Things To Do In Jacksonville, Florida

Before we go into the top things to do in Jacksonville, Florida, be sure to check out the other places in our Things-To-Do Series:
Things to do in Amelia Island
Things to do in Sarasota, Florida
Things to do in St Augustine, Florida
Things to do for a weekend in Gainesville, Florida
Things to do in Marco Island for a Weekend

Jacksonville in Duval County is the biggest city by area in the USA. The city prides itself of its beaches, nature, as well as a thriving social and economic scene. Bordered by Fernandina Beach in the North, and St. Augustine in the South, the city is sub-divided into various neighborhoods that locals like to refer to when they talk about the city.

Here’s a list of things to do in Jacksonville Florida, mostly focused on indoor and outdoor attractions.

Getting Around Jacksonville

The area of Jacksonville is huge that it is essential to rent a car (if flying or taking the train in), or to drive your own car through the city. You can also do ride-shares but it can get expensive if hopping around from place to place. It is essential to have your own means of transportation to have the best control of your time. Public transportation is available but is not frequent.

We’re organizing our post by theme – if you want to do outdoor or indoor activities to aid in your trip planning. Note that you can’t possibly do everything in one day, so expect to spend at least 3 days to cover some of the sites we listed below.

Things to do in Jacksonville

Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens

Great for: Kids, Couples, Nature, Animal lovers, Families
Address: 370 Zoo Pkway, Jacksonville, 32218 (within a 15 minute drive from the airport)
Website: https://www.jacksonvillezoo.org/
Cost: Expect to pay upwards of $35 per person for food, admission & souvenirs.
Hours: 8am to 6pm

Huge zoo area with lots of animals simulating their natural habitat. The zoo is divided into multiple areas, so you can spend hours looking at the animals and the exhibits. The zoo has a train that goes through it (extra fee applies), and has other animal interactions available.

During Christmas, the zoo is known for Zoolights, when the zoo closes in the afternoon and re-opens in the evening. You’ll see animals with sparkly Christmas lights lighting your pathway. It is a massively popular event (plan early), so best to pick a date closer to the end of Zoolights. To save money, you can get tickets through Groupon if available.

Expect to spend around 4+ hours to see the entire zoo. The souvenir store is huge with lots of unique items so it’s also a good stop. There is a cafe inside that offers lunch and dinner options, as well as other kiosks that offer snacks and drinks.

Catty Shack Ranch

Great for: Kids, Couples, Family
Address: 1860 Starratt Rd, Jacksonville, FL, 32226
Website: https://cattyshack.org/
Cost: $12 for adults
Hours: Tours are done at 1 and 6pm.

If you’re a fan of huge cats like lions, pumas, and tigers, then this will be like going on an African safari, or safari-lite. The property is quite large, though not so large that you will need a jeep to traverse it. When you walk around, you will see large cages with magnificent and large animals. The key attraction is the night feeding at 6pm, which is when the animal handlers actually enter the cage with a bucket of meat and start throwing it to groups of giant tigers. It is quite a thrilling sight that carries a hint of danger, which is probably why it has become very popular.

Huguenot State Park

Great for: Kids, Couples, Nature, Beach, Families, Hiking
Address: 10980 Heckscher Drive Jacksonville FL 32226
Website: https://www.coj.net/departments/parks-and-recreation/recreation-and-community-programming/parks/huguenot-memorial-park
Cost: $5 per vehicle, $3 for pedestrians/bikes
Hours: 6am to 6pm, every day

This park is one of the few areas where you can drive on the beach, however, to get to some areas, you will need a 4×4 vehicle to avoid being stuck in the sand. This state part is one of the first that you’ll see when driving north on A1A on Heckscher drive. There are a lot of windsurfers in this park, or you can opt to just spend some time in the beach.

Little Talbot Island State Park

Great for: Kids, Couples, Nature, Beach, Families, Hiking
Address: 12157 Heckscher Dr., Jacksonville, FL, 32226
Website: https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/little-talbot-island-state-park
Cost: $5 per vehicle
Hours: 8 am to sundown, every day

This is really part of Amelia Island, but we included it here as the address is technically still Jacksonville. This island is not as little as you would think. We once spent a few hours walking up and down the beach and saw horseshoe crabs! It is a good spot to do bike trails.

Big Talbot Island State Park

Great for: Kids, Couples, Nature, Beach, Families, Hiking
Address: State Road A1A North, Jacksonville, FL, 32226
Website: https://www.floridastateparks.org/index.php/parks-and-trails/big-talbot-island-state-park
Cost: $2 to access the fishing pier; $3 to access some of the trailheads; $4 for boat launch
Hours: 8 am until sundown, every day

When driving north up Heckscher Drive/A1A, the parking lot to this park is a blink and you’ll miss it type of thing. The entrance fee to the park is different from Little Talbot Island, and is done on an envelope system in the parking lot. To get to Driftwood Beach, you will need to walk through the trees and end up on the beach. Great place to walk around after Little Talbot!

