Amelia Island
Amelia Island Plantation is a virtual playground of activity and you don’t even have to leave the property. Whether you decide on a day, a week, or longer, the plantation offers spa services, golf, tennis, shopping, bike trails, a Nature Center, 23 pools and miles of uncrowded beaches.
Amelia Island is the southernmost of
the Atlantic barrier islands in northeast Florida and to get there you will fly into Jacksonville.
The plantation has been recognized for its environmentally correct choices and the 1,350-acre resort is one of Florida’s greenest. Indeed, it’s a healthy place to visit and the shellstrewn beaches will beckon you to return again and again.
The plantation resort actually has about 670 guest accommodations, but you won’t feel too crowded – I found myself wondering where all the people were. The restaurants offer excellent food and the spa services range from body masks to facials to reflexology…take your pick!
The island is a birdwatcher’s paradise too. Sightings of the red shouldered hawk, eastern screech owl, great horned owl, bobwhite, mourning dove, turkey vulture, downy woodpecker and the belted kingfisher are just a short list of what to expect from the nature center hikes and tours. Make time to learn about Amelia Island’s first inhabitants on the Timucuan Walk. Your guide will take you to a genuine burial mound and provide an interesting discussion on this American Indian culture.
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Santa Rosa Beach
In the Santa Rosa Beach area is an inn and resort called Watercolor, a fun, relaxing place to lay your weary head and rest up from the wedding planning craziness. You may even want to consider getting married at the property. There are wedding facilities onsite, and brides and grooms can try their hand at kayaking, biking or just enjoying a lazy afternoon and a sunset cocktail before or after the vows. Like most resorts the Watercolor Inn has a wonderful spa so be sure and take the time to explore this excellent way to unwind. Travel + Leisure Magazine ranked The Watercolor Inn as the 7th best hotel in North America and the 36th best in the world. With more than a quarter-mile of sugar-white sand beach, the Gulf views are sensational, as is the quaint little town of Santa Rosa nearby.
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Anna Maria Island
Going “back in time” is always pleasantly nostalgic, and it can be a reality on the picturesque little gulf island of Anna Maria located near Bradenton. Anna Maria Island is a throwback to old Florida in the heyday of charming beach towns. So much so, in fact, that I promised myself I would return to write my next novel.
Anna Maria Island has a trolley that will take you up and down the street at about 25 miles per hour (the highest speed you can go in the town), but you might just find riding a bike more to your
liking as you admire the tropical setting and the pastel-colored cottages and inns that stretch the long, white beach.
There is also much to see and do off the island – so enjoy a good day trip. In Bradenton you will find the South Florida Museum and Planetarium, and at the Mary Louise Parker Manatee Aquarium you can visit Snooty, the oldest Manatee living happily in captivity. No matter what your choice is, you can find something to love about Florida – whether it’s off the beaten path or smack dab in the middle of it. And you can always squeeze in a fun visit to that mouse in Orlando.
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