Small but worth it…read more Learned all the footnotes about St Mary's. Whole trail is visible to its self. Would take less than 10 minutes to walk non stop. 20 when reading all the signs. Word of caution. Gravel is not friendly to disabilities or flip flops. No bathrooms here. 5 minute walk down the road to another park and bathrooms.

I discovered this while walking toward the pier. It's right next to the cemetery. To be honest-the…read morecemetery was the best part of this little side trip. The history walk was very small and it's rained the past few days so it was kinda swampy and wet. There were a few places I didn't want to go because of that. The cemetery, however, was really cool. Lots of old graves some with overgrown vegetation and tombstones from the lat 1800's.

Such a wonderful idea to visit. Just driving through was…read morevisually pleasing. Main street crawl was such a wonderful experience stopping at all the small shops and having an ice cream cone at the fudge shop! We did not do the fort so have to come back;)

What a beautiful island! I was visiting family in Fernandina Beach when I discovered this gem…read more Amelia Island is located in northeastern Florida and is 13 miles long and 2 miles wide. It has beautiful beaches and lots of great restaurants. Both Rayonier Advanced Materials and WestRock have large factories on the island and employ tons of people. Amelia Island is named for Princess Amelia, daughter of George II of Great Britain. I spent a whole day exploring the island. There are cool little shops up and down the historic district. I visited a local coffee shop and a couple breweries. The Salty Pelican is a great place to grab a bite and a fun place to mix and mingle (the people are very friendly). The Palace Saloon is Florida's oldest bar. There is a full-service marina on the west side of the island and beaches on the east side. If you are into lighthouses like me, they have one near Central Park. Amelia Island is a great place to eat, shop, and relax while taking in its natural beauty.

Two stars for the extremely limited access Amelia Island Lighthouse. The property is only open for…read moreTHREE hours, one day a week. That's just crazy! I understand that it's federal property but would it be that hard to leave the property open so that we can at least get close enough to look up at the lighthouse? It is in the back of a residential neighborhood and up a short roadway where there's a secured fence and I did not try to walk around it though it really wouldn't be that hard. [Review 19329 overall - 1674 in Florida - 299 of 2023.]

I'm a big lover of lighthouses. When I was visiting Fernandina Beach recently, I discovered that…read morenearby Amelia Island had a lighthouse in the middle of the island. It's the oldest lighthouse in Florida and was built in the mid 1800's before Florida became a state. The Coast Guard transferred ownership of the lighthouse to the City of Fernandina Beach 20 years ago. You can visit the lighthouse, but only on Saturdays because it is located in a residential area. I made a brief stop at the lighthouse when I was driving around the island. The parking lot is pretty small and was almost full when I arrived. There was a guide on hand that shared with me a little bit about its history.

Great beaches, restaurants, marshes, fishing etc.read more

Beautiful bridge connecting Yulee to Amelia Island at Fernandina Beach. From this bridge you can…read moreview the gorgeous marshes, coves, and resort roof tops. Whether it's an early morning sunrise, midday afternoon, or evening sunset the view is stunning. At night often the airport will be lit up for incoming flights which is also very pretty. If it's a foggy evening it's just as amazing. You just can't lose for an amazing view. If you are especially lucky you will see kyackers or canoes throughthe cove. The only complaint would be that the experience crossing over is too short!

Wonderful historic site that was a former rice plantation. The same family lived in the home for…read moremultiple generations and the last heir left the estate to the state of Georgia. Beautiful antiques, cool grounds, and amazing landscape. All left in It's original state. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and shared many interesting facts. Definitely worth visiting!

The history of this region is worth thinking about, but tough to see. Most of these sorts of…read moreplantations are long abandoned; the story of how this one fell into the hands of the state government is told, along with other context, on a half-hour tour of their small mansion. The tour starts on the hour, and having arrived shortly in advance, they told me to drive down a service road that said not to drive down on it so I could park at the house and make it on time. The tour content focuses on the family line that owned the house; there is some discussion of the people they owned early in its history, but a more detailed take on the forced labor system involved in rice farming is given in the museum back where one starts. It is a distinctive and difficult topic, but the films they play offer a relatively level-headed take. The area is very swampy now; I got outside of the house and thought to wander around and take pictures, but was immediately beset by flies. Fortunately, I had the luxury of my car. Seeing these places in person makes one wonder how anyone ever lived and labored here without modern conveniences. There's plenty of food for thought.

