|
Florida's First Coast
is the perfect combination of the old and the new. In Florida's northeast corner, Amelia Island
is home to blocks of old mansions, Atlantic beaches, Fernandina
Beach's infamous "Silk Stocking District"; and Amelia Island
Plantation, a AAA-Four Diamond, 1350-acre resort property with 72 holes of championship golf, 23 clay tennis courts,
luxury spa, and wide, spacious beaches.
Another favorite
choice among discriminating guests is Summer Beach Resort, located on the south end of Amelia Island. A private, gated resort community surrounded by lush
tropical foliage and the Atlantic Ocean, Summer Beach features the ultimate in luxury accommodations
and resort amenities, including swimming pools at each development, the oceanfront Beach Club
with pool and snack bar, lighted tennis courts, the Gulf Club of Amelia Island, with walking
and joging paths.
St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra
& The Beaches offer many cultural and recreation opportunities. St. Augustine,
America's oldest city. features more than 60 historical sites, national monuments, and architecturally rich churches.
While here, enjoy an intimate stay at The Beach Cottages in St. Augustine,
where guests are greated by owner Win Kelly with fresh-baked brownies and apple pies, also pets are welcomed with
treats and a bed of their own!
Ponte Verda Beach
is home to the PGA and ATP Tours, world-class golf and tennis facilities, award-winning spas and an abundance of boutique
shopping; and Jacksonville, "Florida's River by the Sea," is one of
the nation's leading seaports and home to the St. John's River, one of the few rivers in the world that flows north instead of south.
Straddling the beautiful
St John’s River, Jacksonville is located in the northeast corner of Florida on the Atlantic Ocean. The historic districts of St Augustine and Fernandina
Beach on Amelia Island are situated nearby.
Climate:
The Northeast Region offers mild winters, a cool spring and fall, and it is generally
warm during the summer months.
Jacksonville & Area: The Jacksonville Landing, on the
north bank, is bustling with restaurants, nightclubs and shops, all housed under one giant orange-roofed facility. The Museum of Science and History and the nationally acclaimed Cummer Museum of Art and
its gardens are situated in the city centre, just a few minutes away from the Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art.
The
First Coast area is one of the few unspoiled areas of the Atlantic Coast. Nature trails and national parks
line the seafront, providing opportunities for hiking, kayaking and camping. Just a few minutes northeast of the city
is the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, an 18,500 hectare (46,000 acre) wetland and historic community. The
trails and waterways are filled with indigenous and endangered wildlife such as ospreys, herons, bald eagles, sea turtles,
manatees and wood storks. The Talbot Island State Park provides miles of pristine beaches, dunes, coastal hummocks and
marshlands. Big Talbot Island boasts spectacular bluffs, 19km (11.5 miles) of untouched beaches, two plantation ruins,
sand dunes, salt marshes, tidal creeks and a driftwood forest. South of Big Talbot is Little Talbot Island, an undeveloped
barrier island. The entire 1000 hectare (2500 acre) island is a protected State Park and has white sand beaches and
a popular campsite.
Fort George Island State Cultural Site contains the longest record of civilisation in Duval County.
The huge oyster shell mounds found on the island are evidence of Timucuan Indian habitation dating back over 7000 years.
Katherine Abbey Hanna Park is Jacksonville’s premier 180 hectare (450 acre) beachfront getaway and boasts sunny beaches,
freshwater lakes and wooded campsites. Established in 1914 with just one animal, a white-tailed fawn, the Jacksonville
Zoological Gardens is today alive with more than 800 animals from around the world. At the Okavango Petting Zoo children
can pet domestic African animals such as pygmy goats, dwarf zebu, miniature horses and Sardinian pygmy donkeys.Travel: Jacksonville International
Airport (JIA) (website: www.jaxairports.org) is 20 minutes from the city centre. Jacksonville is served by both Amtrak trains and Greyhound buses.
The Amtrak station, Florida’s hub, is located 10km (6 miles) west of downtown Jacksonville. The Jacksonville Transportation
Authority (JTA) provides a local bus service seven days a week with 50 routes. JTA also operates the Automated
Skyway Express, a monorail system serving the city centre.
St Augustine & Area: The USA’s oldest city is a time capsule capturing nearly 500 years of fascinating
history. Situated on the uppermost Atlantic Coast of Florida, the water’s-edge colonial village has 144 blocks
of historic houses listed on the National Register of Historic Places: The Castillo de San Marcos endures as the nation’s
oldest and only remaining 17th-century masonry fort. Now a National Monument, the Spanish-built bastion guarded the
mouth of Matanzas Bay from British invaders. The Spanish Quarter Living Museum is a village where actors portraying
Spanish soldiers and settlers in traditional costume re-enact 18th-century crafts.
Other attractions include Anastasia
State Recreation Area, a 1700 acre bird sanctuary on Anastasia Island; the still operational St Augustine Lighthouse and Museum;
the Oldest Store Museum, which recreates a late 19th-century general store; and the USA’s first alligator exhibition
farm, St Augustine Alligator Farm. Just past the beaches of Anastasia Island lies Marineland of Florida, the world’s
first oceanarium. It features 1000 wonders of the deep, including Nelly, the world’s oldest known living dolphin,
born on 27 February 1953.
|
![Travel Bar! [.gif]](../sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/travel_bar.gif)