Amelia Island Babymoom

We are back after an amazing 4 days in Amelia Island, Fla. It was the perfect pre-baby getaway, but I would certainly welcome a trip back with or without baby in tow. We stayed at the beautiful Omni Plantation Resort on the south end of the island.

Our room was a perfect suite-style king with open corridors and a beach/pool view balcony. The beautifully designed room was perfectly cozy and sleek. A few peaks at the decor.

I loved our room - it was perfectly cozy, with oversized robes and delicious coffee service. There was a big cozy chair, that I loved to curl-up in and read or chat with J. It was just nice. Made me so excited about picking out a glider for the nursery.

After escaping #thor on Thursday morning we made it to Florida in plenty of time to soak up the 80 degree weather on the coast and dive into a bucket of fried seafood at the Sandollar. A local dive, with a great view and lots of good food.

After spending most of the afternoon poolside, we decided to head into town and find a spot for dinner. Little did we know that everywhere on the island would be booked {on a Thursday night}, so we settled up to the bar at the Salty Pelican and enjoyed a pretty tasty meal!  Broiled Oysters for J and Shrimp and Corn bisque with a salad for me. It was perfect evening - and we loved our first sneak peak at town. Even stopping at the local Harris Teeter on our way home for some pregnancy momma snacks and bourbon for the hubs.

Friday we knew we weren't going to have the greatest weather, so we slept in, ate Cheerios for breakfast, and hit the gym for a nice long workout. Afterwards we explored the resort a little and went for a quick walk in the beach to find some shells. After a relaxing morning we cleaned up and headed to the little shopping area on property. They had a great little mercantile shop that we had heard rave reviews about, so we stopped in and enjoyed probably our most favorite lunch - hot shrimp salad panini's with remoulade sauce. To die for!  Marche' Burette was adorable and the place was packed - hence the amazing food.

Next we decided to head into town for some shopping and exploring. Downtown Fernandina Beach is chocked full of history, great restaurants, and adorable shops where locals and tourists all mesh together and enjoy the sights and sounds. We spent most of our time on Centre Street doing a little shopping - where we picked up an ornament for the tree, new flips for J, a lazy mermaid for the bathroom, and some new tops and a dress for me. We also decided we would start a fun new tradition for Baby Lyons, wherever we go we are going to get a book to add to his or her library. J loves to read and loves his books - so it's only fitting for our little cub to have the same. We decided on this little read that we found at The Book Loft, which could have been plucked right out of the movie set of You've Got Mail.

After an afternoon of shopping, we stopped in at Amelia Island Coffee for some caffeine and cookies to warm us up. It certainly didn't disappoint!

That evening we decided to stick around town and stumbled upon some live music {and cold drinks} at the Florida House Inn before enjoying an amazing meal at 29 South, a quaint little restaurant with their own garden out back. J ordered the scallops and I feasted on some rockfish and succotash - perfectly delectable!

Music at The Florida House Inn.

Dinner at 29 South.

Green Turtle Tavern.

After dinner we enjoyed a the live music at the Green Turtle Tavern before calling it a night and heading back to the Omni. However, on the way home we decided to take the beach road, A1A, and came across a Sliders - where it appeared that everyone was having way too good of a time for us not to stop and enjoy. What we found was just that - laid back fun, live music, and shuffleboard. We even got a sneak peak at a rehearsal dinner underway in the private dining room. Such a fun night!! It was a long day of exploring and really neat to learn more about the island and mingle with some locals.

The sunrise on Saturday morning.

Saturday we started our morning by feasting on the breakfast buffet at the Sunrise Cafe´. To say it was amazing was an understatement. I wish I would have had my camera to take a picture of all the plates on our table - it was just silly. We had everything from homemade bread and fresh omelets to local honey and preserves. Fresh fruit was in abundance and the cinnamon rolls were big enough to make your head spin. It was incredible! We feasted for a good while and enjoyed the pretty view. A beach walk was certainly in store afterwards to work off some calories - but after a short while, we headed to the pools, where we posted up for the remainder of the day. Breaking for lunch at Oceanside, and then back to the heated pools and hot-tubs, where we enjoyed a reggae band and some tasty cold bevs for the rest of the afternoon.

Poolside.

A mango mocktail surprise. 

Saturday evening we actually headed back to town to watch sunset at the Salty Pelican and enjoy dinner at Espana - which we had heard rave reviews about - so we couldn't leave without trying a bite. I must say, everyone was on point. All of the dishes {served tapas style} were amazing, and the beef tenderloin, swimming in a delicious blue cheese sauce, was some of the most tender and flavorful beef I have ever had.  It was a charming little spot, tucked away on a small side street, with tables that are always full. Reservations are needed every night - even during their slow season. We were lucky to be able to squeeze in and celebrate J's birthday a little early.

Belly pic that evening... and my sunburn.

After dinner we headed back to the resort and caught the second half of the Carolina-Duke game at the Falcon's Nest, a lively sports bar with lots of character. We rang in J's birthday by watching SNL and Zac Brown Band, before hitting the hay {way later than usual for this momma-to-be}.

We actually got up on Sunday early enough to enjoy a yummy breakfast in the room and soak up an hour or two of good sun on the beach - before packing up and saying goodbye to the Omni.

Baby Lyons enjoying some beach time.

We headed back through town and stopped at Tasty's for burgers and fries - special request by the birthday boy - and it did not disappoint for our last meal on the island. They are known for the best burger on the island - and I would say it's right on par. Thin, char-grilled and juicy - topped with a special "tasty sauce" that gave it the perfect flavor.

Amelia Island was the perfect spot for our pre-baby vacation, and we can't wait to go back with the little cub in tow. It is family-friendly, with a great night life and lots of history. Best of all - it's a quick 45 min drive from JAX. We were able to spend out last morning at the beach, enjoy a great lunch in town, a long drive back to the airport, and still made it home in time for dinner in Va. that evening. Pretty awesome!

Props to those of you that made it to the end. I apologize for the detail overload, but I thought it would be fun to re-cap our entire getaway for any of you looking to visit!