Amelia Island is 13 miles long and about two miles wide, with public beach along nearly the whole Atlantic side. The trick is knowing which access to use: some have restrooms and lifeguards, some are a boardwalk and a bike rack, and the rules change halfway down the island where the City of Fernandina Beach ends and Nassau County begins. Here's the island north to south, starting at our end.
Fort Clinch State Park (north tip)
The quietest beach on the island, inside the state park. Entry is $2 per person on foot or bike, $6 per car. Restrooms, a fishing pier, the jetty beach where shark teeth collect, and the 1847 fort. Open 8 AM to sunset. Bikes are welcome on the park's beach, and it's a 2.2-mile ride from our store; see our Fort Clinch by bike guide.
Main Beach Park (32 N. Fletcher Ave.)
The island's main event: two parking lots, restrooms and outdoor showers, a playground, volleyball courts, a skate park, picnic shelters and a Mobi-Mat boardwalk for wheelchairs and strollers. Lifeguards are on duty Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. Leashed dogs are welcome. If you have kids and want everything within reach, this is the access. It's about a mile and a half north of the store, an easy cruise up Fletcher.
Seaside Park and the Sadler Road accesses (across from our store)
Our home beach. Seaside Park sits at the Sadler Road roundabout directly across from the store, with parking, restrooms and a wide, flat beach that's the first place most of our customers walk their chairs to. The dune walkovers along this stretch of South Fletcher are the easiest spots on the island to roll a cruiser onto the sand. Lifeguards here in summer too.
North Beach Park and the numbered city accesses
Between Fort Clinch and Sadler Road, Fletcher Avenue is lined with small city accesses, each a boardwalk over the dune with a handful of parking spaces. North Beach Park is the larger one at the north end. No restrooms at most of these, but they're never crowded, and they're perfect for a quick beach ride at low tide.
Peters Point Beachfront Park (south of Sadler, county)
The first county beach as you head south, and the big one: a large free paved lot, restrooms, indoor and outdoor showers, picnic tables and grills, and four lifeguard towers staffed Memorial Day through Labor Day. Hard-packed sand near the water makes it the best spot on the island for a long beach ride. This is also where beach driving starts (Nassau County residents, active military and disabled placards only; four-wheel drive required). Beach wheelchairs are available through the Atlantic Recreation Center at (904) 310-3350.
American Beach and Burney Park
Founded in 1935 by Florida's first Black millionaire, A. L. Lewis, as a beach for Black families during segregation, American Beach is a National Historic Landmark district and still a living neighborhood. Be a good guest. Burney Park at its edge has a parking lot and restrooms, and the beach in front has the island's tallest dune, NaNa, protected as part of the Timucuan Preserve. Quiet, wide, and worth the ride down.
Scott Road and the Dunes Club accesses
Small county accesses between American Beach and the Plantation. Light parking, no restrooms, rarely anyone on the sand. If you're staying at the Omni or in the Plantation, your resort's own beach walkovers put you onto this same stretch.
Amelia Island State Park (south tip)
The far end: 200 acres of undeveloped beach at the mouth of Nassau Sound, with the George Crady fishing bridge. State park rules and a small entry fee apply here. Horseback riding on the beach happens from this end, and it's the one place on the island that still feels wild.
City beach vs. county beach: the rules that change
Roughly everything north of Sadler Road is City of Fernandina Beach; Peters Point and south is unincorporated Nassau County. What that means for you:
- Bikes: allowed on the sand everywhere on the island. Low tide is the time.
- Dogs: allowed on a leash everywhere; pick up after them (the county fines $100).
- Fires: never on city beaches. On county beaches, allowed November 1 through April 30 only, never in the dunes, and fully out before you leave. That's why our bonfires run in those months, south of Sadler.
- Driving: county beaches only, four-wheel drive, Nassau residents, military and disabled permits only. Visitors ride bikes.
- Turtle season (May 1 to October 31): fill your holes, take your chairs in at night, and lights off after dark.
- Everywhere: no glass, no overnight camping (Fort Clinch has a campground), lifeguards only in summer so watch the flags.
Staying in the Plantation or downtown?
From the Omni and the Plantation, the closest public accesses are Scott Road and Burney Park, and Peters Point is a short ride north on the Amelia Island Trail. We deliver bikes, chairs and shade to the south end for the same price as pickup, or set your chairs up on the beach for you. From downtown Fernandina, Main Beach is a 10-minute ride east on Atlantic Avenue, and North Beach Park is just past it.
Quick answers
Which Amelia Island beach has the best facilities?
Main Beach Park (city) and Peters Point (county). Both have restrooms, showers, lifeguards in summer and plenty of parking.
Which beach is closest to The Beach Store and More?
Seaside Park, directly across the street at the Sadler Road roundabout.
Can you drive on the beach on Amelia Island?
Only on the county beaches south of Sadler Road, only with four-wheel drive, and only with a Nassau County license, active military ID or disabled placard. Everyone else walks or bikes.
Are dogs allowed on Amelia Island beaches?
Yes, on a leash, on both city and county beaches.
Where can you have a bonfire?
County beaches south of Sadler Road, November through April. Nowhere in city limits. We handle the permit and set-up when you book one with us.
