Amelia Island is a fun-filled vacation escape. It’s filled with tropical-inspired adventures through the Florida wetlands, horseback riding romps through the sand, and plenty of places to see Old Florida, intact and still wonderful.
One thing that has always helped define Amelia Island, and helps it hold onto its authentic Old Florida roots, is shrimp. It’s a summer standard. You can seemingly always find crewmen pacing up and down the docks, loading barrels of shrimp for preparation.
Shrimp permeates the local culture. Come and see why at the Shrimp Days of Summer special event on Amelia Island.
All Summer Long
Shrimp Days of Summer is less of a singular event and more of a season-long celebration. Undoubtedly, shrimp is important to Amelia Island’s economy, and the swells of shrimp pulled from the local waters gives plenty of opportunities to go crazy. Restaurants, local environmentalists, museum curators, and more gather their resources to help celebrate this special crustacean. You can find numerous mini-events all season long to help usher in the shrimp days of summer.
What to Do This Summer on Amelia Island
So what does this include?
There are activities for all ages and all kinds. For one, Amelia Adventures gets you right in the action of the local shrimping industry. Take a journey by the famous Fort Clinch State Park as well as the horse-filled and iconic Cumberland Island. Along the way, learn about shrimping practices, netting techniques, and more.
Take a boat tour or a kayak tour. Either way, learn about the peculiar local shrimping history and where professionals go to get some huge shrimp!
This leads right into a shrimp nursery. You can take a kayak tour to this cherished local spot through Kayak Amelia. Take an eco-tour to the area’s premier shrimp nursery, the Talbot Island State Park. You can learn about the lifecycle of the shrimp and why they flourish during the summer. You might even see populations of shrimp scattered amongst the watery thicket.
You can also take a boat tour to popular fishing and shrimping spots with Amelia River Cruises. Their trip is a little different than anything else mentioned above. Guests will actually participate in some shrimping by tossing out nets and pulling them back in, hopefully, loaded with shrimp. Special catches will be showcased in an onboard aquarium.
You and your crew will head through the island backwaters and tidal creeks on this family-friendly romp. It is an affordable and interesting adventure for anyone who wants to get their hands a little um…shrimpy.
What else makes Amelia Island the center of shrimping?
The summer-long event series features other special activities. You can take a brief break from the summer sun at the Shrimping Museum. Here, you can see firsthand artifacts and tools used over 100 years ago to catch shrimp. Learn about the traditions and just why shrimp is such a pivotal asset for this north Florida fishing village.
Make sure you spend some time in the Marine Welcome Center. You can receive special information about other shrimp-related activities, boat tours, and restaurants offering special shrimp dishes.
The Shrimp Days of Summer celebrates all things shrimp from Aug 15 to Sept 30. It’s a splendid shrimp-filled extravaganza, and one of Amelia Island’s most exciting events. Take yourself and the family away from our Amelia Island vacation rentals, if only for a bit, to experience the best of the season.
A Shrimp Cookout
Want to prep for the fun? Try out a few recipes! Be inspired! You don’t have to check out all the restaurants for some great shrimp dishes. Play around with popular concoctions, such as Thai Shrimp Stir-Fry, with its splashes of lemon, Shrimp Salad is known for being very easy to make (and make a lot of it!), and the delicious Barbeque Shrimp and Peach Kabobs. Have fun playing around with shrimp on your vacation!
Whether you are staying by our beachside Amelia Island condos or right in the heart of the historic district at our vacation rentals in Fernandina Beach, you can have an amazing island escape.
Don’t worry about Fernandina Beach parking. You can park right on Atlantic Ave for free or simply find a spot on one of the off-main roads, like Jasmine.
Come visit today and experience Old Florida how it should be.