[ON LOCATION] LYDIA GREGORY
Tucked away off the northeast coast of Florida, Amelia Island is big on charm, natural beauty and world-class facilities. As guests of the Amelia Island Convention and Visitors Bureau, we hopscotched around this 13-mile island, which gave us a good insight into just why it should be on your radar for small- to mid-size groups.
Let’s start with the island’s accessibility, key to its appeal for MICE events. We clocked about 40 minutes from Jacksonville International Airport to the lobby of The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, all the way on the south end, showing off convenience without sacrificing the allure of a coastal retreat. Its small size is quite an asset: The island can accommodate citywide conferences, utilizing multiple venues and hotels to host larger delegations. With its collaborative approach, the CVB can ensure even complex, larger-scale events run smoothly, with local businesses and services working in tandem to support conference needs.
We spent our first two nights at The Ritz-Carlton, which, together with the Omni Amelia Island Resort, lead the charge for the island’s MICE offerings. These properties provide top-tier accommodations and extensive indoor and outdoor meeting and event spaces.
With 446 guest rooms and suites, The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, offers your attendees a “coastal refined” atmosphere”—elegant but relaxed. Buyouts are a possibility, meaning your client would have the run of its 48,000 sf of flexible indoor conference space, its luxury spa and redesigned Wellness and Fitness area, tennis and pickleball courts and secluded beachfront, not to mention access to The Golf Club of Amelia Island’s 18-hole championship course. And while the ballrooms and breakout rooms are state-of-the-art and flexible enough to please any client, the outdoor settings will take your breath away—particularly the Ocean Front Lawn.
The Ritz-Carlton has seven culinary options onsite, including three bars (one just for specialty coffees and espressos) and four a la carte restaurants. Of these, we sampled Coast for both breakfast and a delicious dinner of fresh scallops with a Southern twist, as well as an al fresco taco lunch at Coquina with a view of the dunes. During our visit, Salt, the five-diamond restaurant, was undergoing a complete renovation (as of press time, re-opening date was set for January 2025).
Similarly, the Omni Amelia Island Resort offers an impressive array of MICE facilities. The resort can accommodate gatherings of various sizes and styles with over 80,000 sf of flexible indoor space in its conference center and 29,000 sf of outdoor event space. Of note is the fact that all 402 rooms and suites are oceanfront, so there truly is no bad room in the house. The resort has 10 dining outlets, including the delightful Oceanside, where I enjoyed a yummy Ocean Bowl with fresh tuna poke, seaweed, mango and more.
As with The Ritz-Carlton, the Omni’s great outdoors steal the show. The Magnolia Foyer, for example, opens up to the magnificent Magnolia Garden, surrounded by leafy trees and palms. Of particular note, however, is the resort’s hidden treasure: The Sprouting Project. This magical space includes a state-of-the-art aquaponic greenhouse, a garden full of edible plants and mossy trees, beehives and a chicken coop (yep: fresh eggs are available at the omelet bar and used for pasta). The best part? The Omni can organize unforgettable farm-to-table private, 5-course dinners in this secret garden.
The Omni’s vast grounds include several more unique venues for events. There’s the Racquet Park Conference Center, Walker’s Landing on the Intracoastal Waterway, and the Shops at Amelia Island, a part of which can be closed off for a private event, just to name a few. The resort also has a selection of condos and villas available for groups.
Both resorts offer comprehensive event planning services, with dedicated teams that can assist with everything from audiovisual needs to catering, teambuilding and fun incentive activities. These can range from horseback riding, stand-up paddleboarding, Segway tours and kayaking races to pickleball, tennis or golf tournaments.
Amelia Island also has a number of smaller properties with new and/or upgraded meeting facilities. The sleek Courtyard by Marriott Amelia Island / SpringHill Suites Amelia Island duo, for example, is two miles from historic Fernandina Beach and across the street from the Atlantic Ocean. These “sister” properties share a resort-style pool deck and 6,000 sf of modern meeting space. The Residence Inn by Marriott Amelia Island is fresh from a top-to-bottom renovation that gave it a coastal vibe upgrade, which included its 1,200-sf meeting room. And the Hampton Inn & Suites Amelia Island Historic Harbor Front has one of the best locations on the island by far, mere steps from the marina and the best shopping, restaurants and hotspots in Fernandina Beach. The property, with 122 guest rooms and 1,752 sf of event space, offers an ample dedicated dining area for its daily complimentary hot breakfast on the second floor and a renovated pool deck with a view.
The culinary scene on Amelia Island is another draw for MICE organizers. We enjoyed delicious steak frites at Lagniappe, with its French Creole menu with a Southern twist and a courtyard ideal for events; indulged in the shrimp and grits at Cafe Karibo in downtown Fernandina Beach; and savored an incredibly well-prepared filet mignon and delightful apps at David’s Restaurant & Lounge, which has a cool “wine barrel” room for VIP dinners. The restaurant’s focus on locally sourced ingredients and innovative cuisine will undoubtedly turn a business dinner into a memorable gastronomic experience. Much more casual but quite tasty as well was Fernandina Beach’s The Beech Street Grill, housed in a restored 19th-century mansion, a charming setting for cocktails or private dinners. The historic area, it must be said, has quite a few restaurants, which are great for dine-arounds.
For groups interested in history and culture, the island offers guided tours of Fort Clinch State Park and the Amelia Island Museum of History. These excursions can seamlessly integrate into conference schedules, providing educational breaks between sessions. An aside if you’re minding the budget: We were told the high season in Amelia Island was the summertime. However, we visited in late fall and were pleasantly surprised by the weather. Hurricane season was over, the days were sunny and breezy, and the nights were cool enough for a wrap. Outdoor event, anyone?
ameliaislandcvb.com; ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/jaxam-the-ritz-carlton-amelia-island/overview; omnihotels.com/hotels/amelia-island; marriott.com; hilton.com