A beach day isn’t the only way to enjoy Amelia Island. Beyond the shoreline, you’ll find scenic hiking and biking trails, championship golf courses, horseback rides on the beach, and opportunities to search for shark teeth, all surrounded by coastal forests, salt marshes, and Atlantic scenery.
This guide highlights some of the best outdoor activities on Amelia Island to help you plan a trip that goes beyond the beach.
Searching for shark teeth is a popular beach activity on Amelia Island, especially along the shoreline behind Fort Clinch. Strong tidal currents, combined with frequent dredging, scatters fossils and shark teeth across the beach, making this one of the island’s better places to search. Your best chances are after high tide or following a storm, when fresh shells and fossils have washed onto the beach.
Most teeth are small and dark in color, so taking your time and scanning shell beds near the waterline usually yields the best results.
While there, you can enjoy a scenic drive under a canopy of live oaks and wander through the halls of Fort Clinch.
Biking is one of the easiest ways to navigate the paved trails and quiet roads that pass through the area’s state parks and greenway.
You can ride beneath towering live oaks at Fort Clinch State Park, follow along Egan’s Creek Greenway to see the salt marshes, or bike the paved Amelia Island Trail between Peters Point Beach and Amelia Island State Park.
From the southern end of Amelia Island State Park, experienced cyclists can continue across the Nassau Sound Bridge using the designated bike lane to reach the Talbot Islands State Parks. If you’d prefer to drive across the bridge, Big Talbot Island State Park is located just on the other side, where you can access the paved Timucuan Trail and ride south through Little Talbot Island State Park.
Bike rentals are available through Bike Amelia if you don’t have your own.
Amelia Island is home to several championship golf courses that wind through coastal forests, salt marshes, and lakes, creating a setting that’s distinctly different from many inland courses.
Guests staying at Omni Amelia Island Resort & Spa can book tee times on the resort’s championship courses, including the well-known Oak Marsh Course. Visitors looking for public golf can play at Fernandina Beach Golf Club, a 27-hole municipal course, or head a few miles south to Amelia River Golf Club, a public course known for its marsh views and frequent wildlife sightings. Many public courses also offer club rentals, making it easy to fit a round into your trip without bringing your own equipment.
Horseback riding offers a unique way to experience Amelia Island’s coastline. Guided rides are available at both Peters Point Beachfront Park and Amelia Island State Park. Amelia Island Horseback Riding operates beach rides from Peters Point Beachfront Park, while Happy Trails provides guided rides along the beach and designated equestrian trails within Amelia Island State Park.
Amelia Island State Park also allows horseback riding with privately owned horses through its designated equestrian trail system. Advance reservations are required, making it one of the few places in Florida where you can legally ride your own horse on and around the beach.
Amelia Island offers just as many activities on the water as it does on land.
Spend the day kayaking through Egan’s Creek, book a deep sea fishing charter, take a sunset cruise, or sail along the coast on a catamaran. For a more hands-on experience, you can even rent a small two-person catamaran and explore the water at your own pace.
From kayaking through salt marshes and biking scenic trails to horseback riding on the beach and searching for shark teeth, Amelia Island offers outdoor activities for every pace of travel. Whether you’re planning a weekend getaway or a longer stay, adding a few of these experiences to your itinerary is a great way to see more of the island beyond its beaches.
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