The Palace Saloon at 117 Centre Street bills itself as Florida's oldest continuously operating bar, having survived Prohibition by operating as a pool hall and soda fountain before returning to its original purpose. The building was constructed in 1878 as a haberdashery and converted to a saloon in 1903, and the interior — pressed-tin ceiling, long mahogany bar, murals of nymphs and satyrs — has the comfortable patina of a place that has seen several centuries of use.
The Palace serves drinks and pub food to tourists and locals alike, and it gets crowded on weekends. Go on a weeknight if you want the bar to yourself, or at least relatively quiet. The back wall features a mural of the various flags that have flown over Amelia Island, which provides a quick visual summary of the island's complicated political history. The bartenders tend to know the history of the place and will tell it to anyone who asks.