Byron's brother Gary at entrance to Fort Clinch

Byron’s brother Gary visited recently from Raleigh, NC and we had the opportunity to introduce him to one of our favorite local attractions, Fort Clinch, an historical Florida State Park.  Started as part of the United States coastal defense system before the civil war, it never really saw action although Union soldiers occupied the fort during the war.  It was worked on again as part of the 1930′s WPA projects as were many of these early forts.  Since then it has been worked on with volunteers and donations and is largely intact and complete.  It is usually manned by at least one soldier in period uniform who will gladly enlighten you on what life was like in the fort during the 1860′s.  On the first weekend of each month in the summer, reenactments are staged with larger numbers of soldiers joining the historic setting.  There are numerous tunnel like alley ways to and from various parts of the fort, cannons atop the walls, gun turrets, a dry moat, powder rooms, officer and enlisted quarters, jail, kitchen and blacksmith shop.  The fort is about four miles from the current Fernandina Beach historic district and sits at the northern most point of Amelia Island.  There is beach access and a fishing pier within the park as well.  Views north to the south end of Cumberland Island are available from atop the river side walls.  We always encourage guests at the Williams House to find time to visit this little piece of history and try to imagine what life was like on Amelia Island in the 1800′s.

Quarter masters office at Ft. Clinch

Bunk bed's in officer's room

View of ocean from gun port

Soldier explains gun turret workings

Cannon aimed along fort perimeter

Tunnel leading to gun turret

Ammunition storage

Gary climbs to the turret

Byron rests by the cannon

View of fishing pier and beach

Cumberland Island view

Deborah, Sue and Bob ready for departure

We recently had friends visiting from North Carolina and arranged for a river cruise to treat them to local views and history. We’ve been several times and are always impressed by learning something new on each trip, and on this particular visit, we were fortunate to get a very close up view of the wild horses, which histroically we have only seen from a distance. It was a strange day in that fires burning in the okefenokee swamp had created a smoke haze for the early part of the trip, giving the views a nostalgic old fashioned feeling.

These cruises are popular with Williams House guests since you get to see shrimp boats, Fort Clinch from the river, Old Town and the Pippi  Longstocking house, beaches, marshes, the port, the paper mill, Cumberland Island, wild horses, flying manta rays, dolphins, and in our case the Dungeness ruins.   In addition there is a history lesson on from the early days of the island to the present made interesting by your hosts on the tour.  It’s a liesurely tour with great views.  There are three cruises daily  including morning, mid day and sunset. 

Shrimp boats

Smoke from the fires blocks the sky

Captain's or Pippi Longstocking house from river

Fort Clinch

Dunes on Cumberland Island

Tree on Cumberland Island shoreline

Cumberland Island marshes

Horses walk the beach on Cumberland Island

Stallion leads the group

Returning to Fernandina

Honor guard starts the parade

floats of all types participate

Stage coach at shrimp festival parade

One of our favorite times on Amelia Island and the largest festival is the Shrimp Festival, held the first weekend of May each year.  Festivities begin with a parade on Thursday evening and it is the longest of the year at over and hour.  Many residents, businesses and associations participate and awards are given for the best float linking in the parade theme.  It is truly a family affair with many children participating and many more lining the streets to get glimpses of all the fun floats and characters from pirates to Disney type costumes.  Of course pirates abound and the parade closes with the pirate ship firing loud and smokey guns and cannon.  Candy and beads are given out to spectators and everyone vies for the most collected and greatest variety.  This is our sixth year of attending and viewing from the Williams House and this was the first year threatened by rain.  But, rain came just before the parade, stopped for the hour plus of the parade and resumed again soon thereafter.    Once again the parade was dry and fun!  Enjoy the attached pictures.

old fire engine

Williams House guests enjoy parade from porches

Shrimps abound

Characters welcome

Another shrimp float

This shrimp rocks

Dancing in the street

Kids enjoy parade

Another fun float

Beware of pirates

Pirates must have a ship

Beautiful Dusenberg

The 2011 Concours D’Elegance or parade of elegance kicked off yesterday with a group of cars coming downtown to show a portion of what will be presented at the Amelia Island golf course on Sunday.  There were plenty of options from Allard to Dusenberg, Ferrari to vintage race cars with something for every taste.  Many proud drivers and owners were nearby to explain details of the restorations and their own car’s history.  There was a good crowd on a beautiful but slightly cool day in downtown Fernandina Beach.  The show continues today with the auction segment and tomorrow these cars and many more are displayed on the golf course for enthusiastic auto buffs and anyone who appreciates the finest in automotive design and restoration.  We and most of the island’s lodging have been booked out for months and restaurants are mostly fully booked in advance.  A great time to visit if you enjoy cars and the early start of Spring on Amelia Island.

Colorful restoration

Beautiful engines

Sporty and colorful

Elegance from past motoring

Ready to race

Ready for a road trip

Orange and black beauty

Colorful flowers at garden show

Last weekend was the second annual flower and garden show on Amelia Island.  We were blessed with beautiful weather near 80 degrees and sunny skies.  Vendors include regular Farmer’s market vendors (held every Saturday morning) and additional and unique items.  Crowds were good and in addition to the booths there was live music, food, whirlygigs, vegetables and fruit, pasta and italian gourmet specialties.  Operating both Saturday and Sunday, it was a great time for Williams House guests to see a garden show and enjoy the local scenery.  Deborah picked up some fill in plants for some of the winter damage and some new twists.  We find garden beds a never ending story with some things doing well in Florida and others that struggle.  There were some awesome flowers for just about anyone’s taste and plenty of variety.  Attached below are a few colorful shots of the garden show activity and offerings.

Crowds seize the moment

Bonsai

Orchids

Bromeliads

Italian sauces

Yard art

More yard art

Deborah checks out metal works

Azaleas

Cacti

Entertainment

Cats Angels downtown Fernandina

Each fall the Amelia Island B&B Association holds a cookie tour where visitors can enjoy seeing all of the B&B’s on the Saturday before Thanksgiving.  This is a fund raiser for both the association and charities.  Each year we select worthy charities and allocate a portion of our proceeds to their cause.  This years recipients included Cats Angels and Nassau Humane Society.  Recently, Deborah McCutchen of the Williams House, who is President of the local association,  and Theresa Hamilton from Fairbanks House visited both groups to  present checks from the association.  It was impressive to see both of these groups efforts to care for the local animal community and attempt placement of abandoned and stray animals.  We hope these donations will help further their missions and apply some love and care for animals in need of a helping hand.

Cats at play

More cats at play

Deborah presents check

Dogs utilize the pool at Nassau Humane Society

Theresa Hamilton presents check

Boomer meets guests & hunts snacks

One of the favorite activities for guests at the Williams House is horsedrawn carriage rides thru the historic downtown area.  The town is so rich in history and with Victorian homes and buildings ready to tell their story, 50 minutes passes before you know it!  Of course every ride begins with Boomer meeting and greeting guests, but really just anxiously awaiting treats from Byron and Deborah.  He also has a few stops along the way where food is anticipated and expected.  Cindy and her daughter Nicole do a great job of filling in the Island’s history and retelling the secrets of its homes and  early times.  As usually these rides taper off during January due to both cold weather and short days.  But Valentine’s weekend restarts the season as it did this year with a desire for the romantic rides and somewhat warmer temps.  We had three rides this weekend and the evidence is visible below.  Come join us and enjoy an informative and fun historic carriage ride.

Waiting for Boomer power and a ride

Guests enjoy the size and beauty of Boomer

Boomer being fed and entertaining

Boomer creates excitement