Taking the Time to Explore Florida’s First Coast Communities
When you take the time to explore Florida’s First Coast communities, you’re likely to find that there’s a lot more to explore than merely the beach - there’s also a rich history throughout the area that has been preserved over time.
At the northeastern tip of Florida is the only place in the United States that has served under eight flags.
That alone would give Fernandina Beach a special panache, but the city offers much more than an interesting history.
It is, first of all, the only city on Amelia Island, one of Florida’s great resort areas. Thirteen miles of Atlantic beach lie minutes from downtown. A variety of hotels, motels, bed-and-breakfast inns and rental homes on the island beckon to vacationers, as do its seven golf courses.
It is the site of historic American Beach, one of the few beaches on the East Coast open to African-Americans during segregation, and of Fort Clinch, a well-preserved pre-Civil War fortress that guarded the mouth of the St. Marys River.
Just like St. Augustine, Amelia Island offers those who are exploring Florida’s First Coast communities a chance to see what life was like in the past - and to create a history of their own that they will be glad to have experienced.
