JACKSONVILLE FLORIDA DAY TRIPS

The Jacksonville Florida day trips and one tank trips described on this website are all within 100 miles of Jacksonville.

We figure that the average car can go at least 250 miles on one tank of gas or one electric charge. Some, like a Toyota Corolla or Prius can go even further.

These day trips can be made with gallons or battery charge to spare to allow some exploring on the way to and from your destination.

Here are some things to do and places to see within 100 miles of Jacksonville.

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Recommended Jacksonville Florida Day Trips

Alexander Springs Recreational Area,
Ocala National Forest, canoeing, swimming, kayaking, camping.

Amelia Island Horseback Riding,
Fernandina Beach.  You can ride on the Atlantic Ocean beach.  Fees vary by selected ride and number of people.

Amelia Island State Park,
covers 200 acres at the southern tip of Amelia Island south of Fernandina Beach. Personal horses allowed.

American Beach and its museum are near Fernandina Beach. It was an early resort for African Americans in the Jim Crow era.

Appleton Museum of Art,
Ocala, stunning example of classical architecture clad in Italian travertine marble. The 81,610-square-foot museum features 30,000 square feet of gallery space.

Archer Historical Society Railroad Museum, 
Archer, is housed in the relocated and restored Seaboard Air Line depot. You can see artifacts, photographs, and exhibits that capture the golden age of railroads in North Central Florida.

Beluthahatchee Park
1523 SR 13 N, Fruit Cove, FL 32259

Famous men who lived here: Stetson Kennedy and Woody Guthrie. The four-acre site includes the house, lake, and surrounding woods, giving visitors a glimpse of what old North Florida felt like before the boom of development pushed south from Jacksonville.

Big Shoals State Park
covers 3,350 acres near White Springs along the Suwannee River. The park has Florida's largest whitewater rapids, a rarity in the state. Limestone bluffs rise 80 feet above the river.

Big Talbot Island State Park,
is a natural preserve north of Jacksonville on a barrier island. The park is known for Boneyard Beach, featuring eroded trees or driftwood.

Blue Spring State Park, 
Orange City park is a tremendous spot to observe manatees sheltering from the cold in the clear waters from November to March.

Bridge of Lions
is a beautiful drawbridge that stretches across the Intracoastal Waterway in St. Augustine, tying downtown to Anastasia Island.

Bronson is a small town west of Gainesville where you can visit the cemetery and see the grave of Bo Diddley.

Bronson-Mulholland House and museum is a historic site in Palatka. Built in 1854, it sits on 3 acres along the St. Johns River.

Bulow Plantation Ruins Historic State Park in Flagler Beach covers 150 acres and features the coquina rock ruins of one of East Florida's largest antebellum sugar plantations mill and house. They look like Spanish ruins.

Camp Blanding Museum and Memorial Park is in Kingsley Lake, a small town near Starke. The museum honors the military history of Camp Blanding. It's housed in a restored World War II barracks, and the museum displays artifacts, photos, and exhibits.

Casa Marina Hotel and Restaurant,
perched on the dunes of Jacksonville Beach, is a historic gem opened in 1925. It's a Spanish Mediterranean-style boutique hotel with a rooftop bar and other surprises.

Castillo de San Marcos,
The oldest 17th century fort in North America, this well preserved fort dominates the waterfront in downtown St. Augustine.

Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine,
is the oldest Catholic parish in the United States and was founded in 1565.

Catty Shack Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary,
Jacksonville non-profit sanctuary that gives big cats a permanent home.  They have lions, tigers, pumas, leopards, lynxes and more. 

City of Hawkinsville is a submerged paddlewheel steamboat in the Suwannee River near Old Town. It’s a Florida Underwater Archaeological Preserve, the state’s third.

Clay County Historical and Railroad Museum in Green Cove Springs preserves the county’s past. Located in the 1890 Courthouse Annex, it showcases everyday life from the last century. And there's a red caboose.

Crescent City Historic District is a preserved region showcasing the town’s past. Located between Lake Stella and Crescent Lake, it covers a compact area with 212 historic buildings.

