Fort Clinch State Park

FORT CLINCH overlooks the mouth of the St. Mary’s River. Visiting the masonry fort was a journey back in time. We meandered through the restored buildings and structures. We climbed the steps to peer over the wall at the St. Mary’s River, the Atlantic Ocean, and Cumberland Island, Georgia, across the river. We stepped into the cool shade of the bastion galleries and followed their long tunnels to the bastions where we peeked through gunports and into magazines where the artillery was kept and wandered up steep, spiral staircases to look out over the fort and river.

The park is located on Amelia Island near Fernandina Beach. From Exit 373 off I-95 to A1A, go east about sixteen miles to Atlantic Avenue. Turn right and travel about two miles to the park on the left. Hours are 8:00 a.m. to sunset. On the island there is a lot to see and do: beaches, hiking, camping, fishing, nature walks, bicycling, birding, and shelling. The fort itself takes a good hour or two to see properly. On the first weekend of each month soldiers reenact everyday life at the fort.

After visiting the fort, we headed to the museum where we checked out the exhibits and watched a film about the fort.