Fort Clinch State Park on Amelia Island offers a look inside one of the country’s best-preserved 19th-century fortifications, along with coastal scenery and outdoor recreation across its 1,400 acres.
Construction on Fort Clinch began in 1847, and the site became one of Florida’s first state parks in 1935. Although the fort was never fully completed or used in direct combat, it served as a military post during the Civil War, the Spanish-American War and World War II.
Visitors can explore features including bastions, a prison and furnished barracks, then take in views of the surrounding coast from the fort walls. The park’s living-history programming includes Civil War-era reproductions of life in 1864, with guides in period uniforms, as well as reenactments and Union Garrison events at select times of year.
Special programming also includes candlelight tours. Elsewhere in the park, visitors can hike, bike, fish for flounder, search for shells and sharks’ teeth, and watch for sea turtles nesting. The park is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, Amelia River and St. Mary’s River.
Fort Clinch State Park is at 2601 Atlantic Ave. in Fernandina Beach. The park is open daily from 8 a.m. until sunset, while the fort is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $6 per vehicle, and fort admission is $2.50 per person.
