Also see:
FRESH TAKE - Key West
BAREFOOT ELEGANCE - Gasparilla Island
SWEET SOUTH
+ + + amelia island
IT'S HARD TO PINPOINT JUST ONE thing we love about Amelia Island, where the ambience is both Southern (it's a stone's throw from Georgia) and international (it's the only place in the United States to have been under the rule of eight flags). Billowy dunes secured by roots of sea oats separate this 13-mile-long stretch of sand from development. Cross the wooden walkovers, and a nicely packed shoreline becomes a jogging path where the sounds of the Atlantic Ocean's waves set the rhythm for a workout. We've found stretches where hours pass before an occasional beach bum strolls by. Yet on a brisk morning it belongs to the fishermen. Anglers in zipped-up windbreakers surf-fish from beach chairs, squinting against dawn's light to watch for a tug on their line. Some days, an equestrian's horse surprises with a quick gallop on the sand.
LESSONS TO LEARN A canopied drive leads into Fort Clinch State Park where a choir of cicadas reminds you that you've checked out of modern civilization. First stop is the Willow Pond Trail sprawling with oaks, saw palmetto and stately pine trees through which falcons and hawks weave in and out. This is an idyllic place for studying Northeast Florida's nature. Farther into the park on the ocean side is Fort Clinch, home to a pre-Civil War brick fortress that housed garrison soldiers in the 1800s. Spry visitors climb the bastions for a view of the walls and cannons.
THE GOLDEN AGE History buffs dig deeper with a self-guided stroll through Fernandina Beach, the island's only town. Walk past buildings and palatial homes dating from 1873 to 1900. On Centre Street, poke into the Palace Saloon. Still standing, this gentlemen's establishment is where the Carnegies, Rockefellers and Du Ponts toasted a business deal or two. We love the 40-foot bar with hand-carved mahogany caryatids. Anchoring the other end of Centre is St. Peter's Episcopal Church. Rebuilt in 1893 after an earlier fire, it has beautiful Gothic-revival style, stained-glass windows and a pipe organ. And of course no downtown is complete without shopping, so meander into brick storefronts, many with pressed tin ceilings inside. Everything on Centre Street is indie-owned, giving way to shops with original collectibles and even a retro-inspired toy store. The Island Art Association has a co-op gallery featuring work by local artists in a variety of mixed media. Check out the artists at work in their studios on the second floor of the gallery just steps from the saloon.
INDIE EATS Fernandina Beach's restaurant scene is dominated by mom-and-pops, where the owners' much-appreciated personal involvement stands out. Le Clos, a tiny French café serving Provençal dishes, was recommended to us by a chef at the island's Ritz-Carlton. Chef/owner Katherine Ewing earned her culinary degrees in Paris, so expect something as classic as escargot in garlic butter served with a crusty baguette as well as lamb shank in red-wine broth from southeast France. But it's her au gratin potatoes that repeat guests call ahead to request. (Ewing doesn't prepare them daily). Also a trained pastry chef, Ewing makes a gâteau au chocolat with crème anglaise that is very light and balances beautifully with her rich chocolate-and-cream icing. The setting is a 1906 cottage with an open-air sidewalk and backyard seating next to beds of herbs and veggies. Small tables, vases with fresh flowers and candles, plus a blackboard where the latest French boutique wine finds are listed, such as the Joseph Drouhin, Chorey-Les-Beaune, Burgundy, 2004, keep this place elegantly simple and inviting.
BEACH LULLABY The Elizabeth Pointe Lodge's Nantucket-style shingled building is as beautiful as the sunrise you can watch from its oceanfront sunroom while digging into a scrumptious homemade breakfast (menu changes daily). Maritime themes and West Indies influences are all over the small but beach-cottage-comfy rooms in the main house. The waterfront suite in adjacent Ocean House is worth the splurge. It comes with its own private deck and path to the shore. Afternoon lemonade is enjoyed from a rocking chair on the inn's wraparound porch; come evening, it's wine and hors d'oeuvres by the fireplace, where board games and books are yours for the taking. ameliaisland.com. -- PATRICIA LETAKIS
