Fairbanks House

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this sprawling, Italianate estate is a stunning piece of Amelia Island’s past. Located on a residential, tree-lined street, the home stands apart from its neighbors with grand, arched windows, arcaded galleries, and ornate piazzas on three sides.

Major George R. Fairbanks—a military veteran, former Florida state senator, and noted historian—built the house in 1885 as a surprise for his wife, and it soon became known throughout Fernandina Beach as “Fairbanks’s Folly” due to its grandiosity. Fairbanks set out to make his home a true modern marvel, supplying it with the first telephone, elevator, and concrete sidewalk to grace Amelia Island. The inside of the home is just as breathtaking as the outside, with minton fireplace tiles depicting Shakespearean characters and Aesop’s fables (which Fairbanks ordered from England for his grandchildren), as well as library shelves made from the wood of Fairbanks’s orange-grove trees. The house also features 12-foot ceilings, heart pine floors, and a banistered wooden staircase that leads to the upper floors. 

Since 1994, the 8,000-square-foot home has operated as a successful bed and breakfast, and along with its cottages (some former servants’ quarters) and pool, it rests on an beautifully landscaped acre featuring palm trees and large oaks. One of the buildings—originally a schoolhouse across the street—was transported onto the property by the Fairbanks family and is now known as the Schoolhouse Cottage. The property is also filled with diverse native plants and even contains its own produce garden, which provides fresh herbs for the BNB’s gourmet meals. 

Rooms at the bed and breakfast are decorated in the contemporary Victorian style with colorful wallpaper, robust wooden furniture, and gold-framed paintings. All are titled with their original uses, from the Library to the Captain’s Room. The largest and most unique of the rooms, the Grand Tower Suite, offers a 1,600-square-foot living space atop the home’s 15-foot tower, with sweeping views of the Fernandina Beach Historic District.

Visitors rave about the amazing breakfasts, complimentary treats (especially the fresh-baked cookies), and daily social hour, where guests mingle over wine and hors d'oeuvres in the living room.