Things to Do in Jacksonville, United States: Walking Guide

Jacksonville is a large northeastern Florida city shaped by the St. Johns River, historic neighborhoods, cultural institutions and a wide range of natural environments. From post-fire architecture and grand theatres to museums, churches and riverfront landmarks, there are plenty of things to do in Jacksonville. Neywo offers a free audio guide for Jacksonville with 50 narrated places, available in 11 languages.

What to See in Jacksonville

The St. Johns River

The St. Johns River is one of Jacksonville’s defining features and an important part of the city’s history. At about 310 miles, or 500 kilometers, it is one of Florida’s major waterways, although it drops less than thirty feet from its headwaters to its mouth. Its gentle flow has earned it the description “lazy river.”

The river reaches about three miles across between Palatka and Jacksonville. Its shores have been home to Timucua and Mocama communities, French and Spanish settlers, Seminoles, enslaved people and freedmen, and later generations of residents and visitors. The waterway has also played an important role in commerce and recreation.

For a close look at the riverfront, the Southbank area brings together the Main Street Bridge, Friendship Fountain, the Museum of Science and History, Riverplace Tower and Treaty Oak.

Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens

The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens combines historic interiors, European and American art, and landscaped gardens beside the river. It grew from Ninah Cummer’s personal collection and gardens after her death in 1961.

The permanent collection contains more than 5,000 works spanning from 2100 BCE to the twenty-first century. It includes works associated with Peter Paul Rubens, Winslow Homer, Thomas Moran, Norman Rockwell and Romare Bearden, as well as the Wark Collection of Early Meissen Porcelain.

Outside, three flower gardens preserve their original layouts. The oldest dates from 1903, making the gardens an important part of the museum experience rather than simply a setting for the galleries.

Florida Theatre

Opened in 1927, the Florida Theatre is one of Jacksonville’s most distinctive historic venues. It was built during the city’s Mediterranean Revival period and remains a setting for movies, concerts and other performances.

The exterior announces its theatrical purpose with soaring arches, ornamental sculpture, intricate carvings and a glittering marquee. Inside, hand-painted vaulted ceilings, detailed moldings and chandeliers create an elaborate atmosphere. The sloped auditorium has more than 1,900 seats. The building was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Immaculate Conception Catholic Church

The Immaculate Conception Catholic Church rises above downtown Jacksonville as a Gothic Revival landmark. Its stonework, stained glass and tall steeple make it one of the city’s most recognizable religious buildings.

The present church was designed by M. H. Hubbard in 1905, built between 1907 and 1910, and dedicated on December 8, 1910. Its 178.5-foot steeple is topped by a gold-plated cross. Inside, soaring ceilings and filtered light create a quieter contrast with the detailed exterior.

Bethel Baptist Institutional Church

Founded in 1838, Bethel Baptist Institutional Church is Jacksonville’s oldest Baptist congregation and an important center of worship for the African American community. The present building dates from Jacksonville’s rebuilding after the Great Fire of 1901.

Completed in 1904 and designed by New York architect M. H. Hubbard, the church combines Greek Revival and Romanesque Revival influences. Its unusual composition includes a central tower, two smaller towers, a cupola and several entrances. Classrooms and lecture rooms reflect its role as both a spiritual and educational center.

Bethel Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, recognizing the building and the history of Jacksonville’s African American population.

Downtown churches and historic buildings

Jacksonville’s downtown includes several other significant religious and civic landmarks. First Baptist Church of Jacksonville occupies an extensive campus across several downtown blocks, combining worship spaces, educational facilities and First Baptist Academy.

The city’s religious heritage also includes All Saints Episcopal Church, Congregation Ahavath Chesed—also known as The Temple Jacksonville—and the Jacksonville Jewish Center, a Conservative synagogue founded in 1901.

The Laura Street Trio, the Carling Apartments and the Greenleaf and Crosby Building are among the structures associated with Jacksonville’s transformation after the Great Fire of 1901. Together with the Florida Baptist Building, St. James Building, Elks Club Building and Barnett National Bank Building, they form part of the city’s architectural story.

Ritz Theatre and Museum

The Ritz Theatre and Museum in LaVilla is one of the places to explore Jacksonville’s African American cultural history and creative traditions. It appears alongside several downtown landmarks on Neywo’s walk focused on the city’s rebuilding after the fire.

EverBank Stadium

EverBank Stadium is a major venue on the St. Johns River in downtown Jacksonville and the home of the Jacksonville Jaguars. The stadium opened in 1995 as Jacksonville Municipal Stadium on the site of the former Gator Bowl Stadium, which dated from 1927. Parts of the older stadium were incorporated into the newer facility.

The ten-acre venue hosts Jaguars games, college football, concerts and other events. It is also the regular setting for the Florida–Georgia football rivalry and the postseason Gator Bowl. The stadium hosted Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005 and matches involving the United States men’s national soccer team. Its name has changed several times, and it became EverBank Stadium in 2023.

Epping Forest

Epping Forest is a historic riverfront estate created by industrialist Alfred I. du Pont and his third wife, Jessie Ball du Pont. Its centerpiece is a luxurious mansion built in the mid-1920s, when the estate covered 58 acres.

Also known as the Alfred I. duPont Estate, the property was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1973. After restoration, the mansion and estate became the home of the Epping Forest Yacht Club. In 2012, the Florida Chapter of the American Institute of Architects included it among Florida Architecture’s 100 Places.

More cultural stops

The Alexander Brest Museum and Gallery at Jacksonville University presents changing exhibitions in a 2,300-square-foot space. Its collections have included carved ivory, Pre-Columbian artifacts, Steuben glass, Chinese porcelain, Cloisonné, Tiffany glass and Boehm porcelain. The gallery also shows work by nationally recognized artists and Jacksonville University students and designers.

For an evening combining dinner and live performance, Alhambra Theatre and Dining has a distinctive place in Jacksonville’s performing arts scene. It is recognized as the oldest continuously running professional dinner theater in the United States and the only professional resident theatre in Northeast Florida.

Explore Jacksonville with a Self-Guided Audio Tour

A Jacksonville self-guided walking tour is an easy way to connect the city’s landmarks without joining a group or following a fixed schedule. Neywo’s free Jacksonville audio guide includes 4 walking tours and 1 bus route, covering 50 narrated places.

The walks include:

• Rebuilt After the Fire: Theatres, Towers and Churches — 3.25 km, 99 minutes and 12 stops.
• Theatre, Cathedral and Stadium — 3.86 km, 96 minutes and 9 stops.
• The St. Johns Riverfront — 1.85 km, 52 minutes and 6 stops.
• Gardens and Five Points: Riverside — 4.78 km, 91 minutes and 5 stops.

There is also the JTA 1B: Downtown Theatres and LaVilla bus route, covering 9.7 km in 42 minutes with 5 narrated stops.

Download Neywo and explore Jacksonville at your own pace. The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, with no group and no schedule. You can also continue discovering Florida and other destinations across the United States.