Sights in Jacksonville
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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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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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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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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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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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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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Jacksonville Maritime Museum
For insight into how maritime history intertwines with this port city, this densely packed museum has an array of nautical artifacts, scale models and shipping logs.
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Fire Museum
The kid-approved Fire Museum teaches fire safety and houses an Ahrens Fox steam pumper believed to have fought the city’s Great Fire of 1901.
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Metropolitan Park
Continue east along the northern bank to the Metropolitan Park, a sprawling outdoor space.
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