3 Best Landmarks in Jacksonville, FL

Mr. Collazo, the NPS Park Guide in the visitor center, was extremely helpful and insightful. I was glad to get to chat with him about some of the lesser known conflicts in Florida’s history, and I will definitely be back to tour the grounds more thoroughly on a weekend. Beautiful views of the water and Florida landscape, and a candid, expansive, balanced telling of the history of the many people who lived on the property.

Quite moving to see the life of people who lived and worked on these plantations. It was a different era but what humans did to each other in slave trading is unimaginable now. This is completely free.

The grounds are easy to walk and the plantations peacock will probably meet you in the parking lot. I love that the history and buildings have been preserved. Especially the brick fireplaces.

Beautiful day hiking the trails at Fort Caroline. The ranger we spoke to was very helpful. She talked with us about the various trails around the Fort and even took time to say hello to Finn. The fort trail was wide and well maintained. I loved this park because we saw beaches, saw grass, and a variety of beautiful trees. The highlight was watching the tiny crabs scurrying back and forth on the beach while the tide was out. Parking was a little tricky but we eventually found a space. Overall, gorgeous day.

Beautiful little loop with a surprising amount of elevation change for Florida. Some very old oaks along the walk as well. The first part of the trail runs along the water and has some scenic views of the river. My walk was 1.52 miles walking to all corners inside the fort and doing the full loop. Not the longest trail but the Spanish Pong Loop trail system is just outside of the park entrance and is a literal 20 second drive if you're looking to add more miles.

Visiting Fort Caroline National Memorial was really cool! The visitor center is great and the rangers are really nice and helpful! I walked the short trail to the fort which is a reproduction of the original but still really cool. You can really sense the history here. The views of the water are also amazing. I saw a dolphin.