Kingley Plantation/Timucuan Parks

Great for: Couples, History, Hiking, Free Stuff
Address: 11676 Palmetto Avenue, Jacksonville, Florida, 32226
Website: https://www.nps.gov/timu/learn/historyculture/kp.htm
Cost: Free
Hours: Kingsley Plantation House tours are only available on Saturday/Sunday by reservation, at 11am and 3pm.

The Kingsley Plantation is an excellent place to learn about the complicated and enduring history of the Kingsley family that, though not the first owners of this property, were certainly the most famous. There are many valuable historical pieces on the property, including centuries old slave cabins and an 18th century house that lets you imagine the daily life of a plantation owner.

Fort Caroline

Great for: History, Hiking, Free Stuff
Address: 12713 Fort Caroline Road, Jacksonville, FL, 32225
Website: https://www.nps.gov/timu/learn/historyculture/foca.htm
Cost: Free
Hours: 9AM to 5PM, Wed-Sunday

Much like other Florida historical sites, Fort Caroline had quite a rough ownership history from the very beginning. It was first built by the French. Then the Spanish overthrew the French and took the fort. Then the French took revenge and massacred the Spanish and burned the fort. The Spanish then rebuilt the fort, but eventually abandoned it. It’s not a big structure, but it does lie on the water, where you can occasionally spot dolphins jumping in the St. John’s River.

Kathryn Hanna Park

Great for: History, Hiking, Free Stuff
Address: 500 Wonderwood Drive, Jacksonville – 32233
Outdoor Activity

Website: https://www.coj.net/departments/parks-and-recreation/recreation-and-community-programming/kathryn-abbey-hanna-park.aspx
Cost: Small entrance fee required.
Hours: 8AM to 8PM, 7 days a week

Jacksonville has a lot of parks, though this is one of the bigger ones. Big enough for several nice trails, and you’ll probably spot a gator or two.

Jacksonville Arboretum

Great for: Hiking, Free Stuff
Address: 1445 Millcoe Rd, Jacksonville, FL 32225
Website: https://www.jacksonvillearboretum.org/
Cost: Free
Hours: 8AM to 7PM, Mon-Thursday; 8AM to 5PM, Fri-Sunday

Jacksonville Arboretum is another place for some easy, quiet, peaceful walks. It’s popular on the weekends, with dog owners there on Saturday and Sunday mornings, but there is plenty of space for everyone, and there is a lot of beautiful scenery.

Jacksonville Beach, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach

Great for: Free Stuff, Exercise, Fun
Website: http://www.jacksonvillebeach.org/
Cost: Free

Jacksonville is called the First Coast for a reason. There are 3 main beaches to know, but they are all technically the same coastline. Jacksonville Beach is a little bit grungier, while Neptune is more upscale. Either way, there are plenty of cool bars and restaurants to try near the water.

The below activities are also covered on our Indoor Activities in Jacksonville post. We’re still including relevant details like hours, address and websites, but if you want to know more about these places, please check out our other post.

Museum of Science and History (MOSH)

Address: 1025 Museum Cir, Jacksonville, FL 32207
Hours: 10AM – 5PM Mondays to Thursdays, 10AM – 8PM on Fridays, 10AM – 6PM on Saturdays, 12PM – 5PM Sundays
Price: $
Website: https://themosh.org/

If you want a cool family activity that will delight both adults and kids, then MOSH is a great place to check out. It has a lot of entertaining exhibits about animals and space, and Jacksonville history. Parking is limited (location is downtown), so that can be a pain sometimes.

Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA)

Address: 333 N Laura St, Jacksonville, FL 32202
Hours: 11AM – 5PM Tuesday to Saturday, 12PM – 5PM Sundays
Price: $8 for Adults
Website: https://mocajacksonville.unf.edu/

If you want a culture fix, there are two great museums in Jacksonville, both near downtown. MOCA is all about modern art, so don’t expect to see Rembrandt and Van Gogh here. They do have some really cool exhibits every few months, so we try to catch them once in a while.

Cummer Museum

Address: 829 Riverside Ave, Jacksonville, FL 32204
Hours: 11AM – 9PM Tuesday and Friday, 11AM – 4PM Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, 12PM – 4PM on Sundays
Price: $10 for Adults
Website: https://www.cummermuseum.org/

The other museum is the Cummer Museum, which is mostly focused on classic art from the 15th-19th centuries, and while it is not big, it still has a nice selection that will take a couple of hours to get through. One additional nice thing about the Cummer is that they have a really nice outdoor garden setup in the back, a combination of Italian, Japanese, and English gardens. It’s right on the water, so you have great views of downtown Jacksonville. Very popular place for weddings/engagement shoots.

Summary

Jacksonville is a big city with a lot of interesting things to see and do. Museums, parks, beaches, and historic sites. Let us know in the comments below if there are any other things you want to suggest to add to our list.