Fernandina Beach · Amelia Island · Florida
The Insider’s
Guide to the Coast
“Every great coastal town deserves a guide written by someone who truly knows it — not a travel writer who visited once.”
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✦ Featured Stories
What the Tourists Miss
✦ More to Explore
Curated by Someone Who Lives Here
Why the Most Luxurious Thing Here Is Doing Absolutely Nothing
After 1,000 days at sea, Amelia Island has a quiet that money can rent but cannot buy.
Jekyll Island in a Day: What Locals Actually Do
Forty-five minutes north and a century back in time. The honest guide.
The Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival: The Survival Guide
150,000 people. A town of 13,000. Here’s the honest guide to doing it right.
✦ Towns We Cover
One Coastal Town at a Time
✦ The Voice Behind the Guide
Sharon Hawes Dodd,
Founding Editor
Sharon Hawes Dodd co-founded CruiseCritic.com in 1999 — before it became the world’s largest cruise review site — and spent the following 25 years at sea, on assignment, and in pursuit of the kind of coastal living most people only find in magazines. She has logged 1,000+ days at sea across 68 countries, earned the Lowell Thomas Award for travel journalism, and holds a professional certification as a travel agent.
She now calls Fernandina Beach home — and has made it her business, literally, to know it better than anyone writing about it.
“The secret to parking on Fernandina Beach in July isn’t a spot — it’s a time. Show up before 8:30am and you’ll have the whole north end to yourself.”
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The Coast, Honestly Told
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Everything You Need to Know About Amelia Island
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