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Safety Updates

Effective Feb. 6: Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it is now federal law that all persons on a tour boat, ferry or other park-provided watercraft within Florida State Parks are required to wear a mask. Florida State Parks will comply with this order and continue efforts to provide for staff and visitor safety. Please review individual park pages for specific information for each location.

View details about online payments, park and campground closures, park programs/events and facial coverings.

Limited Visitation at this Park

Effective September 28, 2020: Fernandina Plaza Historic State Park is open (see hours of operation and fee information below). Due to local orders, facial coverings or masks are required inside buildings for staff and visitor safety. Visitors are expected to maintain safe social distances of at least 6 feet apart.

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Fernandina Plaza Cannon View

Fernandina Plaza Historic State Park

site of a historic Spanish Fort, this grassy park offers stunning river views in a charming coastal village

Hours

8 a.m. to sunset, 365 days a year

Fees

No fee required

Location

Estrada Street
Fernandina Beach FL 32034

Get directions

Contact Info

904-277-7274

Park Menu

  • Experiences & Amenities
  • Events
  • History

Welcome to Fernandina Plaza Historic State Park

Fernandina Plaza Historic State Park sits atop a bluff along the Amelia River in the town of Fernandina, on the northern end of Amelia Island. 

It is the historic site of Fort San Carlos, a Spanish fort dating back to the early 1800s. 

The property is now managed by Fort Clinch State Park as part of the Florida Park Service and has been a state managed property since 1941.

Plan Your Visit

Heath Alboher, Park Manager
Learn

Manager's Message

I often come to this quiet neighborhood park to take time out from a busy day. Fernandina Plaza’s history dates back 2,000 years as a place Native Americans used as a campsite, and later became the northern-most military post of Spanish Florida.
a sign reading fernandina plaza historic state park stands in a grassy field by a river
Learn

Walk the Fernandina Plaza

In one of the oldest neighborhoods in North Florida you can discover the smallest state park. Measuring in at about .8 acres, the Fernandina Plaza Historic State Park is a grassy lot that sits on a bluff overlooking the Amelia River.
Florida State Parks Annual Pass
Learn

Florida State Parks Annual Pass

Due to recent statewide park closures from COVID-19, Florida State Parks will honor all current Annual Entrance Passes for 2 months past the marked expiration date. Simply present your pass card, like normal, at the time of admission. This extension applies to Annual Entrance Passes purchased between March 1, 2019 and June 30, 2020.

Experiences

Picnicking
Picnicking
Weddings
Weddings

Amenities

Historic Site
Historic Site
Interpretive Exhibit
Interpretive Exhibit

Fernandina Plaza Historic State Park Photo Gallery

Fernandina Plaza
Fernandina Plaza
an old cannon on a wooden base with wheels sits in the grass
a historical marker titled "fort san carlos"
a white car is parked at a grassy plaza with the Amelia River and setting sun in the background
Drawing of a map titled "Plans of Fort San Carlos"
a wooden bench with "Bicentennial 1811-2011" carved in the seat sits in front of a river.
a gray river behind brush and small trees
open mouth of a cannon on a grassy lot with houses behind.
Learn

History of Fernandina Plaza

On a site high above the Amelia River sits the parade field once known as Plaza San Carlos, today known as Fernandina Plaza Historic State Park or simply the Plaza.
Rivers and Lakes
Learn

Rivers & Lakes at Florida State Parks

Florida is truly a place where land and water interweaves to form a diverse and dynamic natural fabric. Numerous rivers course through the landscape, and lakes of varying sizes can be found in all regions.

People Make the Parks

a white haired man smiles at the camera

Staff Spotlight

Ranger Jeff Kane, a self-proclaimed “middle age retiree,” spent 35 years behind a desk before he came to the Florida Park Service looking for the next chapter in his life.
a man and woman hug each other and smile next to a sign for "Old Town Fernandina's Bicentennial"

Volunteer Spotlight

Jennifer and Mike Harrison are like many of the volunteers working with the Florida Park Service, in that they didn’t grow up anywhere near the park they are working in.
Friends of Fort Clinch State Park

Friends of Fort Clinch State Park

The Friends of Fort Clinch State Park's mission is the preserving of natural and cultural resources, and providing recreational and educational opportunities.

Park Map

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Florida State Parks

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Have Questions?

Contact the Statewide Information Line:
(850) 245-2157

Or send an email to:
FSP.Feedback@FloridaDEP.gov

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