Floridian Getaways 2008 - (Page 33) Amelia Island No Car Needed in this Town! By Susan G. Hauser S taying at the Amelia Island Plantation, I was faced with a quandary every day. Which mode of transportation would I choose to get around the island today? On a barrier island that’s only a quarter-mile wide in some places, and no more than three miles wide in others, using my own two feet was always an excellent option. Even if I chose to walk the length of the island, at 13 miles long, the route would only be as arduous as completing half a marathon. I chose the golf cart. Most days, anyway. Here, the little gas-powered, four-person buggies are called Island Hoppers. They’re a convenient way to get from point to point in this sprawling, 1,350-acre complex of guest accommodations, private homes, shops, restaurants and recreation facilities. But Island Hoppers aren’t terribly speedy. On the day I needed to scurry to a kayaking excursion that was launching from Walker’s Landing, I rented a bike. Soaring along the flat roads under a canopy of Spanish moss-laced live oak boughs, I made it to the tip of a peninsula on the western side of the island before the kayaks left their racks. Another transportation choice was the Segway, a motorized two-wheeled scooter that uses gyroscopes and tilt sensors to keep riders upright and moving. But unlike the Island Hoppers and the bikes, these expensive (around $6,000) vehicles can’t be used independently. If you want to ride one, you have to sign up for a tour ($30 and up). Fortunately, the tour includes a how-to session, along with ample practice in an open parking lot. After 15 minutes or so, everyone in my group felt confident enough to venture along bike trails all the way out to Drummond Point Park, where we took off on foot with the resident naturalist on a nature hike through the marshlands. Other than Amelia Island’s well-known beach horseback rides (which really aren’t about transportation) the only other option to get around the island was to hop aboard a shuttle bus. They make a circuit every 15 minutes and are also available for excursions beyond the resort, including a quick jaunt up the highway to the island’s only real town, Fernandina Beach, and a tour of its enchanting historic district along the Amelia River. Amelia Island is at the northeast corner of Florida. In fact, a river at the north end, the St. Mary’s River, forms part of the state line. Just 32 miles from Jacksonville, it offers 13 miles of pristine beach and ample vacation options, from the luxury resort at Amelia Island Plantation to cozy Victorian bed-and-breakfasts in what the locals call “downtown,” Fernandina Beach. Early inhabitants of the island were the Timucuan Indians, and some vestiges of their civilization remain, including an ancient burial mound at Walker’s Landing. The French were the first Europeans to set foot here, in 1562. That was three years before the Spanish founded nearby St. Augustine. When the British occupied the island, during the reign of George II, the name they Floridian Getaways 33
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