Jacksonville

Jacksonville’s earliest civilized history dates to the 1562 landing of French explorer Jean Ribault on a point high on a bluff above the St. Johns River. Ribault was greeted by Timucuan Indians, who thrived on the area’s plentiful game and fish and shared their stories and knowledge with these visitors. Jacksonville was named in 1822 for Andrew Jackson, Florida’s first territorial governor and later U.S. President.

 

Today’s Jacksonville boasts a modern skyline of downtown condominiums and corporate towers. The urban core is bounded by eclectic villages and stately neighborhoods shaded by oak trees dripping with Spanish moss. One of the oldest such trees, the enormous Charter Oak, is on the city’s south bank. Here, legend has it, Indians and white settlers signed a charter outlining terms of peaceful co-existence. Not far from Charter Oak is San Marco, guarded by fierce, sculpted lions.

 

Restaurants abound, as do shops selling everything from used and antique books and housewares to upscale clothing. Make time for a visit to the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens.