If you're looking for one of the oldest standing structures on Amelia Island, the Amelia Island Lighthouse has been lit since 1838, which makes it one of the oldest operational lighthouses in the United States and the oldest in Florida. It stands on a small hill overlooking the north end of the island at 215 O'Hagan Lane.
The structure itself has a transplant story. It was originally built on Cumberland Island, Georgia, in 1820, then dismantled and relocated to its current Amelia Island site in 1838 when shifting navigational needs prioritized the approach to Fernandina's harbor. The move is one of the reasons the lighthouse is older than the island's current city.
Access is structured, not walk-in. The lighthouse grounds are open to the public on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Guided bus tours of the lighthouse itself (and up to the grounds when the schedule permits) depart the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month at 10 a.m. from the Atlantic Recreation Center. Tour tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children.
The bus-tour-only access for most of the interior is a preservation choice; the hill and the structure don't handle heavy foot traffic well. The Saturday grounds hours are usually enough for photographers and history-minded visitors who want to see the structure up close without going inside.
For current tour schedule, holiday closures, and any special access events (lantern lightings and similar), the city's lighthouse page at fbfl.us/1097/Amelia-Island-Lighthouse is the source. Phone for tour information is (904) 310-3350.
Paired with a morning at Fort Clinch State Park, the lighthouse makes a solid north-end history circuit without backtracking. For visitors planning around the tour schedule, booking lunch in downtown Fernandina Beach afterward with concierge service rounds out the day.