The Amelia Island Light stands near the northern end of the island, a 64-foot brick tower that has been marking the entrance to Cumberland Sound since 1839. The lighthouse is on private property — it sits within a residential neighborhood on a small Coast Guard installation — and is not generally open for tours, but it can be seen and photographed from the street and is easily included in a drive around the northern end of the island.
The surrounding neighborhood, on the west side of the island near the Intracoastal Waterway, offers a different perspective on Amelia Island from the beachfront view: live oaks, salt marsh, and a quieter, more residential character. The lighthouse itself is a handsome example of the brick towers that the government built along the southeast coast in the antebellum period, and its claim to being Florida's oldest surviving lighthouse gives it a historical weight beyond its modest size.