If you ever get a chance to visit Fernandina Beach, Florida, do it. I honestly can’t say anything bad about one of my official home away from home destinations. It is a place that I frequent a few times a year, and my love for this place grows each time I visit.

I was in town recently for an overnight trip. I had visited my beloved Okefenokee in Folkston, Georgia, so I had planned to spend the night in Fernandina Beach and visit with some of my favorite relatives. After checking into the hotel, we went off to meet my cousins at Woody’s BBQ. I was a little unsure about eating there since I religiously eat at Moon River for their pizza each time I visit, but Woody’s did not disappoint. We had an awesome waitress and the food was excellent. After eating, we decided to visit the Fernandina Harbor Marina, which in my honest opinion is the best spot for sunset pictures.

I was in for a surprise. While I would have been happy just standing and sitting around the marina waiting on the sunset, my cousin had booked a sunset cruise for us with Amelia River Cruises. I absolutely love boat rides, so I can honestly say that I was a bit excited. We only had to wait around for a few minutes before they started letting us board the boat. The sunset cruise takes off each night an hour before sunset, so our tour departed at 7:30 pm.

The thing I love about taking tours with Amelia River Cruises is the fact that their Captains are full of interesting information about the area, and they tell it in such a way that keeps you captivated. We had already taken the longest tour they offer, which is the two and a half hour tour to Cumberland Island, so I was excited to see what the sunset tour would offer.

The sunset tour is basically a family friendly abbreviated tour of the Cumberland Island tour. You are told about the importance of the shrimping industry in Fernandina, the house that served as the Villa Villekulla when The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking was filmed in Fernandina is pointed out, Fort Clinch State Park and its history is told, and if you are lucky, the wild horses on Cumberland Island can be seen.

Since the sunset that night was basically a bust, our Captain swung that boat back around when it was pointed out that the wild horses had come into a better view than they were when we had first went over to them. Everybody on the boat moved up so we could get a better view of the horses that were out enjoying themselves. I am aware that you can see a horse anywhere you visit, but these horses survive completely on their own.

We were finally on our way back into Florida. The state line is out in the water, so several times that night we heard, “Welcome to Georgia,” and “Welcome to Florida.” On all of the tours they put half of the boat in Georgia and then tell the other half of the boat to wait and you’ll soon be there as well. It always seems to bring quite a few laughs from everyone on the boat.

Amelia River Cruises is located at 1 North Front Street, Suite #3 in Fernandina Beach, Florida. The ticket office is a tiny yellow building that is located in the marina. While reservations are not required, they are highly recommended to make sure that you will be able to go out on the tour that you desire to go on. I have thoroughly enjoyed myself each time I have been out, and I am always ready to go again before I even get off of the boat. While you can not be guaranteed an excellent sunset each night, you can be guaranteed to have a good time.

Published by travelingthesoutheast

My name is Donna. At an early age I had a love for photography. There was nothing more fun than taking film to a store and then having to wait several days to get the photographs back, sometimes only to find out that none of the pictures turned out the way I wanted them to. Quite a few years ago digital came out, and the rest is history. I can always be found with a camera around my neck, on my arm, or in my hand. I have always had a love for telling stories and sharing them with others. My imagination has always been a little on the wild side. About ten years ago, I decided one day that I wanted to start traveling, and I have never looked back. There is nothing in the world that I enjoy more than traveling and taking photographs. View all posts by travelingthesoutheast