Amelia Island State Parks, Nature Tours, Hiking and Walking Trails, Sightseeing and Outdoor Recreation
Amelia Island State Park offers over 200 acres of undeveloped sea island recreational opportunities. This is a perfect place to relax and unwind, search for seashells, or see some rare wildlife. Fishing is the top recreational activity at the park. The Nassau Sound Fishing Bridge State Park offers a mile long bridge for fishing the sound. The shoreline is a favorite of those who like to surf fish.
Amelia Island State Park is the perfect place for viewing shore birds. Watch out for the signs that signal protected nesting areas!!! Black Skimmers, piping plovers, terns (including the threatened least tern), white pelicans, and many other birds can be observed in the park. You may even catch a glimpse of a rare Right Whale or a Bald Eagle during the winter months.
For more information, visit the Florida Department of Environmental Protection web site. The park is located at the south end of Amelia Island.
Big Talbot Island State Park
One of only a few undeveloped sea islands left along the Atlantic coast, this park offers a unique view into Florida’s pre-European past. Walk down any of Big Talbot’s nature trails and you may catch a glimpse of some Northeast Florida wildlife in its undisturbed habitat. The dynamic shoreline offers a stunning seascape vista of the Atlantic Ocean and Nassau Sound. The park offers recreational areas for picnicing, boating, or hiking. Migrating birds along with birds of prey like the Red Shoulder Hawk, Great Horned Owl, and an occasional Bald Eagle frequent the island. On Big Talbot Island one can always find a premier spot to enjoy nature study, bird watching, or photography.
Great egrets, snowy egrets, great blue herons, and green herons can be found at Spoonbill pond on the north end of Big Talbot. During various times of the year shorebirds and passerines, such as the colorful painted bunting, visit the island and delight birdwatchers. Bobcats, raccoons, river otters, a few alligators, and other reptiles also make Big Talbot Island their home. The park is located just south of Amelia Island.
Central Park
Located on Atlantic Avenue near 11th Street. Facilities include baseball fields, basketball court, playground, and picnic areas.
Egans Creek Park
Egans Creek Park is located on Atlantic Avenue about 1/2 mile from the ocean. The park has play areas for the kids, picnic areas, baseball field, and the opportunity to watch the birds in the wetland area and Egans Creek.
Fort Clinch State Park
Located at the northern tip of Amelia Island, where Cumberland Sound and the Saint Marys River meet the Atlantic. The park is the site of Fort Clinch, a pre-Civil War fort. Construction of the existing fort was started in 1847. The park encompasses 1,121 acres on the north end of Amelia Island.
Activities at the park include living history programs, Civil War reenactments, campfire programs, guided walks, fishing, swimming, and camping. Visitors also enjoy the nature trails, coastal hammock, dunes, and salt water marsh.
Activity schedules vary. Please call the park office at 904 277-7274 for information about currently scheduled activities.
Fort Clinch Nature Walk
2601 Atlantic Avenue
Fernandina Beach, FL 32034
Phone: 904-277-7274
Free with park admission of $5.00 per vehicle. Every Saturday, weather permitting. This is a guided nature walk around Willow Pond trail, which winds through a coastal maritime hammock down to fresh water ponds. Through an informative presentation, visitors will discover a wide variety of native plants and animals.
Fort George Island Cultural State Park
12157 Heckscher Drive
Jacksonville, FL 32226
Phone: 904-251-2320
Fort George Island Cultural State Park lies approximately 16 miles east of downtown Jacksonville on S.R. A1A, or three miles south of Little Talbot Island State Park.
Fernandina Beach Parks & Recreation
2500 Atlantic Avenue
Fernandina Beach, FL 32034
Phone: 904-277-7350
With many cultural and leisure activities, community groups, and an excellent golf course and marina, we offer something for the entire family. We invite you to visit and see for yourself!
Kingsley Plantation
The Kingsley Plantation, administered by the National Park Service, is located on Fort George Island and includes the plantation house, a kitchen house, a barn, and the ruins of 25 of the original slave cabins. The history of the island spans more than 1000 years beginning with the Timucuan Indians.
The structures at the site, however, date to the plantation era of the island. The Kingsley Plantation was named for one of several plantation owners, Zephaniah Kingsley, who operated the property from 1813-1839. Kingsley operated under a "task" system, which allowed slaves to work at a craft or tend their own gardens once the specified task for the day was completed. Proceeds from the sale of produce or craft items were usually kept by the slaves. Purchased as a slave, Kingsley's wife, Anna Madgigine Jai, was freed in 1811. She was active in plantation management and became a successful business woman owning her own property. As an American territory, Florida passed laws that discriminated against free blacks and placed harsh restrictions on African slaves. This prompted Kingsley to move his family, impacted by these laws, to Haiti, now the Dominican Republic, where descendants of Anna and Zephaniah live today.
Open daily 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. For more information write or call: Superintendent, Kingsley Plantation, 11676 Palmetto Avenue, Jacksonville, FL, 32226. Telephone 904.251.3537. The plantation is located at the Fort George inlet, a short drive south of Amelia Island.
Little Talbot State Park
12157 Heckscher Drive
Jacksonville, FL 32226
Phone: 904-251-2320
With more than five miles of beautiful, white sandy beaches, Little Talbot Island is one of the few remaining undeveloped barrier islands in Northeast Florida. Maritime forests, desert-like dunes, and undisturbed salt marshes on the western side of the island allow for hours of nature study and relaxation. The diverse habitats in the park host a wealth of wildlife for viewing including river otters, marsh rabbits, bobcats, and a variety of native and migratory birds.
Little Talbot Island State Park is the main park in a cluster of four state parks near Jacksonville. The campground serves as the camping facility for visitors to Amelia Island, Big Talbot Island, and Fort George Island State Parks as well as Little Talbot Island. It has a full complement of recreational activities and facilities, but the other parks each provide unique features that can provide days of additional recreation for visitors.
Nearly 200 species of birds visit the park every year and, during the summer, sea turtles crawl out of the ocean to lay their eggs along the beach.
For more information, visit the Florida Department of Environmental Protection web site. The park is located just south of Amelia Island.
Main Beach Park
Main Beach Park offers playground and picnic facilities on the ocean at Atlantic Avenue. There is also a beach cabana for bathers, and life guards on duty for ocean swimmers at certain times.
Nature Center - Amelia Island Plantation
6800 First Coast Highway
Amelia Island, FL 32034
Phone: 904-261-6161
Including bike, segway and kayak tours discovering birds, turtles, edible plants, night creatures and crabs. Several tours are designed for children and include educational crafts about the featured topic. The Nature Center is open to the public.
