Fernandina Beach, Fla. is a great place to go to get away from the urban blues of Jacksonville, and get in some good golf to boot. I used to go there for the annual Shrimp Festival until it got too commercial. Still, it’s a beautiful, little town, close to the ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway, about 45 minutes north of Jacksonville. The downtown, historic district is a 50-square block area of stately Victorian and Queen Anne architecture, and quite a few of the old homes have been converted into bed and breakfasts. The Ash Street Inn is one of the best.

I’ve had way too much fun at the Palace Saloon, near the waterfront, quite a few times. Some great restaurants: the Beech Street Grill and the Fernandina Seafood Company, at the end of Front Street, where the locals go to get fresh seafood.

I’d give Fernandina the highest marks possible for a golf/tourist destination if not for the smell from the paper mills: if the wind is right – or wrong – it’ll make you gag. The latest smell culprit is Rayonier’s 34-acre sludge site, where decomposing timber emits a smell very similar to rotting garbage. If they cleaned the place up, it would be paradise, or something close to it.

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