100_2962

Posts Tagged ‘amelia island attractions’

Amelia Island Annual Holiday Cookie Tour of Inns

Friday, November 16th, 2012

We have been in a riotous cloud of flour and sugar, nuts and sweets baking cookies for the big event here at the Williams House and burning the midnight oil getting all of the Christmas decorations up and lit in anticipation of “Oooh’s and Ahhh’s” with the chance to show our beloved Inn to you all dressed up and ready for the party!

We are merely HOURS away from the start of the Amelia Island B&B Associations annual COOKIE TOUR!  So dig out your Christmas sweater and join us Saturday, November 17, 2012 from 12 noon until 5:00 pm.  Spend the afternoon strolling through eight of Amelia Island’s  charming bed and breakfast establishments and sampling an array of cookies!  See you Saturday!

 


Date: Saturday November 17, 2012
Time: 12 pm-5pm
Place: Begin the tour at any of the eight bed and breakfast inns on the tour.
Maps are printed on your ticket and will be available at the door.
Tickets: $25 each for all ages and can be purchased at any of the Amelia Island Bed and Breakfast Inns, The Purple Dove Resale Center in Yulee, the Amelia Island Visitors Center, Nassau County Public Library (downtown Fernandina) and the Chamber of Commerce gateway office.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Williams House News | Comments Off

Free Cookies on Holiday Inn Tour

Thursday, October 4th, 2012

Williams House Parlor

The Amelia island Inns annual Cookie Tour will be held on November 17 from 12pm-5pm in Fernandina Beach.  Eight historic Inns will be decorated for the Holidays and open for touring with each Inn providing a special cookie and refreshments along with the recipe.  Tickets are available on ameliaislandinns.com and are $20 until November 1 when they increase to $25.  We also have VIP lodging tickets that include two tour tickets, a  mid- week  stay at the Inn you select, and an association cook book.  Trolley and horse drawn carriages will carry visitors between inns as they stroll around the historic district and take in all the sights of this historic village.The Williams House is nearly fully booked for this event and guests participate and in some cases show off their rooms to other tour participants.  Come and join us for this once a year opportunity to see historic Fernandina beach and the lovely Inns that relive the town’s history.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Amelia Island Activities | Comments Off

Beaching on Amelia Island in December

Tuesday, February 21st, 2012

We had an unusually warm fall and winter this year on Amelia Island and during the week after Christmas  we took advantage of the warm weather to enjoy part the beach on the ocean side of the Island.  Deborah’s daughters and family were here from North Carolina and we slipped off one afternoon for a picnic and fun on the beach.  Come and join us at the Williams House and find your spot along our thirteen miles of wide open and uncrowded beaches!

Deborah and her daughters on the beach

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Family fun at the beach

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Searching for shark's teeth and shells

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Birds enjoying the beach

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Wide open beaches on Amelia Island

Tags: ,
Posted in Amelia Island Activities | Comments Off

Sailing Adventure at Williams House-Amelia Island

Sunday, August 8th, 2010

williams house owners try out windward sunset sail

Deborah’s daughters were staying at the Williams House this week and her older daughter, Jaime led a scrapbooking retreat.  While they were here, we took the group out on a sailing adventure with Windward Sailing for a sunset cruise in the Amelia River.  It was a beautiful evening with a nice sunset, calm seas and warm temps.  We took along some subs from our local Fernandina Deli on 8th street and a few beers and wine.  We enjoyed seeing fort clinch from the river side, shrimp boats at the docks, Cumberland Island, porpoises( or dolphins ) and learning a bit from our experienced captain about sailing.  He even let Deborah steer the boat for a while as he rigged the sails.  We’ve had several guests take this private sail and all have enjoyed it.  We can now add our own reccommendation for a fun experience and a great calming end to a day.

sailing is fun on amelia island

all-aboard for sailing in Fernandina Beach

shrimp boats docked in Amelia river

shrimp boats rest in Amelia harbour

fort clinch view from the river

fort clinch guards river entrance

deborah and daughters relaxing on sailboat

deborah and daughters relax as we sail

sailing gets exciting on amelia island

deborah's daughters hang on in a turn

sailing near Cumberland Island

Beautiful view of Cumberland Island from sailboat

deborah steering boat on sail cruise

Deborah takes a turn steering

sunsets on fernandina beach and sailing

Sunset on the harbour near fernandina beach

sunsets beyond sail boat flag

The sailboat's american flag highlighted by sunset

sefore settingun's final fling b

Beautiful sunset nears end on amelia island

Tags: , ,
Posted in Amelia Island Activities, Guest Experiences | Comments Off

Shrimply Artistic

Thursday, June 24th, 2010
An artistic shrimp in front of local bookstore

 

Cities throughout the US adopt a particularly animal to signify heritage or local wildlife and Amelia Island is no exception.  In our case shrimp were chosen as this island was the beginning of the commercial shrimp industry in the US.  We already have the annual eight flags shrimp festival the first weekend of May each year, and this is another  step in honoring the local heritage of shrimping.   Businesses on the island purchased the shrimp figures and then local artists did the decorating and art work.  They are scattered around downtown and in front of businesses around the island.

Some are humorous, some nostalgic and some just plain fun!  We appreciate the efforts of many local businesses and the artists involved in adding to the character, charm and local culture of this beautiful island!

Tags: ,
Posted in Amelia Island Scenery | Comments Off

Favorite Amelia Island Attractions – Fort Clinch Park

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

Fort Clinch Aerial view from their website

There are many unique attractions for guests of the Williams House to enjoy while visiting Amelia Island.  One of the favorites is Fort Clinch State Park.  It is named for General Duncan Lamont Clinch, a prominent figure in the Second Seminole war that began in 1847.  The fort was built at the mouth of the St. Mary’s river to protect the natural deep-water port of Fernandina Beach, the eastern most link in Florida’s cross state railroad that connected with Cedar Key on the western shore.  It was one of many masonry forts built between 1816 and 1867 called the Third System Fortifications.  It was never fully completed but served as a military post during the Civil War, Spanish- American War and World War II and became one of the earliest Florida state parks in 1935.  The Civilian Conservation Corps started restorations and building of roads and campgrounds in 1936-1937.

Today, visitors see life as it might have been in 1864 via restored barracks, blacksmith shop, points of defense including cannon, headquarters and jail.  Soldiers are present in uniform of the period and explain to visitors the rules of life in that time and the hardships and challenges before electricity and indoor plumbing.  Reinactments occur monthly with troops overnighting at the fort. 

Live Oaks shade the drive from entrance to fort

Access to the beach, beautiful views of Cumberland Island, picnic and camping facilities, hiking trails, wildlife, visitors center and gift shop are all available through the fort site.  Many of our guests that elect a picnic take it to Fort clinch and enjoy both a tasty meal and a fascinating look back into history.  It is also a nice bike ride of about four miles from the Inn to the actual fort.  Visitors also visit the beach in search of Sharks teeth from this northern point of the island.

View of the headquarters building from the tunnel entrance

 

Beach view from near the fort

Tags: ,
Posted in Amelia Island Activities | Comments Off

»