Stories of the past continue to unfold across the 50 blocks of downtown Fernandina Beach, Amelia Island’s northernmost city. Victorian architecture houses independent shops, cafés, and other haunts, like family-owned confectionery Fantastic Fudge (below, right) and the Fairbanks House bed-and-breakfast (below, left). The circa-1856 Amelia Island Williams House (above) offers a comfortable stay among antique furnishings and hand-carved fireplaces. Ornamented with fleurs-de-lis, the original wrought iron gates and fencing exemplify subtle French influences on the island’s multicultural heritage.
