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Our Beaches

Our Beaches 
Amelia Island has about 16 miles of excellent beaches extending the entire length of the island.  While all of the island’s beaches are open and accessible to the public, only four are protected 
by lifeguards. 
The City of Fernandina’s Main Beach is considered the island’s major recreational beach and 
offers sheltered picnic tables, restrooms, outdoor showers, a volleyball court, a fully equipped playground, skateboard park, basketball courts and a boardwalk with gazebos.  Lifeguards are on duty seven days a week from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Memorial Day to Labor Day.  Main Beach is also the favorite for surfers. 
The County beaches begin at Peter’s Point which has a large paved parking lot with space for over 200 cars, restrooms, sheltered picnic tables, indoor and outdoor showers and wooden crossovers to facilitate beach access across the dunes.  Just south of Peter’s Point is the Scott Road Beach Access, which has paved parking but no beach amenities. 
American Beach is the historic African-American community where Burney Beach Park is located. This six-acre beach has a large paved parking lot, picnic tables, restrooms, and indoor and outdoor showers.  It is named for I.H. Burney, a former president of the Afro-American Life Insurance Company which established the American Beach resort as a black resort in 1935. 
County lifeguards are on duty at all three County beach accesses seven days a week from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Memorial Day to Labor Day. 
Driving on the beach is allowed on County Beaches at Peter’s Point, Scott Road and Burney Beach Park by permit. Permits can be purchased at the County Court House in Yulee or at Hall’s Beach Store at the corner of Sadler and Fletcher.  A one-day permit is $5.00 and a year permit is $20.00.You can drive on the beach to park at the City’s Sadler road beach access without a permit. 
The southern tip of the island is a State Recreational Area with paved parking for a $1.00 charge. You can drive on the beach during intertidal (hard sand) hours.  Alcohol is not allowed on either the City or County beaches and dogs must be on leashes.