Cross the river on the Mayport ferry

Casa Marina is a 1925 oceanfront hotel in Jacksonville Beach and a Historic Hotels of America member. It has just 23 rooms and suites, each styled after a different era of its history, plus a rooftop Penthouse Lounge with ocean views. It suits travelers who want beach mornings in a landmark rather than a chain hotel…

On the third Thursday of each month, from 5 to 9 pm, the Beaches Town Center in Neptune Beach, around Atlantic Boulevard and First Street, hosts the North Beaches Art Walk. It has run rain or shine since 2007, mixing local artists, live music and the shops and restaurants of the town center. Walk the few blocks to the…

On the first Wednesday of every month, from 5 to 9 pm, downtown Jacksonville becomes a self-guided art crawl over more than 15 blocks centered on James Weldon Johnson Park. Galleries, museums and restaurants take part, with artist booths, street performers and live music along the way. It runs rain or shine, so do not…

The Ritz Theatre and Museum stands in LaVilla, the historic Black neighborhood once called the Harlem of the South, on the site of a 1929 movie house. The theater hosts concerts, comedy and community events centered on African American music and culture. Opening times depend on events, so look at the schedule and buy…

The Florida Theatre downtown opened in 1927 as the largest theater in Florida, with Mediterranean Revival interiors of marble, wrought iron and terra cotta. A restoration finished in October 2023 repainted the proscenium to its 1927 look and refurbished the balcony tapestries. It books rock, jazz, comedy and dance, so…

The Jacksonville Farmers Market on West Beaver Street dates from 1938 and fills its stalls with produce plus imported and ethnic specialty goods that are hard to find elsewhere. There is a restaurant on site and the market is kid friendly. Published hours differ between sources, so check before you drive out, and note…

Friendship Fountain on the Southbank was rebuilt and reopened in early 2024 with a waterfall wall and choreographed water, light and sound displays that run nightly against the downtown skyline. Walk over from the Northbank on the Main Street Bridge, then settle at the circular seating around dusk and stay for the…

The Cummer Museum's historic gardens run down to the St. Johns River in Riverside. Ellen Shipman's Italian garden, designed in 1931, has two long reflecting pools and ends in a marble fountain, with the huge Cummer Oak shading the beds. The gardens are on the National Register of Historic Places, so give yourself time…