is the local book store called The Book Loft. At the end of the street, there is a pretty view of the marsh and intracoastal as well.

Stay at the Ritz-Carlton on Amelia Island

The Ritz-Carlton is a stunning property right on the beach with delicious food, a large pool, a lovely spa, and fancy boutiques. During my stay here, bikes were included for guests and there are also tennis courts, pickleball courts, and a luxury fitness center. The recreation team here has many adventures and activities to keep your children or the entire family occupied. The hotel offers group outings when the turtle nest excavations are scheduled as well.

If you don’t plan on staying at the Ritz-Carlton during your vacation, you can still visit the resort if you choose to dine at one of their fine restaurants. When you drive up to the valet team, you can tell them which restaurant you will be eating at. Around your meal, you can briefly explore the stores and beautiful property.

Bike around the island

This island is the perfect spot for biking! You can bike along the beaches, explore the natural bike trails, or bike the cute downtown area. There are also plenty of neighborhoods to explore in addition to a stretch of restaurants and stores along Fernandina Beach.

Eat delicious food

If you’re on vacation, delicious food is a requirement. Whether you want fresh seafood, southern soul food, or other specific types of cuisine, there are numerous restaurants to try in Amelia Island. If you want to dine along the beach, I recommend Sandbar Amelia Island, Sliders Seaside Grill, or Salt Life Food Shack. If you are looking for a restaurant downtown, check out my blog on five restaurants to try in downtown Amelia Island. Coast, Coquina, Tidewater Grill, and Salt are some of the options at the Ritz-Carlton as well.

Relax

It is easy to fill up your vacation itinerary and go, go, go. But Amelia Island offers the perfect mix of activities to keep you and your family entertained while also offering quiet natural spaces to relax and rejuvenate. Whether you rejuvenate by going on a stroll in nature, reading a book, or laying down at a park, Amelia Island is the place for you to reset. The park pictured above is Main Beach Park.

Conclusion

Amelia Island is the perfect Florida beach destination that also immerses you in nature. This is the destination for a family avoiding tourist attractions and seeking to enjoy each others company in the outdoors. I hope you love the quaint island and find time to slow down and soak in special moments.

Thanks for stopping by! Cheers to immersing yourself in nature and making connections around the world! To read my other blog posts, check out the destinations tab on my website!