Traveling in northeast Florida: The islands, Jacksonville, and Neptune Beach

Sunset at Myrtle Creek in Little Talbot Island State Park, Florida - License our images here.        

The basecamp was in Little Talbot Island State Park. Great campground between the blue of the Atlantic and the muddy waters of Myrtle Creek. Every day, we got a first-class sunset at the boat ramp to the creek. We never launched the kayaks there. The water level changed wildly with the tides, and we didn't want to walk on sharp shells with a kayak over the head during the low tide. 

The park's trails are sandy but easy. We went with the bikes and had to walk over big sand dunes by the Atlantic beach. Nice ride on the shores returning to camp. 

And what about the Talbot in the name of this island? It was in honor to a British Chancellor. The island was named in 1735 and it's said that two centuries before was a hotspot for Norman Huguenots.

Kayak Amelia was the place to launch our kayaks. Simpson Creek is deeper and they've a pontoon that we could use for a small fee. Three miles away, the creek reaches the sandbars of Nassau Sound, but before getting there, one goes through Half Moon Bluff and its falling trees. A sandbar closed the delta of the creek and made a warm lagoon. There were sand flies. Many sandflies. They even followed us into the ocean. 

Huguenot Beach was another destination. This sandy beach is between the deltas of the St. Johns and Fort George rivers. 4WD vehicles can travel on the shores. We got stuck in sugar sand by the northern point - that area gets flooded with the high tide. There is a campground in this local park - we came back and camped here years later - check this post.   

We also went for the horse rides of Amelia Island. Kelly Seahorse Ranch gives tours on the beaches of Amelia Island State Park. We also walked on the fishing pier over the half-mile wide delta of the Nassau River.

Some miles to the north, there was Fort Clinch and the old Fernandina Beach. The fort is a state park with two campgrounds and some trails - there are old ruins in one of the trails. This fort was named after General Duncan Lamont Clinch, a hero of the Indian wars of Florida in the 1800s. It was never finished, and the Confederates took it without firing a shot. 

Right by the fort is Fernandina Beach, the town with the oldest bar of Florida - the Palace Saloon opened in 1903. The first train connecting east and west Florida departed from this city in 1861. The trip ended at Cedar Key. The old train station now is a welcome center. We also visited The Florida House Inn from 1857, a hotel that had some famous guests as President Ulysses S. Grant and the Cuban hero Jose Marti. 

Eight flags have flown over Fernandina Beach, this is the reason why Amelia Island is called "the island of the eight flags" - the flags of Mexico, Spain, France, England, the Patriots of Amelia Island, Green Cross of Florida, Confederate States of America, and the United States of America.

Jacksonville was another destination. This city was named after the hero of the War of Independence and first governor of Florida, General Andrew Jackson. We visited the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens - the largest fine arts museum in Northeast Florida at the home of Ninah Cummer -, stopped by the neglected Jacksonville Landing, and after lunch, went to Catty Shack Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary - big cats in rustic chain-link enclosures.  

We crossed the St. Johns in the ferry to explore Neptune Beach. There we learned the peculiar history of a guy who built his own train station that ended giving name to the town.

Now some photos. 

Biking the trails of Little Talbot Island State Park. The sand dunes facing the Atlantic Ocean are amazing. We had to ride the bikes on the shores returning to camp. This was pretty cool. 

Kayaking Simpson Creek to the sea. First and second images show the Half Moon Bluff. The final photo is the sand bar at Nassau Sound.             

        

Huguenot Beach. First image is the delta of the Fort George River. Vehicles can drive on this beach - at their own risk. 

Beach of Amelia Island State Park and the fishing pier across the Nassau River. 

The unfinished Fort Clinch in the state park. It covers the entrance to the St. Marys River between Georgia and Florida. The beaches of Fort Clinch State Park are popular for the shark teeth, but we didn't find any. 

The city of Fernandina Beach. The Palace Saloon, main street, the old train station, and old walk of bricks. 

The wonderful gardens of the Cummer Museum of Art facing the St. Johns River in Jacksonville. 

Jacksonville Landing in the downtown - we had lunch in this restaurant. 

Afternoon with lions and tigers in Catty Shack Ranch.

Crossing the St. Johns River in the ferry - cool experience.

Chilling out in Neptune Beach - nothing to do with planet Neptune.