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St. Augustine & Amelia Island route inspiration

St. Augustine & Amelia Island

Nights of Lights and a warm Florida coast

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5 days through St. Augustine, Amelia Island.

St. Augustine & Amelia Island is a 5-day curated route with 2 destinations and 18 places to eat, see, and do. Preview stops and timing, then plan it in TripsCircle.

  1. 1
    St. Augustine on the St. Augustine & Amelia Island route

    Destination 01

    St. Augustine

    9 places

    America's oldest city under millions of white lights; 3 nights for the forts, Flagler hotels and plaza.

    • Nights of Lights at Plaza de la Constitucion near St. AugustinePhoto: Kiran891 · CC BY-SA 4.0

      Nights of Lights at Plaza de la Constitucion

      The town's central plaza, laid out in 1573, is the heart of Nights of Lights, with the oaks and gazebo strung in white lights.

      Tip Light-Up Night draws huge crowds; any weeknight later in the season is calmer.

      SeeHistoric DowntownFree60 minAfter dark
    • Castillo de San Marcos near St. AugustinePhoto: Juliancolton · CC BY-SA 4.0

      Castillo de San Marcos

      Spanish coquina-stone fort completed in 1695, the oldest masonry fort in the continental United States, on Matanzas Bay.

      Tip Tickets are valid for seven days; closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

      SeeHistoric Downtown$1.5 hrMorning
    • Flagler College (Hotel Ponce de Leon) near St. AugustinePhoto: Farragutful · CC BY-SA 4.0

      Flagler College (Hotel Ponce de Leon)

      Henry Flagler's 1888 Spanish Renaissance hotel, now a college, with Tiffany glass and a gilded dining hall shown on guided tours.

      Tip Guided tours sell out on holiday weeks; reserve a time ahead.

      SeeHistoric Downtown$60 minAfternoon
    • Lightner Museum near St. AugustinePhoto: Kiran891 · CC BY-SA 4.0

      Lightner Museum

      Gilded Age collections in Flagler's former Hotel Alcazar, built around a palm courtyard and the hotel's old indoor pool.

      Tip Come back after dark to see the courtyard and towers outlined in Nights of Lights.

      SeeHistoric Downtown$$1.5 hrAfternoon
    • St. George Street near St. AugustinePhoto: Steve Shattuck · CC BY-SA 2.0

      St. George Street

      Pedestrian street through the colonial quarter, lined with shops, cafes and reconstructed Spanish houses.

      Tip Walk it north to south and end at the plaza as the lights come on.

      ShopColonial Quarter$1.5 hrLate afternoon
    • St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum near St. AugustinePhoto: Viktoriya Sorochuk · CC BY-SA 4.0

      St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum

      Black-and-white spiral lighthouse from 1874 on Anastasia Island; 219 steps lead to views over the bay and old town.

      DoAnastasia Island$$1.5 hrMorning
    • Columbia Restaurant near St. AugustinePhoto: Rob Briscoe · CC BY 2.0

      Columbia Restaurant

      St. Augustine branch of Florida's oldest restaurant family, serving Spanish and Cuban dishes on St. George Street since 1983.

      Tip Order the 1905 Salad and a paella; reserve for holiday weekends.

      EatColonial Quarter$$1.5 hrDinner
    • St. Augustine Distillery near St. AugustinePhoto: Mjrmtg · CC0

      St. Augustine Distillery

      Craft distillery in a restored 1907 ice plant, with free guided tours, tastings and a cocktail bar upstairs.

      Tip Tours are free but timed; book a slot online.

      DrinkLincolnville$75 minAfternoon
    • Casa Monica Resort & Spa near St. AugustinePhoto: Jud McCranie · CC BY-SA 4.0

      Casa Monica Resort & Spa

      Moorish Revival hotel from 1888 facing the Lightner Museum, its towers outlined in white lights through the season.

      Tip Even if you stay elsewhere, walk through the lobby, decorated for the season.

      StayHistoric Downtown$$$$
  2. 2
    Amelia Island on the St. Augustine & Amelia Island route

    Destination 02

    Amelia Island

    9 places

    Victorian Fernandina Beach, a Civil War fort and empty winter beaches; 2 nights.

    • Centre Street near Amelia IslandPhoto: Ebyabe · CC BY-SA 3.0

      Centre Street

      Main street of Fernandina Beach's 50-block historic district, with Victorian brick storefronts running down to the harbor.

