How about spending a few days or weeks in Jacksonville? What to see and do in the city of Jaguars? You can find cheap Florida staycations online including in Jacksonville, so accommodation will not slash your budget.

It is not a No 1 destination for tourism in Florida, but it is a pleasant stopover if you are traveling to the northwest, whether to go see St-Augustine or the coast of Georgia. Jacksonville is today the largest city in Florida with its 1.5 million inhabitants, beautiful cultural events and, even if it is not Miami, there is a joie de vivre very Florida. The historic district of San Marco is also very commercial with, among other things a chocolate factory.

Jacksonville Beach

As its name suggests, it is the city’s seaside center, with several beaches and a concentration of restaurants, shops and parks. Neptune Beach is more partying, and Atlantic Beach more family oriented. The center of the latter is quite nice, both for shopping and for restaurants. Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park offers a secluded beach where kayaking, biking, freshwater fishing and walking are popular sports.

Cradle of the famous American football team, Jacksonville is a prosperous and attractive city, where rampant industrialization has not yet got the better of the natural beauty of its site, its deserted beaches and the famous black waters of Saint John River. The vibe is wonderful, Jacksonville is a very urban city compared to its sisters in South Florida. Fortunately, traffic is fluid because the city is well distributed on both sides of the Saint John River. This is ideal to visit and circulate between the beautiful colonial mansions, also think of the monorail, really practical and original.

French District

Visit the Cummer Museum, one of the richest museums in Florida, with its sculptures, masterpieces, medieval, Renaissance paintings and even a bust of Renoir. A wing of the museum is specially dedicated to children, with workshops, creative games and very well done interactive exhibitions. It costs $10 per adult, $6 for the military, seniors and students, it is free for members and children under 5. And they also offer free entry for students from Tuesday to Friday.

The Museum of Science and History is perfect: a museum in the shape of a labyrinth that retraces the great periods of Florida history, sometimes hard to navigate, but the planetarium is worth the detour with its inter-galactic shows! In addition, do not miss the crocodile lunch, every day at 1.30pm.

Former cotton plantation that used to work a hundred slaves 200 years ago, the property now shelters hectares of lush tropical forests, as well as a small museum which preciously preserves the vestiges of a Florida at the time of the segregation. A true green bath, it is a visit not to be missed, which begins with the reception of the friendly rangers.

Not far from Kingsley Plantation, The Buccaneer Trail is a seaside path that stretches for more than 120 kilometers, punctuated by magnificent beaches and more unusual, small deserted coves. Go put your towel on one of the most beautiful: Little Talbot Park.