SIX18 TRAVEL

Pristine Appalachian quartz sand beaches surrounded by rolling dunes, live oak-lined streets draped with Spanish moss and a charming historic downtown are just several reasons to visit Amelia Island. The 13-mile-long, 2-mile-wide barrier island, situated approximately 35 miles northeast of Jacksonville, is Florida's northernmost barrier island on the Atlantic Coast – and the southernmost in the Sea Island chain, which extends from South Carolina to Florida.

The island's long and colorful history, which spans more than 4,000 years – and eight flags of dominion – dates back to the native Timucuan tribes living in southern Georgia and northern Florida and the European explorers who came to conquer the island, including the French, the Spanish and the British. There's an extensive maritime and military history, and a rich African American heritage, with the founder of American Beach and Florida's first Black millionaire, Abraham Lincoln (A.L.) Lewis. Known as The Isle of Eight Flags, Amelia Island also has legendary tales of Gilded Age robber barons, such as the Carnegies and the Rockefellers, who frequented the Palace Saloon (Florida's oldest continuously operating drinking establishment) and pirates like Blackbeard, who sought refuge here. For spine-tingling thrills and chills, there are plenty of those too, with spooky encounters at one of the oldest cemeteries in Florida, Bosque Bello Cemetery, and some of the island's historic sites and bed-and-breakfast establishments and inns.