Cross Creek is south of Gainesville and was the home for many years of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. It was the setting for her famous novel "The Yearling" as well as "Cross Creek". She is buried in a quiet cemetery nearby.

Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens,
Jacksonville.  The Cummer has one of the finest permanent art collections in Florida, with nearly 5,000 objects. 

Daytona Beach is the motor city and has hard packed sands where you can drive your car on the beach. Home of NASCAR and many famous races including the Daytona 500. Lots of great lodging and dining opportunities.

Daytona International Speedway
If you visit during other than the featured events, you can go on a first come-first served tour.

DeLand is home of Stetson University and is loaded with art galleries and good restaurants.

Devil's Millhopper Geological State Park,
Gainesville. Walk down a 232-step wooden staircase into the bottom of a geological formation that has its own rainforest environment.

Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing, 
Ocala museum has more than 90 race cars on display and another 50 antique cars.  Garlits is a former champion drag racer.

Dudley Farm Historic State Park in Newberry is where to experience the pioneering spirit of old Florida. This working farm shows the evolution of Florida farming from the 1850s to the mid-1940s through living history demos. Plus you can help with chores.

Farm Tours of Ocala,
Ocala 3 hours and 15 minute tour of working farms where you can go behind the scenes and chat with pros who work with thoroughbreds.

Fernandina Beach is one of the oldest towns in Florida. It has a beautiful restored downtown area with many gift shops and a lot of good restaurants. Many historic buildings to admire, and a working waterfront make this a good place to visit.

Flagler College (Ponce de Leon Hotel)
St. Augustine hotel was built by railroad tycoon Henry Flagler in 1888 and is a National Historic Landmark.You can take a tour and explore.

Flagler Beach is a great little beach town with almost no condos between State Road A1A and the Atlantic Ocean beach.

Flagler Beachfront Winery is north of Daytona and is a fun place to visit while you visit the great sand beaches.

Florida Museum of Natural History is the biggest and the best and is on the campus of the University of Florida in Gainesville. Prehistoric animals on display and frequently scheduled butterfly release events. The kids will love you for putting this on your Jacksonville Florida day trips.

Florida Theatre in Jacksonville opened in 1927 as a movie palace. It’s designed in the Mediterranean Revival style. It now serves as a performing arts center and hosts concerts, plays, and films.

Fort Caroline National Memorial is in Jacksonville. It honors a 16th-century French settlement attempt. The park sits on the St. Johns River.

Fort Clinch State Park is in Fernandina Beach and included Fort Clinch, a ancient fort going back to before the Civil War. Re-enactors in uniform will entertain you. Beaches and camping are also in the park.

Fort Gates Ferry is a historic ride across the St Johns River between the Ocala National Forest and Fruitland.

Fort Matanzas National Monument on the shores of the Matanzas River in St. Augustine was built by the Spanish in the mid-18th century.

Frederick Delius Home is located on the campus of Jacksonville University.  He was a famous composer.

Gainesville has many attractions in addition to the large museums and university. Many historic buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places.

Gamble Rogers State Park was named for a famous Florida folk singer and storyteller who lost his life in the ocean trying to save somebody who was drowning. It has one of the most beautiful beaches in Florida.

Ginnie Springs Outdoors is a privately owned campground that also has cottages and great canoeing, kayaking and diving. Super clear waters add to your enjoyment.

Glen St. Mary is a village of 500 people 32 miles west of Jacksonville that was voted Florida's Outstanding Rural Community of the Year.

Green Cove Springs is an historic town on the St. Johns River with many well preserved examples of Old Florida buildings.

High Springs is a small quaint town in the middle of Florida freshwater spring country.  A great place for outfitting and kayak or snorkeling trip.

Hippodrome State Theatre in Gainesville, known as “the Hipp”, occupies a 1910 neoclassical post office building with 42,000 square feet and a 490-seat auditorium. Its historic elevator was installed in 1924. It draws 40,000 patrons per year for plays, musicals, and cabarets.

Ichetucknee Inner Tube Trip
Ichetucknee Springs State Park. A Florida tradition for years, floating down the clear cool river. 

