Coastal Companion

Your ultimate guide to the coast

Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival 2009

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Each year, the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival invites internationally acclaimed talent and the finest musicians from the Southeast to Amelia Island, Florida. Performances are held at a variety of venues in Fernandina Beach during a two week period from May 21 – June 14, 2009.

The Festival includes a wide range of musical tastes, including: traditional chamber music string quartets and composers such as Haydn and Mozart; chamber music ensembles, including voice, guitar and wind instruments and also modern and non-traditional chamber music.

Click here for details about the 2009 Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival.

Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival

Wild Amelia Nature Festival 2009

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This year’s festival is highlighting the Right Whale. Every year the festival chooses a focal point, last year it was the gopher tortoise and the year before the painted bunting.

There are only about 350 Northern Right Whales left, which is why the festival is highlighting them this time around.

There are lots of different activities during the festival. You can learn about nature photography in several different workshops. There are also lots of eco-tours; from segway tours, to paddles in Okefenokee swamp at night, to stargazing at Fort Clinch.

There’s also early morning yoga followed by birdwatching on the porch, nature bike hike,  sunset boat tour and owl prowl.

There is just such a variety of things to do during the festival, the best thing to do is to visit the website and study the program.

For contact information and phone number, visit or post Wild Amelia Festival May 15 – 17, 2009

Wild Amelia Nature Festival
Photo by: Roger Graw

Shrimp Festival – Fernandina, Amelia Island

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Fernandina has one of the best shrimp festivals on the coast. This year it’s the 46th Anniversary and it is said that this year’s event will be even bigger and better.

Fernandina Shrimp Festival is held the first weekend in May in the Historic downtown Centre Street business district in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida.
But you don’t have to wait for the weekend. The celebration kicks off already on Thursday with an exciting Pirate Parade. This year’s Parade Theme is: “Home Grown Shrimp, the Pick of the Litter”.

At this festival you can find lots and lots of delicious shrimp. There’s also Fine Arts & Crafts, Antiques & Collectibles, Kids Korner and Live Entertainment from two stages!The festival takes place May 1st – 3rd. For more details about the Fernandina Shrimp Festival on Amelia Island, click here.
Fernandina Shrimp Festival, Amelia Island, Florida

Sounds on Centre Season Returns to Fernandina, Amelia Island

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Spring is in the air and a sure sign of warmer weather is that the concert series  Sounds on Centre returns to downtown Fernandina. The 2009 season kicks off in March and the free concert series will continue until October – except in the month of May.

The concerts are free, so come and hang out downtown on the First Friday of every month from 6.00 pm to 8.00 p.m in historic downtown Fernandina, right on Centre Street.

The line up is as follows:

April 3: Instant Groove
June 5: Tuff-A-Nuff
July 3rd: Out of Hand
Aug 7: Face for Radio
Sept 4: Touch of Gray
Oct 2: Les DeMerle Jazz All Stars

Bring you whole family downtown for some fun and dancing with music from the sixties, seventies and eighties…

Restaurant Week on Amelia Island

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We recently received this great tip from Amelia Island. If you’ve been thinking about taking out the family or friends for a nice dinner after the holidays, Restaurant Week in Amelia is going to be a great time to try out some new places on the island. And Amelia Island has an excellent selection of good restaurants. During the week, a select number of places offer a special three course meal at a fixed price. Prices range from $19 – $29, which sounds like a good deal for a complete three course meal.

Call ahead to the restaurant to find out more details about the menu and the price.

The list of restaurants is located in the press release below:

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. (Dec. 31, 2008) – With an irresistible mix of eclectic dining experiences, Northeast Florida’s Amelia Island is pleased to announce its first-ever Restaurant Week. The new program which runs January 25 through February 1, 2009, will offer area residents and visitors a fixed menu, including three courses and a beverage, ranging from $19 to $29. Additionally, diners may enter to win a “Year of Dining,” with 12, $50 gift certificates to be used once a month for an entire year.

“Our barrier island is home to more than 40 distinctive restaurants, offering everything from fresh-from-the-docks seafood to an authentic mix of extraordinary cuisine,” said Gil Langley, President & CEO of the Amelia Island Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Dining is such an important element of our guests’ experience. It’s great to begin 2009 with this exceptional offering.”

Participating Restaurants include:

  • Baxter’s Restaurant – (904) 277-4503 – Steakhouse
  • Beech Street Grill – (904) 277-3662 – Fine Dining
  • Brett’s Waterway Café – (904) 261-2660 – Casual Seafood & Steak Dining
  • Café Karibo – (904) 277-5269 – Eclectic American Cuisine
  • The Crab Trap – (904) 261-4749 – Seafood
  • España Restaurant & Tapas – (904) 261-7700 – Spanish & Portuguese Cuisine
  • The Frisky Mermaid – (904) 261-3300 – Bar & Grill
  • Gennaro’s Italiano – (904) 261-9400 – Italian Cuisine
  • The Golf Club of Amelia – (904) 277-8015 – Three Course Lunch
  • Jack and Diane’s – (904) 321-1444 – Steakhouse
  • Le Clos – (904) 261-8100 – French Cuisine
  • Marina Seafood Restaurant – (904) 261-5310 – Casual Seafood Dining
  • O’Kane’s Irish Pub & Eatery – (904) 261-1000 – Irish Cuisine
  • Thyme Restaurant – (904) 261-3827 – Italian Cuisine
  • The Verandah – (904) 321-5050 – Casual Dining

For more information visit www.ameliaisland.com.