Beach Day aT Burney Park
With seven beach parks spread across 13 miles of wide, sandy beaches, Amelia Island offers something for every kind of beach lover. If you enjoy quiet, secluded beaches as much as I do, then you’ll love Burney Park at American Beach. Nestled within the tallest dune system in Florida, Burney Beach is picturesque, with soft sand, lush dunes and turquoise waters.
Not only is Burney Park at American Beach one of the most beautiful beaches on Amelia Island, it is also one of the most historic. Established by A.L. Lewis - a successful, African-American businessman - during the era of Jim Crow laws and segregation, American Beach served as an oasis of “rest and relaxation without humiliation” for the African-American community. Burney Park was named for Isadore Horace Burney II, a close colleague of A.L. Lewis and a respected civic leader in the state of Florida. Burney Park was dedicated in 1990, the first park named for a person of color in Nassau County.
I could think of no better place to celebrate the Juneteenth holiday than Burney Park. So, I packed my sunscreen, hat, beach towel, water bottle (multi-use, of course!) and rode my bike to American Beach to spend a glorious afternoon at Burney Park!
As you can see from my photos, Burney Park has a lovely pavilion with a blue roof. There you’ll find bathrooms (with showers), outdoor showers, picnic tables and a large outdoor parking area where you can park your car or lock up your bike. There’s a shaded area with picnic tables where you can beat the heat and enjoy lunch or a snack. I recommend packing a small cooler with drinks and snacks as there are no concessions or nearby restaurants. Hence my description of Burney Beach as quiet and secluded.
I should mention that the boardwalk that connects the pavilion to the beach is long and winds a bit. So be prepared for a short, but thoroughly worthwhile, hike to get to the beach. And be on the look out for turtles and dune-bunnies as you trek down to the beach. Our dunes are full of wildlife and these little critters are best seen from the beach walk-overs.
As you can see from my photos, the packing, the bike ride and the walk down to the beach were all worth the effort. With hardly anyone on the beach except the lifeguard and a few couples here and there, I felt as if I had the beach all to myself. The ocean was warm, the sand was soft and the sky was so beautiful- full of billowy clouds and lots of sunshine. The perfect setting for a quiet day on the beach!
