Over the Labor Day weekend we decided to take a weekend trip to the beach. Carol did some research into a place that she’d heard about and booked us three nights in a hotel on Amelia Island near Jacksonville. She found a hotel that allowed dogs so all five of us drove over to Amelia Island on the Friday evening before Labor Day.

On Saturday we got up and had some breakfast and then walked over to Fernandina Beach (which is the name of the beach AND the city). Yes, walked. Our motel was only a block from the beach! We enjoyed several hours at the beach and then headed back to the Days Inn to clean up and get some lunch. After lunch, we went over the pool at our motel so Grant could splash around. We all had a very fun and relaxing day.

For more pictures from our trip to the beach, click here.

On Sunday, we decided to drive 5 minutes to Fort Clinch. Fort Clinch is an old fort located on the ocean which was used during several wars. It was especially important during the Civil War when it was initially used by the South, but soon taken over by the Union. The Fort is still in excellent condition and we enjoyed walking around it and learning the history from the volunteers on site who were dressed in clothes like they wore during the Civil war. We even got to hear them fire one of the cannons. Even with his ears covered, Grant heard the “boom, boom, pow!” and wasn’t even scared!

For more pictures of Fort Clinch, click here.

There is a nice beach within the state park where Fort Clinch is so we stopped there briefly on our way back to the hotel to watch the waves and look for shells. It was a bit hazy that day, but we didn’t mind because it wasn’t terribly hot.

We had a really wonderful time. And it wasn’t terribly far from our home. We left Amelia Island for home after checking out of the motel and were home in time for lunch and a nice nap in our own beds.