Museums & Historical Sites

Jacksonville is home to more than a dozen museums filled with interactive exhibits, world-class art and hours of fun.

From arts, to history, to science and everything in between, we guarantee you will learn something new at our many museums year-round!

Which museum interests you most? Read below for a description of each museum and use the map to help you get there!

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1. Beaches Museum
Experience the history and culture of the beaches at the Beaches Museum. Travel back in time with interactive and informative exhibits that display the deep history of the Beaches community. Visit the Beaches Museum with their online app.
Address: 381 Beach Blvd, Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250
Website: http://beachesmuseum.org

2. Clara White Mission/Eartha M.M. White Museum
The Clara White Mission was founded in 1904 by Clara English White, a former slave, who was moved to advocate for the poor in Jacksonville's LaVilla neighborhood. The Clara White Museum serves as a memorial to Clara White and her daughter Dr. Eartha White, showcasing the lives and careers of these two pioneer women and their impact on Jacksonville's community.
Address: 613 West Ashley Street, Jacksonville, FL 32202
Website: www.clarawhitemission.org

3. Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens
Located in the historic Riverside neighborhood, The Cummer Museum houses over 5,000 works of art spanning 8,000 years including significant European and American paintings and a renowned Meissen porcelain collection. Visitors can also tour the century-old beautiful formal gardens overlooking the St. Johns River.
Address: 829 Riverside Ave, Jacksonville, FL 32204
Website: www.cummermuseum.org

4. Durkeeville Historical Society
Durkeeville was a community founded in the 1930s for African Americans during the period of racial segregation in Jacksonville. It was filled with rich local African American history, personalities and landmarks. Nowadays, the Durkeeville Historical Society has re-created exhibits of materials and historical artifacts from the community to tell its story. Tours available with an appointment.
Address: 1293 W 19th St, Jacksonville, FL 32209
Website: www.durkeevillehistoricalsociety.org

5. Fort Caroline National Memorial
Located along the banks of the St. Johns River in Jacksonville’s Arlington neighborhood, Fort Caroline memorializes the short-lived French presence in Jacksonville during the sixteenth century. There is a replica fort depicting the stories of exploration, survival, religious disputes, territorial battles, and first contact between American Indians and Europeans. There is also a Visitor Center for the Timucuan Preserve at this location as well as a museum.
Address: 12713 Fort Caroline Road, Jacksonville, FL 32225
Website: www.nps.gov/timu/learn/historyculture/foca.htm

6. Hands On Children's Museum
The Hands On Children's Museum creates an interactive learning environment for kids and families through creativity, problem-solving, role-playing and more.
Address: 8580 Beach Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32216
Website: https://www.handsonchildrensmuesum.org/index.html

7. Jacksonville Historical Society: James Merrill Museum
The James E. Merrill Museum House lets visitors experience Jacksonville at the turn of the 20th century. This fully furnished home, in Downtown, depicts life in Jacksonville in 1903 for a typical middle-class family. This house is the only one of its kind remaining in Northeast Florida. It is open for tours by appointment only.
Address: 319 A. Philip Randolph Jacksonville, FL 32202
Website: www.jaxhistory.org/merrill-museum-house-tours/

8. Kingsley Plantation
The Kingsley Plantation, located within the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, is the site of a former estate owned by Zephaniah Kingsley and Jacksonville's oldest home. The site, rich with Jacksonville and African-American history, is maintained by the National Parks Service. Visitors can tour the estate daily and the 23 slave cabins located on the plantation.
Address: 11676 Palmetto Ave, Jacksonville, FL 32226
Website: www.nps.gov/timu/learn/historyculture/kp_visiting.htm

9. Mandarin Museum & Historical Society
The Mandarin Museum and Historical Society serves to preserve and celebrate the heritage and history of Mandarin by managing the Mandarin Museum and four historic 19th century buildings located inside the Walter Jones Historical Park, including the 1911 Mandarin Store and Post Office. Learn about Harriet Beecher Stowe's life in Mandarin, the Maple Leaf -a National Historic Landmark Civil War shipwreck- and visit a one-room schoolhouse that was built for Black children in 1898. Then take a stroll through the 10-acre park and boardwalk and enjoy views of the beautiful St. Johns River.
Address: 11964 Mandarin Rd, Jacksonville, FL 32223
Website: www.mandarinmuseum.net

10. Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Jacksonville
With more than 1,000 pieces in its permanent collection, MOCA Jacksonville encompasses one of the largest collections of modern and contemporary art in the Southeast. View paintings, installations, prints, sculpture, and photography by some of the biggest names in the visual arts.
Address: 333 N Laura St, Jacksonville, FL 32202
Website: http://mocajacksonville.unf.edu

11. Museum of Science & History (MOSH)
Located on Downtown's beautiful Southbank, the Museum of Science & History brings thousands of years of Northeast Florida’s cultural and ecological history to life. Featuring interactive exhibits and the Bryan-Gooding Planetarium, the largest single-lens planetarium in the world!
Address: 1025 Museum Cir, Jacksonville, FL 32207
Website: http://themosh.org

12. Museum of Southern History
The Museum of Southern History also known as the G. Howard Bryan Museum of Southern History. It covers Jacksonville’s history from the Native Americans, American Revolution, Civil War and continues forward to current history. The Museum of Southern History was established to maintain and perpetuate an educational facility for those who are interested in the history of the United States, its early problems and difficulties in becoming the Nation it is today. They are dedicated to historical accuracy in presenting the lifestyle and culture of the Antebellum South.

Address: 4304 Herschel St., Jacksonville, Florida 32210
Website: https://www.museumsouthernhistory.com

13. Norman Studios
Founded in 1916 as Eagle Film City and later purchased by Richard E. Norman in 1921, Norman Studios is Jacksonville's only surviving silent film studio complex. The studio is located in Jacksonville's Old Arlington neighborhood, and is striving to drive education, research and tourism to the film industry. Open by appointment only.
Address: 6337 Arlington Road, Jacksonville, FL 3221
Website: http://normanstudios.org

14. Ritz Theatre and Museum
History and music share the stage at the Ritz Theatre and Museum. It is located in the LaVilla neighborhood of Downtown and considered to be "the mecca for African American culture and heritage" in Florida. The Theater was once a movie house for black families. It now houses a museum for Jacksonville’s extensive African American History and a theater with special events every week.
Address: 829 N Davis St, Jacksonville, FL 32202
Website: www.ritzjacksonville.com

15. The Ribault Club
Located on Fort George Island, The Ribault Club was established in 1928 as a playground for the rich and famous in Jacksonville. The club has been the site of many memorable parties and events over the years, hosting foreign dignitaries, captains of industry and society mavens. Currently, it houses a museum depicting its history and also hosts special private events in its beautiful waterfront location.
Address: 11241 Fort George Rd, Jacksonville, FL 32226
Website: www.theribaultclub.com

16. Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve
The beautiful Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve offers numerous outdoors activities. Explore the trails and historic sites of the Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve. The historical sites and marked trails provide more than just a walk in the woods. Hike around Kingsley Plantation or find lesser-known sites like the foundation of the home of Willie Browne, the last private owner of the Preserve's Theodore Roosevelt Area.
Address: 12713 Ft Caroline Rd, Jacksonville, FL 32225
Website: https://www.nps.gov/timu/index.htm

17. Tree Hill Nature Center
Hands-on education of nature, animals, plants & trails can be found at the Tree Hill Nature Center. This Arlington Nature Center has a hands-on natural history museum which includes exhibit animals, hands-on displays about nature and a Florida Wetland exhibit room.
Address: 7152 Lone Star Rd, Jacksonville, FL 32211
Website: www.treehill.org

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Museum Passport

Explore Jacksonville's museums with the Museum Passport!

Museum Passport

It’s Easier Here… Easier to be immersed in the culture of the city when exploring our unique blend of original festivals, live music, art events, stand-out museums and extensive public arts program, all which make Jacksonville one of the top art cities in Florida! Grab a museum passport and start exploring our amazing museums.

How the Museum Passport works

  • Pick up a Visit Jacksonville Museum Passport at any of our Visitor Centers or participating museums.
  • Get a stamp at the front desk of each museum.
  • A passport stamped by 4 different museums gets you a special prize.
  • Bring or mail your passport to the Visit Jacksonville office to claim your prize!

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