- 56.2 miles
- 6 hours 33 minutes
- 8.6 mph average speed
- 4-10 mph winds
Fernandina was another favorite stop on our first time through Florida. Once again, we enjoyed walking around the quaint downtown area. We also walked a couple of miles to the Amelia Island Lighthouse. We knew that the lighthouse was only open for tours for three hours on Saturdays (this was on a Sunday) but thought we’d be able to walk around the property. We were, however, only able to get a glimpse of it as there was a locked gate to the entrance. One of the things we were not able to do on our first trip was visit Fort Clinch State Park so we rented a golf cart in order to visit the park this time and also did our own driving tour of the historical houses in Fernandina and rode around Amelia Island. Some of the many houses we saw are shown below.
Fort Clinch was amazing! The first fortifications on the site began in 1736 but construction as we see it today began in 1847. Although it was never fully completed or used in direct combat, it served as a military post during the Civil War, the Spanish American War and World War II. It became one of Florida’s first state parks in 1935 but was used again during World War II and then given back to the state.
