A RESORT FOR ALL GENERATIONS

by MADELYN MILLER

Can a lusty teenage boy find happiness on a trip with his Mom and grandparents? Certainly if he spends a long weekend at the Amelia Island Plantation.

Named twice by Family Circle magazine as the Nation's Best Family Beach Resort, the Amelia Island Plantation truly has something for everyone. This 1,250 acre resort features four miles of wide, sugar-white sand beaches, world-renowned golf and tennis facilities plus 6 restaurants, entertainment and shopping.

For younger children, there is a supervised youth program with arts and crafts, sports and swimming. But Greg is almost 20 and very independent.

Greg rented a bike for a day and rode around doing his own exploring on the nature trails. He enjoyed the exercise and the sights. As a kid who grew up in Texas and now goes to New York University, he was awed by the abundant greenery.

He got a massage at the spa and worked out in the weight room. Because the resort has an efficient tram system, we could each do what interested us and then meet back at the room or for meals.

One afternoon, we went into the local town of Fernadina Beach, a picturesque Victorian seaport. It boasts a 50 block historic district of 19th century buildings listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. It also has Florida's oldest saloon and Florida's only oral history museum. The museum is housed in an old jail, which means the treasures inside are secure. From our knowledgeable docent we learned that Amelia Island is the only piece of land in the United States to have been under eight flags of domination. Her eyes twinkled with pride as she told us the Amelia Island Plantation site was actually the first resort for Timucuan Indians who discovered the area around 1600 B.C. and are believed to have stayed 2800 years.

Because the resort has a strong commitment to preservation and the ecology, the Plantation is relatively unchanged from the time when the first known inhabitants made the resort their home. It is still a haven for tribes - only now tribes of city-dwellers and suburbanites come seeking the perfect retreat.

Carefully placed in the midst of this island sanctuary are the greens and fairways of two championship golf courses, 27 holes designed by Pete Dye and 18 by Tom Fazio. My retired parents, who are almost daily golfers enjoyed the golf second only to walking on the dunes searching for shells with their grandson.

The Plantation offers 21 on-site pools throughout the resort. I enjoyed the indoor pool and a massage at the spa. While the rest of the family roamed the grounds, I went shopping at local galleries just a few minutes from the property.

What would we do if we had more time? My son and gramps would go fishing. Since the Plantation is surrounded on 3 sides by water - the Atlantic Ocean, the Intracoastal Waterway and Nassau Sound, there are plenty of surf fishing and deep-sea excursion opportunities. Chartered sailing expeditions are available as well. Inland, freshwater lakes and brackish lagoons yield bass, bream, tarpon, snook and redfish. Walker's Landing, a recreation and boat launch area on the creek, has excellent crabbing.

We might also have rented a paddle boat and explored the lakes and lagoons. Or we could have taken tennis lessons. But that will have to wait until next time. For more information contact:

Amelia Island Plantation (800) 874-6878
P.O. Box 3000
Amelia Island, Florida 32035-1307

-Updated 10-24-98-

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