Sights in Atlantic Coast
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Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens
There’s dazzling art inside this handsome museum, includes newly-acquired Norman Rockwells and George PA Healy’s famous portrait of the city’s namesake close to death. Also look for antiquities and a really fun interactive kids’ exhibit. Draped with wisteria and shaded by a massive, mossy oak so large it needs supports for its limbs, the garden is a grand place to unwind after absorbing all the beauty inside. Both the museum and gardens are impressively accessible, including a number of braille and audio guides.
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Museum of Science & History
The Museum of Science & History is more your speed, with dinosaur fun and educational exhibits on Jacksonville's pre-Columbian history (but no beer).
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Museum of Contemporary Art
Small, but one of the best cultural offerings in town, the Museum of Contemporary Art focuses on 1960 to the present.
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O'Reilly House Museum
Caught in the grip of a severe offshore hurricane in the late 1800s, the desperate captain of a supply ship heading from the Minorca Islands to St Augustine ordered most of the cargo to be thrown overboard to save the ship from sinking in the tumultuous seas.
It was then that the crew found a little statue of the Madonna, 3ft high with human hair curls and silk and Spanish lace petticoats. They prayed to it for their safe passage and, as the story goes, the winds dropped and they were able to make it to port.
The statue was passed down through the generations of Minorcan families, who prayed to it when hurricanes threatened the town. Its last caretaker, Sister St Charles o…
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Historic Remains
Opposite the Bridge of Lions, in the heart of downtown, the expansive, grassy Plaza de la Constitution, a former marketplace, has a gazebo, a couple of cannons and a Civil War memorial, as well as the remains of the town well. It was the central market for food, but also for slaves.
Other historic remains include the Old City Gate, at the northern end of St George St, built in 1739 to defend the northern St Augustine line from British attacks; and the Rosario Defense Wall (opposite the Huguenot Cemetery), a re-creation of a section of the original Spanish-built earth barrier - spiky yucca plants and prickly-pear cacti along the top successfully fended off the Brits.
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Fountain of Youth
Almost 500 years old (but not looking a day over 450) the Fountain of Youth was the original tourist attraction, drawing Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León for a visit in 1513. It still serves the nasty sulfur water in tiny paper cups - and that's absolutely as much as you'll want - but this is more than a five-minute pit stop. Educational exhibits, gorgeous grounds and the approximate spot where the explorer came ashore make it more than just a tourist trap - OK, well a little more, anyway.
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Daytona Beach Pier
Follow Main St further east and you’ll stumble onto coral-colored Daytona Beach Pier. Easy to spot for its iconic 180ft tower (which formerly zoomed sightseers heavenward for panoramic views, but now sits frustratingly impotent on the pier), two-person cabled gondolas carry you the length of the 1000ft pier and back for $7 per person. It is worth a gander, but the pier’s vintage feel has somehow disappeared. Too bad: this pier – among the longest on the east coast – has been around over 100 years.
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Alligator Farm Zoological Park
Maximo – a 1250lb, 15ft, 3in Australian saltwater crocodile – is the biggest of the reptiles at the Alligator Farm Zoological Park, the world’s only facility with every species of crocodilian in residence. Look for albino alligators, freaky gharials and seven different species of endangered monkey, including the world’s smallest, the pygmy marmoset (the size of a mouse). There are talks and shows throughout the day; catch hungry alligators snapping their jaws at feeding times (noon and 3pm).
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Ritz Theatre & La Villa Museum
This refurbished 1929-built grande dame incorporates a museum and 400-seat theater. Both showcase the La Villa area's African-American cultural heritage, which in its heyday saw it dubbed the 'Harlem of the South'. The museum's newest permanent exhibition, Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing, is an animatronic tribute to the district's native son James Weldon Johnson, composer of the slave freedom anthem of the same name. Performances at the Ritz range from choral to jazz as well as stage productions.
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Jacksonville Zoological Gardens
Northeast Florida’s only major zoo opened in 1914 with one deer; today, it’s home to over 100 exotic species. Jaguar football fans won’t want to miss jaguars prowling replicated Mayan temple ruins. Other highlights include the wetlands of Wild Florida, with rare Florida panthers, and an elevated viewing platform that brings you face to nose with giraffes (you can even feed them!). There’s also an animal-spotting train ride through the grounds (adult/child $4/2).
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World Golf Hall of Fame
Even nonfans of the game will enjoy the World Golf Hall of Fame. There are 18 exhibits (like 18 holes), the front nine covering the history of the sport and the back nine examining modern professional golf. Separating them is the Hall of Fame itself, with multimedia exhibits on inductees. Admission includes nine holes on a real grass putting green designed to PGA specifications, and an IMAX film.