This was such a fascinating place to tour. You have to make a reservation to tour and the time is…read morevery limited. The history about how this castle came to be is a story worth hearing. I loved hearing about the engineering design.

Just about 10 minutes north outside of historic St. Augustine is a unique castle that sits back…read morefrom the main road among trees and hedges. Sadly, the owner and creator of Castle Otttis, Kendle Icke, passed away in July 2023. However, his son, who lives on the property does conduct tours for small groups of people who have reservations. His tours are very interesting with information on how the castle came to be. Apparently, Mr. Icke had a couple of dreams about a castle in great detail, which he shared with a builder friend of his. The friend encouraged him to build it and agreed to help him. They were able to get donated building materials to work with. Mr. Icke built the castle in the image of old castles in Ireland and dedicated it to his wife. Castle Ottis was built between 1984-1988. The Ickes also had a home on the property to the left of the castle. We took the tour with a small group of people, which worked out very well. There are 3 levels if you count the rooftop, where you will see gorgeous panoramic views of the ocean. This is a castle based on 1000 year old Irish castles. The tour is free but donations will be greatly appreciated. A must see if you are in St. Augustine. It is a magical experience. There are special events held at the castle, like weddings or anniversaries. It is also great for photography opportunities. This is a one of a kind opportunity. Please note that Castle Otttis does not have handicapped accessibility. Parking is available on the property for the guests. You are allowed to take pictures inside the castle.

After sitting derelict for years, this house has been saved. Immediate 4 stars for that alone. Went…read moreto the grand opening event, not much to see since its been turned into offices for the NPS but it's preserved from destruction and that in itself is worth a Bravo!

I never imagined before that a residence of Napoleon Bonaparte Broward would still exists. But I…read morefound out about it online, and here it is, still standing after almost 140 years. This is a great place to learn about Napoleon Broward and his family and you will greatly appreciate the architecture style of that age. The private owners that currently own the house are very nice and this place is open to visitors. You have to check this place out, it's pure history that you will be breathing in. Beautiful house too.

This was such an interesting historical site to explore. It's easily accessible -- right along the…read moreside of the road. We parked and walked over to the house. There are explanatory plaques about the tabby-built house along with a sign about tabby (the building material formed from a mix of sand, lime, oyster shells, and water). The house is one of the oldest of its kind in Georgia and is on the National Register of Historic places. Horton was in charge of the British troops stationed on island. He built this house as his residence and lived here from 1736 until 1748. (He died in Savannah in 1748 or 1749 -- I've read two different dates.) One other interesting note about Horton was that he had the first beer brewery in the state. What you see when you come here is the shell of the house. Open aired without a roof or paned windows. You can walk around the outside and inside. It's a good photo op for various views through the open windows. Later on, the house was occupied by the French du Bignons (who owned the island until they sold it to the American millionaires in 1886) from 1790 to the mid 1800's. Their cemetery is located across the street from the House, and you can easily walk to see this, as well, which we did.

One of the oldest surviving buildings in Georgia, the structure is very well preserved. It is,…read morehowever, just a shell. No interior or roof. It dates back to the British colonization after much of their colonies were taken the Spanish. Across the street is the du Bignon cemetery that has five well-preserved graves. The walls are made from a unique product - "tabby" is made from burning oyster shells to create lime and then mixed with sand and water to make a cement. There is parking nearby. You do have to pay to enter the island. [Review 19258 overall - 571 in Georgia - 228 of 2023.]

Back in the day in the 1800's, Vernon Square was like a hub they had a couple banks here, and this…read morewas also a place to socialize. Now it is the center in which the Open Gate B & B resides, as well as two churches and a few homes. It has a nice water fountain and nice grass and trees. A perfect place for the kids and dogs to run and enjoy the day under the trees. It is a nice quiet simple spot to think about what it must have been like here in past times!

Vernon square is a lovely place to read. Nice quiet park and it is beautiful. Picnic. Ďog walk…read more Just beautifully put together with some history behind it...

check our website for customer comments www.greenpinefuneral.com…read morenegative reviews are an attempt at destroying the reputation of the business by disrespectful visitor.

If I could give them a zero, I would. The woman, who is supposedly part owner of this funeral home,…read moretreats grieving folks visiting the site of their loved ones like pieces of crap on the bottom of her shoe. It's all good until they get your money, then you are nothing else to them but a statistic. Pitiful shame. I think it is time for the family to block her from being there, or better yet consider Baker Act.