      Tip Dickens on Centre fills the street with Victorian-costumed carolers in early December.

      ShopHistoric District$1.5 hrLate afternoon
    • Palace Saloon near Amelia IslandPhoto: Michael Rivera · CC BY-SA 4.0

      Palace Saloon

      Florida's oldest continuously operating bar, open since 1903 behind a carved mahogany bar on Centre Street.

      Tip Order the Pirate's Punch, the house drink.

      DrinkHistoric District$60 minEvening
    • Fort Clinch State Park near Amelia IslandPhoto: Reweaver33 · CC BY-SA 4.0

      Fort Clinch State Park

      Brick 19th-century fort at the island's north tip, with costumed garrison programs, beach and maritime-forest trails.

      Tip The Union garrison living-history weekend runs the first weekend of each month.

      See$2.5 hrMorning
    • Amelia Island Museum of History near Amelia IslandPhoto: Ebyabe · CC BY-SA 3.0

      Amelia Island Museum of History

      Island history from the Timucua to the shrimping era, housed in the old 1935 Nassau County jail.

      Tip The museum's guided walking tours of the historic district are the best introduction to town.

      SeeHistoric District$60 minAfternoon
    • Amelia Island Lighthouse near Amelia IslandPhoto: NatalieMaynor · CC BY 2.0

      Amelia Island Lighthouse

      Florida's oldest existing lighthouse, moved here from Cumberland Island in 1838, standing above the Egans Creek marsh.

      Tip The best public view is from the Egans Creek Greenway trails below it.

      SeeFree30 minLate afternoon

    • Egans Creek Greenway

      About 300 acres of salt marsh and trails through the middle of the island, good for walking, cycling and wading birds.

      Tip Watch for alligators sunning on the banks on mild winter days.

      OutdoorsFree1.5 hrMorning
    • Main Beach Park near Amelia IslandPhoto: Michael Rivera · CC BY-SA 4.0

      Main Beach Park

      Fernandina Beach's main public beach on the Atlantic, with a long boardwalk and wide, firm sand.

      Tip In winter the beach is nearly empty; good for long walks and shark-tooth hunting at low tide.

      OutdoorsFree1.5 hrSunrise

    • Timoti's Seafood Shak

      Casual local seafood counter a block off Centre Street, known for local wild-caught shrimp and fish tacos.

      EatHistoric District$45 minLunch

    • The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island

      Oceanfront resort on the island's south end, with a long beachfront, spa and golf course.

      Stay$$$$

The moments that shape this trip.

Planning St. Augustine & Amelia Island.

Start with three nights in St. Augustine, when the Nights of Lights festival wraps the old Spanish city in white lights from the Plaza de la Constitucion to the Bridge of Lions. Days go to the coquina walls of the Castillo de San Marcos, a tour of Henry Flagler's Ponce de Leon Hotel (now Flagler College), the Lightner Museum and a climb up the striped lighthouse; evenings to a walk down St. George Street and dinner at the Columbia. Then drive an hour and a half north to Amelia Island for two slower days: Victorian Centre Street in Fernandina Beach, a drink at the Palace Saloon, the brick ramparts of Fort Clinch and long, quiet winter beaches.

Good for Couples and families who want a festive old town without snow or a cold coat.

When to go

Nights of Lights switches on at Light-Up Night, held the Saturday before Thanksgiving, and the displays stay lit nightly until January 31. The British Night Watch candlelight procession is held the first weekend of December and the Regatta of Lights boat parade on Matanzas Bay in early December; fireworks over the bay mark New Year's Eve. Fernandina Beach holds its Dickens on Centre festival in early December. Expect highs around 18-21 C and cool evenings.

Getting around

Fly into Jacksonville (JAX), about 50 minutes from St. Augustine and 25 minutes from Fernandina Beach. In St. Augustine, park once (the Historic Downtown Parking Facility on Castillo Drive is closest) and walk; the trolley and tram tours run dedicated Nights of Lights routes. St. Augustine to Fernandina Beach is about 1 hr 30 min on I-95, or take the slower A1A coast road with the St. Johns River Ferry at Mayport.

Tips for your crew

  • Downtown St. Augustine gets very busy on December weekends; visit midweek or in January and the lights are the same with half the traffic.
  • Book a lights trolley or tram tour for early evening, then walk the plaza and bayfront on your own afterward.
  • The Castillo de San Marcos is closed on Christmas Day; plan your fort visit for another day that week.

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