Top 10 Jacksonville tourist places

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Jacksonville is the most populous city in the US state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida. It is the seat of Duval County, into which the city of Jacksonville was incorporated in 1968. It was the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020.

City-county consolidation greatly increased Jacksonville's official population and expanded its boundaries, placing most of Duval County's population within the new municipal limits; Jacksonville grew to 900 square miles (2,300 km). As of July 2022, Jacksonville's population was 971,319, while Duval County's population was about one million. After incorporation, Jacksonville became the most populous city in Florida and the Southeastern United States, and the largest city in the South outside of Texas.

Jacksonville is located south of the Georgia state line (25 miles or 40 km to the urban center/city) and 350 miles (560 km) north of the St. Johns River on the First Coast of Northeast Florida. In Miami. Jacksonville Beach communities are located on the adjacent Atlantic coast. The area was originally inhabited by the Timucua people and was the site of the French colony Fort Caroline in 1564, now one of the oldest European settlements in the continental United States. Under British rule, a settlement developed at the narrow point of the river where the cattle crossed, known as Wacca Pilatka to the Seminoles and Cow Ford to the British. A flat town was established there in 1822, a year after the United States acquired Florida from Spain. It was named after Andrew Jackson, the first military governor of the Florida Territory and the seventh president of the United States.

Harbor improvements since the late 19th century have made Jacksonville a major military and civilian deep-water port. Its riverside location provides access to Naval Station Mayport, Naval Air Station Jacksonville, US Marine Corps Blount Island Command and the Port of Jacksonville, Florida's largest port by volume. Jacksonville's military bases and nearby Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay form the third largest military presence in the United States. Significant factors in the local economy include services such as banking, insurance, healthcare and logistics. As with much of Florida, tourism is important to the Jacksonville area, especially golf-related tourism with the PGA Tour headquartered in nearby Ponte Vedra Beach. People in Jacksonville are known as Jacksonvillians, informally as Jackson or Jackson.

1. Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens

Photo by Len: pexels.com

A true family adventure, the zoo has something for everyone with over 2,000 rare and exotic animals and 1,000 species of plants. Whether you are a visitor to Florida's First Coast or a lifelong resident, we invite you to experience the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens through interaction with people, wildlife and the environment.

A true family adventure, the zoo has something for everyone with more than 2,000 rare and exotic animals and 1,000 plant species. Whether you are a visitor or a lifelong resident of Florida's First Coast, we invite you to experience the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens through interaction with people, wildlife and the environment.

Since 1914, the Jacksonville Zoo has supported the conservation of amazing riverside wildlife. Kids and adults alike will love feeding the giraffes at the African Overlook and watching the otters float by in the Wild Florida exhibit. The zoo also has an Australian adventure, featuring colorful birds, the lorikeet. The land of tigers hovers over the show and Jaguars steal the show in their award-winning display. During your visit, visit the zoo's scenic Trout River Pool. You may even spot a bride.

Since 1914, the Jacksonville Zoo has supported the conservation of amazing riverside wildlife. Kids and adults alike will love feeding the giraffes at the African Overlook and watching the otters float by in the Wild Florida exhibit. The zoo also has an Australian adventure, featuring colorful birds, lorikeets. The Land of the Tigers hovers above the show while the Jaguars steal the show in their award-winning display. During your visit, visit the zoo's scenic Trout River Pool. You may even spot a bride.

 

2. The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens

By Mooeena - Own work, Public Domain

The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens is a museum located in Jacksonville, Florida. It was founded in 1961 after the death of Nina Comer, who bequeathed her garden and personal art collection to the new museum. The Cummer Museum has since expanded to include the property owned by Ninah's brother-in-law, but still includes a portion of her home with its original garden plans and its historic furnishings. The museum and gardens attract 130,000 visitors annually.

The museum's permanent collection includes B.C. Featuring over 5,000 works of art from 2100 to the twenty-first century. The museum's collection is particularly strong in European and American paintings and has a significant stock of Meissen porcelain. The museum has an award-winning education center, art connections, a number of interactive educational installations and its programs serve underprivileged and special education students.

There are three flower gardens on the museum grounds, the oldest dating back to 1903. The gardens have preserved their original layout for more than a century and were designed by landscape designers such as the Olmsted Brothers, Thomas Meehan & Sons, and Ellen Biddle Shipman. Cummer Gardens is on the National Register of Historic Places.