Jacksonville is the major city in Northeast Florida. It is home to many insurance companies, and straddles the beautiful St. Johns River. The city has many things to do and places to see.

Jacksonville Museum of Science and History,
Interactive exhibits about your body's systems , energy exhibits, and animal encounters.  Also a boat tour on the St. Johns River.  

Jacksonville Zoo is one of the finest in the state. You will enjoy the train ride and the many animals on display in natural settings. It is located in North Jacksonville.

Kanapaha Botanical Gardens is an unusual display of natural vegetation and trees in Gainesville.

Kingsley Plantation,
Jacksonville.  Located on Fort George Island are the owner's house built about 1798 and the remains of 25 slave cabins.

La Chua Trail, Paynes Prairie is a preserve where you might see horses, bison, wading birds, gators, and more.

Lake City  is an old Florida town with a lot of history that goes back to Civil War days. It was the birthplace of the school that merged to become the University of Florida.

Lightner Museum in St. Augustine is a museum of art and artifacts housed in the former Alcazar Hotel.

Little Talbot Island State Park in Jacksonville spans around 2,500 acres. It has five miles of unspoiled beaches, scenic salt marshes, maritime forests, and abundant wildlife.

Live Oak is a small historic town near Lake City in North Florida with a history that goes back to Civil War Days.

Log Cabin Winery is a quaint little vineyard and wine making operation in Satsuma near the St. Johns River. Enjoy wine tasting and seeing the operation.

Macclenny is 30 miles west of Jacksonville and is a typical Old Florida small town with several well preserved historic buildings.

Mandarin is on the St. Johns River south of Jacksonville.  It was the home of Harriett Beecher Stowe and Clark's Fish Camp is there now.

Marineland is a Florida historical treasure south of St. Augustine Beach. It was once Florida's largest tourist attraction. These days it is scaled down, but still has dolphin encounters and other attractions.  It remains one of my favorite Jacksonville Florida day trips.

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park, 
Cross Creek.  You will experience what 1930s farm life was like when the famous author lived and worked here.  Her Florida Cracker style home and farm has been restored and is preserved.

McIntosh has a population of only 469 people but has almost 70 buildings in its designated historic district.

Melrose is a small Victorian village near Gainesville with historic buildings and a fine restaurant.

Micanopy is a historic tiny town named for a great Seminole chief.  Nice antique stores and restaurants.

Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park covers 2,300 acres in Keystone Heights. It’s one of Florida’s first state parks, and has rolling sandhills, lakes, and a ravine.

Mill Creek Retirement Farm For Horses is a place where retired horses can live their lives out with dignity and comfort. 

Northeast Florida Day Trips and Scenic Drives is a page on this website that has maps showing several scenic driving routes in the area around Jacksonville and the region.

Ocala is the center of horse country, and has a lot of great statuary celebrating this fact scattered all over the city. Many good restaurants and lodgings, and home to nearby Silver Springs, and Old Florida tourist attraction.

Ocala National Forest is a sprawling wilderness area in central Florida covering over 600 square miles of land and is one of the oldest and largest national forests in the continental United States. Hiking, birding, trails, springs, and nature.

Old Jail Museum is a historic site in St. Augustine. The Romanesque Revival building was built in 1891 and looks like a hotel.

Oldest House Museum Complex is located across from the historic National Guard building in downtown St. Augustine.

Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park,
Site of a significant Civil War battle.  U.S. Colored troops took part in the battle.  You can see exhibits and artifacts in the visitor center.

Oneida Bungalow Court in Jacksonville is one of the last visible traces of West Lewisville, a once-thriving African American community that flourished in the early 1900s. See the charming bungalows before they disappear to time if current preservation efforts are unsuccessful.

Ormond Beach Main Street runs along Granada Boulevard with over 100 preserved structures from 1880 to 1930. The sidewalks are lined with shops, galleries, and cafes, and connect to parks and the beach.

Palatka is on the St. Johns River and has a lovely historic district and is home to Mulholland House and Ravine State Gardens.

Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park
100 Savannah Blvd., Micanopy, FL 32667. Tel: 352-466-3397. A 22,000 acre savannah with a wide variety of wildlife including bison and horses in addition to hundreds of bird varieties.

