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Photo: LaggedOnUser, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Hosts more than 2,000 rare and exotic animals and 1,000 varieties of plants. It is constantly growing and changing and always a pleasurable experience.
The Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens is located at the mouth of the Trout River, near where it flows into the St. Johns River, in Jacksonville, Florida. The zoo occupies approximately 122 acres (49 ha) and has over 2,000 animals and 1,000 plant species in its collection. The zoo has grown from a small collection in Springfield into one of the city's premier attractions, with more than one million visits annually.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Just north or downtown is a historic neighborhood with architecture varying from Victorian and Craftsmen to Colonial Revival and Prairie School. Characterized by large porches, iconic city parks, and immersed in a blanketing oak canopy, Springfield is quickly becoming a hot spot for any traveler looking for an authentic taste of Jacksonville.
A cultural museum showcasing the people and places that flourished within the Jacksonville African American community during the Jim Crow era.
One of the most beautiful city halls in America and open to the public. The building was designed in Prairie School style by noted local architect Henry John Klutho. It was constructed as a department store in 1912, purchased by the city in 1993, and became the new city hall in 1997. The name was chosen by its investors, businessmen from Connecticut, the relevance being that Saint James is the patron Saint of travelers. The interior features a spectacular sunlit atrium with a dominating octagonal glass dome. The defining feature of the structure is the large abstract decorative cornices on the buildings exterior.
MOCA
This museum is located downtown in the historic Western Union Telegraph Building across from Hemming Park and presents a large number of innovative contemporary art exhibits created by regional, national and international artists. Pricing notes: Free admission between 5PM and 9PM on the first Wednesday of each month, and to college students between 1:30PM and 5PM Tuesday through Friday.
formerly Hemming Park
A block-sized park in the center of Jacksonville's downtown. It was named for Confederate veteran Charles C. Hemming, who in 1898 donated to the City the Confederate monument which was the focal point of the park. The statue was removed by the City in June 2020. In August 2020 the park was renamed for James Weldon Johnson, a writer and civil rights activist. The park is surrounded by Jacksonville's City Hall, the United States Courthouse, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the public Main Library for Jacksonville, the former Snyder Memorial Church and various restaurants. Step inside City Hall, which is a restored department store built in 1912 and designed in the prairie style by noted local architect Henry John Klutho, and take a look at the large, sunlit atrium which dominates the interior of the structure. The downtown Main Library opened in 2005 and is the largest Main Library in the state of Florida. The postmodern structure was designed by noted architect Robert A.M. Stern and features a Grand Reading Room and a quiet Courtyard for outdoor reading.
Jacksonville's AA Minor league hockey team affiliated with the NHL. Cheap tickets and great hockey action at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.