Between Jacksonville And The Atlantic Coast Is Florida's Highly-Rated Boutique Hotel Inside A Once Abandoned School

Amelia Island is the southernmost island in Florida's Sea Islands; a string of barrier islands near the Georgia border and about 45 minutes from Jacksonville. The heart of the island is the city of Fernandina Beach, a welcoming under-the-radar Florida port city. And in the historic downtown, you can see the first ever school that was built on the island in 1886. This grand, two-story brick building started as just a four room school designed by famous architect Robert Sands Schuyler. It stopped being a school in the 1930s, and after various iterations, it's now a delightful boutique hotel aptly named the Amelia Schoolhouse Inn.

The restoration work on the beautiful building to turn it into a hotel was extensive. Five thousand red bricks had to be replaced, and a lot of care was taken to keep as much of the building's historic appeal, like preserving the pine floors. The building now features 17 guest rooms, and there's a heated pool and a pretty courtyard complete with a putting green. Around the property, you can find nods to the building's past, like vintage schoolhouse photos and giant pencils.

All the work and attention to detail that was put into it certainly seems to have paid off. The inn has a 4.7 on Yelp and an impressive 5 stars on Tripadvisor with over 500 reviews. Some people did note that some of the rooms are on the smaller side, but that hasn't stopped visitors from loving it. One visitor posted on Tripadvisor what a lot of people seem to think about the place: "Hard to say enough good things about this Inn. Impeccably clean, beautiful room, great location right at the top of town and all the shopping, restaurants, and bars."

You'll want to get sent to the principal's office when you stay at Amelia Schoolhouse Inn, as the name of the cocktail bar inside the lobby is The Principal's Office. It's open for guests and non-guests alike, and many of the cocktails have names that connect to the hotel's start as a schoolhouse, like the A Plus with house-infused jalapeño tequila and Pep Rally with a house-infused black tea gin. If you can't decide what you want, you can roll the dice, literally, to choose your cocktail. It also has whiskey flights, beer, wine, and a rotating batched cocktail. Plus, there's live music Thursday through Saturday, and there's a dunce cap that you can don for photos. You can even go to school here; the bar runs cocktail classes four days a week.

There are some important things to know before you book a night at Amelia Schoolhouse Inn. Guests get a light continental breakfast each morning, but beyond the light bites at The Principal's Office, there isn't a restaurant on site. It's definitely a good place for a romantic retreat – the islands are perfect for a tropical destination wedding – or a quiet solo getaway as compared to a family vacay, since there's no kids or pets allowed.

Amelia Schoolhouse Inn's downtown location means that many of Fernandina Beach's historic attractions are within walking distance. You can enjoy a leisurely wander on your own, or if you want to know more of the history of the area, download the Florida Stories Walking Tours app and get some guidance on a nine-stop tour through downtown.