Interpretive sites on American Beach are managed by Timucuan Preserve as part of the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, which stretches along the Atlantic Coast from Jacksonville to Wilmington, North Carolina.
Thirty-three acres within this oceanfront community on Amelia Island are on the National Register of Historic Places.
Resources
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Overview
Location: Amelia Island
Trailhead: 30.573332, -81.444297
Address:
Fees: Free
Restroom: At Burney Park
Land manager: National Park Service / Nassau County
Phone: 904-641-7155
Oceanfront access, restrooms, and parking are available at Burney Park at the south end of the community. This beach is known for deadly riptides. Sunning, fishing, and walking the beach are better options than swimming.
Directions
Along Amelia Island Parkway / Buccaneer Trail (between Amelia Island State Park and Fernandina Beach), turn east on Lewis Street. This street ends at a drive-on spot on the beach, although the sand may be soft here. Burney Park (southernmost point on map) is your best place to park.
About the Beach
Squeezed by resorts to the north, south, and west, this small strip of oceanfront has an important story to tell.
American Beach was established in 1935 by A.L. Lewis, president of the Afro American Insurance Company in Jacksonville and Florida’s first black millionaire.
It became the first beach resort in Florida exclusively for African-Americans, starting with vacationing employees of the firm and ending up with parcels sold to executives, shareholders, community leaders, and the community at large.
Motels, restaurants, and shops opened to serve visitors.
The end of segregated beaches in Florida – which persisted into the 1960s – spelled the end of American Beach as a community.
As developers moved in along the Amelia Island oceanfront, rising property values – leading to higher taxes – forced many long-time homeowners to sell out.
Surrounding developers snapped up more than half of American Beach, including the historic Franklintown Cemetery, to which they blocked off access.
While fiction, the film Sunshine State casts a light on what happened.
Find the full story at the American Beach Museum, 1600 Julia Street, through artifacts and oral histories. The museum is open on weekends.
The activism of MaVynee Betsch, “The Beach Lady,” great-granddaughter of A.L. Lewis, led to conservation of what remained of the community as a historic site. Many people still live here.
Although much work needs to be done on buildings, interpretive stations are at American Beach Historic Park and at the base of “A Dune Called Nana.” At 65 feet high, it is the tallest dune on the Atlantic Coast of Florida.
Explore More!
Learn more about Timucuan Preserve
Timucuan Preserve Florida's northernmost National Park encompasses a diverse collection of historic and cultural sites on both sides of the St. Johns River in Jacksonville.Nearby Adventures
Big Talbot Black Rock Trail An unusual and picturesque geologic anomaly, Blackrock Beach at Big Talbot Island is covered with formations that look like black lava rocks but are made of sand.
Amelia Island State Park The thud of horse's hooves on sand makes for a unique experience at Amelia Island State Park, the only Florida State Park where you can ride horses on the beach
Egans Creek Greenway Northeast of Jacksonville in Fernandina Beach, Egans Creek Greenway is a protected area of over 300 acres that runs north to south along Egans Creek. 
Fort Clinch Beach Walk Explore a wave-tossed beach shoreline while searching for sea shells along the northernmost stretch of the Atlantic Coast in Florida.
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- A.J. Henry Park - November 1, 2026
- Okeeheelee Nature Center Trails - October 22, 2026