Boneyard Beach, Big Talbot Island, Florida

AMELIA ISLAND, FL -- Island hopping sounds like an appealing way to spend time. And the older we get, time seems to fly by at a quicker pace, doesn’t it? So spend time wisely!

Consider that a mammoth skeleton was discovered at Amelia Island's neighbor, Big Talbot Island, Florida in clay deposits. Well, it was actually found back in 1984. However, when you think about the bones being 20,000 to 25,000 years old, it’s only a blink of the eye in time, from the year 2010.

Take the Blackrock Trail, a sandy path about half mile long, on Big Talbot Island and walk through the maritime forest. You’ll end up gazing upon a gorgeous waterfront vista of the Nassau Sound, an area where giant elephants called "mammoths" once roamed the Florida coast. In the distance you can see Amelia Island’s southern tip.

A favorite destination on Big Talbot is called “Boneyard Beach,” a place attracting shutter bugs, birdwatchers, and archaeologists. It’s dubbed boneyard due to the “salt-washed skeletons of live oak and cedar trees that once grew near shore.” Over thousands of years, wind and water have eroded Big Talbot, creating bluffs and fallen trees at the shoreline.

A Florida “sea island” just off the southern tip of Amelia Island, Florida, Big Talbot is a Florida State Park -- a largely undeveloped barrier island. Just drive off Amelia Island’s Nassau Bridge on the southend to explore Big Talbot State Park.

At the edge of the forest on Big Talbot Island at Blackrock Trail’s end, hikers will find a 6-step ladder to climb down to the beach level of boneyard. It’s a favorite spot to take interesting photos and climb around the strewn tree trunks, limbs and natural driftwood sculptures. Best time to go is low tide, so check before you go (otherwise there’s not much beach to walk on).

Think about spending more quality time outdoors in nature this year. Take a day-cation and at the same time spend less dollars, by island hopping in northeast Florida and visiting local state parks. Home to some of the most splendid real estate in the state, you’re really getting a bang for your buck! Multi-million-dollar oceanfront property in Florida’s Park System can be enjoyed for the day by a carload (up to 8 peeps), for less than the cost of just one Starbucks Venti-sized specialty coffee, in most cases.

Just look at this stretch of empty beachfront on Little Talbot Island State Park (pictured above). Located adjacent to Big Talbot Island, Little Talbot offers a manned ranger entry gate, covered pavilions and picnic tables, and wooden dune walk-overs to the uncrowded beach. Little Talbot also features educational nature programs run by the Park Service. For example, some of the Ranger programs offered at various times throughout the year include: Secrets of the Salt Marsh, Animal Signs, Florida Sea Turtles, Talbot Critters, Archaeology of the Talbot Islands, and Barrier Island Birds. Call 904-251-2320 for further information about programs and schedule.

Check out these barrier islands via a custom, interactive Google map showing Amelia Island, Big Talbot and Little Talbot -- zoom in and out of the map and explore the islands.

Instead of stressing on Interstate 95, check out the alternative, Heckscher Drive, when visiting between Jacksonville, Florida and Amelia Island (and the islands in between). The two-lane road that connects Amelia Island and Big Talbot, Heckscher Drive, is a nice alternate route between Amelia Island and Jacksonville, Florida. It’s a much more scenic route for travelers, with waterfront and marsh vistas along the way. Here's a link to download a Florida State Parks Talbot Islands info...

There’s also another pretty beach park worth mentioning, called Huguenot Memorial Park (10980 Heckscher Drive). Located just off the southern tip of Little Talbot Island, Huguenot is notorious for its shallow water (time the tides appropriately), and huge sand bars, plus you can drive onto the beach with vehicles. (It does, however, get very congested during peak summer months.) Huguenot -- a city of Jacksonville park -- is in the vicinity of the Mayport Naval Station (from Heckscher Drive you can see the Navy ships in the distance). Movie buffs may be interested to know that Demi Moore’s G.I. Jane movie was filmed in this area back in 1996.

For those who like to enjoy a brewsky, how about a FREE brewery tour? Anheuser Busch has one of their southeast US beer breweries in the vicinity of Heckscher Drive (but head further south on Heckscher in the direction toward Jacksonville, not north toward Amelia Island and turn onto BUSCH DRIVE. (Call Anheuser Busch brewery for tour hours at 904-696-8373.)

The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens is also another day trip destination in northeast Florida, located off Heckscher Drive, about 30 minutes from Amelia Island’s south end bridge.