One of our favorite things to do is walk around Amelia Island and visit all the small shops and local restaurants. Some good food stops are Down Under (the BEST fried shrimp!!) and Amelia Tavern. You can find a good cup of joe down the way at Amelia Island Coffee. If you're looking for some little home treasures or an addition to your wardrobe, you'll want to stop by Hudson & Perry and The Salty Local. There are also a couple antique stores along the historic strip as well with some pretty neat finds.


Down Under - 96106 Wade's Pl., Fernandina Beach, FL 32034
Amelia Tavern - 318 Centre St., Fernandina Beach, FL 32034
Amelia Island Coffee - 207 Centre St., Fernandina Beach, FL 32034
Hudson & Perry - 319 Centre St., Fernandina Beach, FL 32034
The Salty Local - 201 Centre St., Fernandina Beach, FL 32034
All the cute shops and antique stores are down Centre Street!!

Another thing we like to do together it walk along the beach and look for shark teeth. One of the best places to find teeth is Ponte Vedra Beach. If you find yourself out that way and looking for some grub, do us a favor and stop by Cruisers. The ranch is to die for. Jesse loves the mahi and Haley is a big fan of the spicy chicken chunks. If you're looking for some good old southern food, head down the way to Barbara Jeans. The shrimp and grits is so good it'll put you in a coma.

Cruisers Grill - 319 23rd Ave S., Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250

Barbara Jeans - 15 S Roscoe Blvd, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082

This is a great place to sight see! You could spend an entire day here. If the cobblestone streets aren't charming enough, the local shops and eats will definitely win you over. If you're looking for some family fun, Ripley's Believe It Or Not is the place to be. Lots of fun experiences here. If you want to fully immerse yourself in the Florida life, take a trip to the

Alligator Farm and visit some of the locals. You're definitely going to want to walk historic St. George Street as well. As far as the food goes, some of the best stops include The Blue Hen (hands down the BEST brunch around!!), Prohibition Kitchen, and The Floridian. If you're looking for something sweet, stop by The Hyppo or swing in some of the local ice cream shops. You won't be disappointed!

Ripley's - 19 San Marco Ave., St. Augustine, FL 32084

The Alligator Farm - 999 Anastasia Blvd., St. Augustine, FL 32080

The Blue Hen - 117 Martin Luther King Ave., St. Augustine, FL 32084

Prohibition Kitchen - 119 St. George St., St. Augustine, FL 32084

The Floridian - 72 Spanish St. #3638, St. Augustine, FL 32084

Hyppo - 70 St. George St., St. Augustine, FL 32084

The hotel we have suggested is located in the South Mandarin area. This is definitely more of a suburban area that has a lot of your typical chain stores and restaurants. While many of the other areas around town offer several different local and unique places to shop and dine, there are some hidden gems in the Mandarin/Saint Johns area if you’re feeling hungry and want to stay near the hotel. If you’re looking for breakfast, you’ll definitely want to run by Metro Diner (cinnamon roll pancakes!!) or Maple Street Biscuit Company (try the cinnamon biscuit!!). As far as dinner goes, if you’d like to experience some amazing pizza and Italian food, you’ll definitely want to go to Picasso’s. People come from all over to eat there. Some other great dinner options are Julington Creek Fish Camp and Outback Crab Shack.

Metro Diner - 12807 San Jose Blvd., Jacksonville, FL 32223

Maple Street - 1627 Racetrack Rd., Jacksonville, FL 32259

Picasso’s - 10503 San Jose Blvd., Jacksonville, FL 32257

Julington Creek Fish Camp - 12760 San Jose Blvd., Jacksonville, FL 32223

Outback Crab Shack - 8155 County Road 13 N., St. Augustine, FL 32092