Plaza Building, also known as the Bexley House and formerly the Plaza Hotel, is a historic building in Jacksonville. The building’s concrete block construction was rare in 1903, using a new fireproof material in Florida.

Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse
Ponce Inlet lighthouse is on an inlet south of Daytona Beach.  You can climb to the top and see a fantastic view of the ocean and beaches.  

Princess Place Preserve is a historic site once owned by a princess and now a place of tranquility and history.

Ravine Gardens State Park is a Palatka treasure with beautiful gardens, trails, suspension bridges, and amazing topography.

Riverside Historic District covers 687 acres in Jacksonville on the St. Johns River. It includes over 2,100 buildings from the late 1800s to the 1930s. Bungalows and mansions line the streets. Shops, eateries and parks abound.

San Sebastian Winery is conveniently located not too far west of downtown St. Augustine. You can enjoy wine tasting from their comfortable upstairs deck, and watch how wine is made.

Silver Springs State Park in Ocala is home to a former private attraction where you can enjoy riding on the glass-bottomed boats and being amazed at the crystal-clear blue waters of Silver Springs. 

St. Augustine is the oldest continuously occupied city in the United States. It was founded by Spaniards in 1565 and is still dotted with beautiful old buildings and cobbled streets. It is a journey back in time, complete with an ancient fort on the water.

St. Augustine Alligator Farm is the oldest alligator attraction in Florida. No visit to St. Augustine is complete without visiting the farm and enjoying their fascinating shows featuring snakes, gators and other denizens of the sunshine state.

St Augustine Lighthouse gives you the best view of the Ancient City and surroundings if you climb to its top.

Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park is a natural slice of Old Florida. It has many folk culture exhibits and is the setting every Memorial Day weekend for the Florida Folk Festival.

Suwannee County Courthouse in Live Oak is a historic government building. Built in 1904, it serves as the county seat for Suwannee County.

Suwannee River State Park covers 1,800 acres in Live Oak, Florida. It lies where the Suwannee and Withlacoochee rivers meet.

Tangled Oaks Vineyard is a family owned business in Grandin not far from Palatka. You will be able to sample their wine and watch how it is made. Jacksonville Florida day trips can always be enhanced by a little wine.

Tenney House and Groveland Hotel in Federal Point form a historic complex on the St. Johns River. They stood side by side, and both served travelers as well as locals. The Tenney House dates to 1894. The Groveland Hotel opened in 1900.

Thursby House is a restored two-story wooden structure at Blue Spring State Park in Orange City. It was built in 1872 by Louis Thursby and served as a homestead and steamboat stop. It is built on a 20-foot-high Timucua shell midden.

Townsend Building, also known as the Old Drugstore, is a historic site in Lake Butler, Florida.

Treaty Oak is a beloved 250 year old giant Southern live oak in a quiet park in a busy city neighborhood.

University of Florida is home of the Fightin' Gators and was once the largest university in the state.

Village Store (also known as Oxford Place) in the heart of the historic Ortega neighborhood of Jacksonville, is a charming 1924 Colonial Revival building.

Walter Jones Store and Museum is a historic site in the Mandarin area of Jacksonville, Florida. It’s also called the Mandarin Store and Post Office Museum.

Washington Oaks Gardens State Park on the barrier island east of Palm Coast has beautiful trees, gardens, and amazing rock formations on the beach.

Wes Skiles Peacock Springs State Park near Live Oak has two major springs, a spring run, six sinkholes and over 38,000 feet of underwater cave passages.

White Springs is a small town where Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park is located.  Nice old rural town with interesting buildings.

Wood & Swink General Store in Evinston (south of Gainesville) is one of the few operating places in Florida on the National Register of Historic Places (1989) that you can still visit and see what life was like back in the old days. 

Ximenez-Fatio House Museum in St. Augustine is a three-story building made of coquina and built in 1798 by Don Andres Ximenez. It was a family home with a ground-floor store and billiards hall. Later it served as a boarding house for decades.

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SEE TICKET INFORMATION FOR THESE & MANY OTHERS

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