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Marine Science Center
Despite the built-up environs at Daytona Beach, loggerheads, green turtles, Kemp Ridleys and occasionally leatherbacks are found in the area. A rehab center for injured sea turtles and birds, the Marine Science Center has a wet/dry lab, some great kid-friendly exhibits and a guided tour of the on-site turtle and seabird rehabilitation facilities (call ahead).
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Old St Augustine Village
The nine homes in Old St Augustine Village are Florida’s largest collection of historic homes. Dating from 1790 to 1920, highlights include the delightfully crooked Carpenter’s House; the crayon-colored windows of the Spear House; and the Murat House, which was the one-time home of Prince Achille Murat, Napoleon’s nephew. Yes, that Napoleon.
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Jacksonville Zoological Gardens
Northeast Florida's only major zoo which opened in 1914 with one deer, today has over 100 exotic species. Don't miss the jaguars prowling around replicated Mayan temple ruins. Other highlights are the wetlands of Wild Florida, with rare Florida panthers, the Australian Adventure and an elevated viewing platform that brings you face to face with the giraffes.
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St Augustine Lighthouse
The light produced by this 1870s striped lighthouse beams all the way downtown. A great place to bring kids over six and more than 44in tall (since all climbers must be able to ascend and descend the tower under their own power), the lighthouse operates ‘Dark of the Moon’ paranormal tours on weekends at 8:30pm (adults/child $25/20).
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Our Lady of La Leche Shrine
The first Mass was held at the Mission of Nombre de Dios, also the site of Our Lady of La Leche Shrine and the 208ft-tall stainless-steel cross visible from many parts of downtown. First built in 1797, the coquina church became a cathedral in 1870, but a fire destroyed much of it in 1887. Pirates torched the cathedral's congregation several times.
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Boardwalk
The architecture and neon along the Atlantic Ave strip is a living museum of 1950s pop culture.
The Boardwalk, which runs behind Ocean Ave between Main St and Auditorium Blvd, offers thrill rides, go-carts and beachside patios where you sip beer from plastic cups. It's good family fun with just a hint of sleaze to keep things interesting.
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St Augustine Beach
The 7-mile stretch of St Augustine Beach is a great place to get a tan, and the strip of Hwy A1A fronting it has budget hotels, family restaurants and boisterous bars. Driving on the beach is permitted.
Take Anastasia Blvd to Hwy A1A right out to the beach; there's a visitors information booth right at the foot of the St John's Pier.
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Old Drugstore
Built in 1739, the Old Drugstore offers a unique collection of antique vials and tonics in sepia-colored bottles, as well as some other curiosities, like vintage suppository molds. Adjacent to the artifacts is an extensive assortment of herbal remedies for sale (from stevia leaf to lotus flowers) for homeopathic use.
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Jacksonville Landing
Across the river from Southbank Riverwalk, the northern bank unfurls at the foot of downtown’s high-rise business district. Under the roof of its most visible landmark, Jacksonville Landing, are about 40 mostly touristy shops surrounding a tip-top food court with outdoor tables and regular, free live entertainment.
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Little Chapel by the Sea
Little Chapel by the Sea is a drive-in Christian church. Pull up, hook a speaker to your car (or do as the locals do and tune to 680AM or 88.5FM) and listen to the Rev preach. He and the choir hold service on a balcony overlooking the sea of cars. There’s free coffee and donuts between services. Only in Daytona.
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Fort Caroline National Memorial
This memorial is the administrative headquarters of the Timucuan Ecological and Historical Preserve, a confederation of federal, state and local parks – some located on Talbot and Fort George Islands. The confederation works with private landowners to maintain the St John’s River ecosystem.
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Flagler Memorial Presbyterian Church
Henry Flagler, his daughter and her stillborn child lie in the mausoleum at Flagler Memorial Presbyterian Church, Flagler’s own, magnificent Venetian-Renaissance edifice. The floor is Sienna marble, the wood is Santo Domingo mahogany and the pipe organ (played 8:30am and 11am Sunday) is colossal.
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Old Jail
Built in 1891, the Old Jail is the former town prison and residence of the town’s first sheriff, Charles Joseph ‘the terror’ Perry (towering menacingly at 6ft, 6in tall and weighing 300lb). Today, costumed ‘deputies’ escort visitors through cellblocks and detail the site’s arresting history.
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Alexander Brest Planetarium
The Alexander Brest Planetarium uses light-hearted humor in astronomical shows. For an extra $7 to $9, take in a laser-lighted Cosmic Concert, featuring 18,000 watts of anything from ’80s tunes, to Zeppelin, to the full score of Pink Floyd’s The Wall.
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