Fernandina Beach

Exploring Fernandina Beach

With deep roots spanning back more than 500 years, Fernandina Beach is the city where John Muir stepped off a ship and started his walk across Florida to the Cedar Keys in 1867. It’s also the Isle of Eight Flags, controlled over its long history not just by governments but by patriots and pirates.

A deep water port, Fernandina Beach has been a nautical town and shrimping center for most of its life. A gateway by water to the St. Marys River and Cumberland Island National Seashore in Georgia, it shows its unique character throughout the historic downtown district.

Fort Clinch is an imposing presence along the shoreline at the river’s mouth. A tour of this nationally-significant fortress is a highlight of a visit to Fort Clinch State Park, on a peninsula south of downtown with an extensive off-road biking trail.