Historic Inns & B&Bs in Fernandina Beach

The neighborhoods

Where to stay, by area

Centre Street and the harbor

Centre Street runs eight blocks inland from the harbor and holds nearly all of the district’s historic shops, restaurants and bars. The Florida House Inn is here, a block off Centre on South 3rd Street.

The residential historic district

East of the commercial blocks, the district is mostly large frame houses in Italianate, Queen Anne and Stick styles, including the stretch of North Sixth Street locals call the Silk Stocking District. Five of the six inns are here: the Fairbanks House and Blue Heron Inn on South 7th Street, the Williams House on South 9th Street, and the Hoyt House and Amelia Schoolhouse Inn on Atlantic Avenue.

Old Town Fernandina

The original Spanish town, laid out in 1811 on a bluff above the Amelia River north of today’s downtown. It became mainly residential after the town moved south to the railroad in the 1850s, and its old plaza is now Fernandina Plaza Historic State Park. None of the inns is here.

The beaches and Fort Clinch

Amelia Island has 13 miles of beaches, with public access at Main Beach Park and Peter’s Point. Fort Clinch, with its Civil War garrison reenactors, and American Beach, Florida’s first Black beach resort, are the main historic sights outside downtown. None of the historic inns is on the beach.

Before you book

Planning your stay

Getting around

Downtown is compact and walkable. For the rest of the island, visitors use cars, rideshare, trolleys, bikes or street-legal golf carts, and the island’s visitor bureau says nothing is more than 15 minutes away. Jacksonville International Airport is about 25 miles off, roughly a 45-minute drive.

Parking

Most historic inns have their own parking: free off-street parking at the Fairbanks House, a first-come lot behind the Florida House Inn, limited spaces at the Williams House, and on-site parking at the Blue Heron and the Amelia Schoolhouse Inn. Downtown street parking has cost $2 an hour since February 2026, but the city is ending the program on November 18, 2026 and has not said what replaces it.

When to go

Spring brings blooms and mild weather, fall is slightly cooler, and winter has lower rates. The busiest weekends are the Amelia Concours d’Elegance car show (March 4 to 7, 2027), the Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival on the first weekend in May, and Dickens on Centre in December. Hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30.

Accessibility

Most inns are 19th-century houses without elevators: the Fairbanks House has nine steps to the front door, and the Florida House Inn has no elevator but four ground-level rooms. The Amelia Schoolhouse Inn has an elevator, and the Williams House has an accessible suite in its Carriage House.

Before you book

Check age rules: the Fairbanks House takes no guests under 16, the Williams House takes children over 14 with their parents, and the Amelia Schoolhouse Inn is adults only. The Williams House requires two nights on most weekends and may require three for holidays and festivals, so book Concours, Shrimp Festival and Dickens weekends early.