3. Catty Shack Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary

Photo by Mehmet Turgut Kirkgoz

This tiger-focused ranch has a conservation mission, often rescuing tigers and other big cats from inhumane captivity. Volunteers give tours of the herd providing historical information about the cats and detailed explanations of their operations. Buy dinner tickets in advance. Watching the cats move around their cages to tear apart whole carcasses is an experience like no other.

4. Riverside Arts Market

By Riley Madison - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

The Riverside Art Market (RAM) in Jacksonville, Florida is a weekly arts and crafts market featuring live music, food, art, and fresh produce. It first opened to the public in the spring of 2009 and is currently open every Saturday 10AM-PM ET rain or shine year-round. The market includes a 350-person amphitheater known as the Northbank Riverwalk Artists' Square and forms the terminus for the Northbank Riverwalk. It is located on the St. Johns River under the Fuller Warren Bridge.

5. Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park

This beautiful, oceanfront city park on the Atlantic coast offers more than 20 miles of challenging biking and hiking trails, a dedicated camping area, a lake for fishing and paddle boarding, access for kayaking, and miles of white sand beaches. . Hanna is also one of the best surfing spots in Jacksonville.

6. Big & Little Talbot Island State Park

By Mwanner at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0

Little Talbot Island State Park is a Florida state park located on Little Talbot Island, 17 miles (27 km) northeast of Jacksonville on State Road A1A. The park covers 2,500 acres (10 km) of the island. Big Talbot Island State Park is the closest to the north. The park consists of maritime forests, dunes and salt marshes on the western side of the island. Wildlife includes river otters, swamp rabbits, bobcats and a variety of native and migratory birds. Activities include camping, fishing, hiking, swimming, canoeing, nature watching and surfing. Erosion of Big Talbot Island and deposition of sand on Little Talbot Island has caused Little Talbot Island to become the larger of the two Talbot Islands. The largest continuous section of the Machaba Dog Reserve lies west of Little Talbot Island.

Big Talbot Island State Park is a state park in Florida, United States. It is located on Big Talbot Island, a coastal barrier island 20 miles east of downtown Jacksonville on A1A north and north of Little Talbot Island State Park along the Atlantic Coastal Plain. The park is a nature reserve and a place for nature study, bird watching or photography. Other activities include hiking, biking, fishing, boating, canoeing, kayaking and picnicking. Includes picnic pavilions, nature trails, fishing pier, boat ramp, bike trails and beaches. The park is open year-round from 8:00 a.m. to sunset.

7. St. John's Town Center

Photo by Maria Orlova: pexels.com

With over 1.2 million square feet of outdoor shopping and 175+ retailers and 20+ restaurants, St. Johns Town Center is Jacksonville's shopping mecca. Tiffany & Co. from Target. Up to everything and there's something for everyone - whether you're a smart saver or a luxury lover. There are also three hotels within St. John's downtown, so you can shop until you drop.

8.Kingsley Plantation 

By Original uploader was Emanuel Kingsley at en.wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia, Public Domain,

Kingsley Plantation  (also known as Zephaniah Kingsley Plantation House and Buildings) is the site of an old plantation on Fort George Island in Duval County, Florida, named for its developer and most famous owner, Zephaniah Kingsley, who spent 25 years there. there It is located at Fort George Inlet on the northern tip of George Island and is part of the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve managed by the US National Park Service. Kingsley's house is the oldest plantation house still standing in Florida, and the tightly built slave cabin village is the best preserved in the United States. It is also the "oldest extant antebellum Spanish colonial plantation in the United States."

9. MOSH Museum of Science and History

By MOSHJacksonville - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

The Museum of Science and History (MOSH) is a museum located in Jacksonville, Florida. It is a private, non-profit institution located on the Southbank Riverwalk and is the city's most visited museum. It specializes in science and local history exhibits. It features a large traveling exhibit that changes quarterly, three floors of permanent and signature exhibits, and the Bryan-Gooding Planetarium. American Museum Accreditation, most recently accredited by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) in 2011 and has been continuously accredited since 1983.

10. Fort Caroline National Monument

This is a historical reconstruction of the fort settled by French colonists in Jacksonville in 1564. In 1565, the French colony was besieged and destroyed by the Spanish. The replica fort depicts what the original Caroline fort would have looked like, complete with cannons and flags. The upper levels of the fort offer a beautiful view of the mouth of the St. Johns River. The park has a 1.3 mile nature trail. It's a loop trail that meanders through the marshes and wooded areas. There is also a museum covering the history of the area. As you exit the fort, you'll see a replica of a Timucua hut, complete with a working canoe. This historic landmark is under the care of the National Park Service.