Exploring Island Life
Fort George Island
8 am to sunset, year round | 904-251-2320
11241 Fort George Road, Jacksonville FL 32226 | No Fee
When planning your special event, consider the recreational activities of North Florida to enhance your guest’s experience. The area surrounding The Ribault Club is home to a group of state parks abundant with wildlife and some of the few remaining undeveloped barrier islands in Florida. This provides a unique opportunity for any wedding, special event or business gathering to incorporate recreational experiences into the schedule for events spanning a day or more.
Visitor's Center
Located inside The Ribault Club, guests can learn about the history of the area and find useful visitor information. Open 9 am to 5 pm Wednesday through Sunday. Closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.
Hiking
Enjoy the club grounds or the 3.3 mile, moderately difficult, 90% hard pack, shaded trail.
Geo-seeking
Check Operation Recreation GeoTour to look for caches.
Off-road Biking
Pick up a map at The Ribault Club for biking the island. Helmets required ages 16 and under.
Bird Watching
Capture photos of shorebirds in the tidal shoals behind The Ribault Club.
Picnic
Bring your lunch and picnic under the large oaks or at the picnic pavilion.
Lawn Games
Get a bocce ball or croquet set from the rangers.
Boat Ramp
Launch your own canoe, kayak or small flat-bottom boat.
Fishing
Test your fishing skills in protected waterways. License required and individuals must follow state regulations.
Kingsley Plantation
Visit this historical plantation house for an audio tour, Saturday and Sunday until 3:30pm. Closed during the week.
Little Talbot Island
8 am to sunset, year round | 904-251-2320
12157 Heckscher Drive, Jacksonville FL 32226 | $5 per vehicle
Just across the Fort George River is Little Talbot Island, boasting untouched natural beauty for visitors to explore, with five miles of pristine beaches and three miles of bike trails. Find eroding sun-bleached roots and fallen tree trunks of cedar and palm. Kayak along the bluffs of Myrtle Creek. Camp in a lush forest hammock. It’s an outdoor lover’s paradise.
Beaches
Stroll along miles of pristine, white sandy beaches great for water play, sunbathing, shelling, or nature watching.
Hiking
Enjoy the Dune Ridge Trail, four miles of trails, campground facilities and stunning nature. Junior Ranger activity booklets are available at the ranger station.
Bike Trails
Ride the 2.5-mile paved Park Drive Timucuan Trail, the off-road Dune Ridge Trail or along the beach.
Bird Watching
Spot coastal, wading birds and songbirds in the maritime hammock forest.
Picnic
Bring your lunch and picnic in Florida’s scenic natural environment.
Paddling
Rent a canoe or kayak or take a guided tour from Kayak Amelia. Call 904.251.0016 to schedule a tour. KayakAmelia.com
Beach Fishing
Fish from shore at the beach. License required and individuals must follow state regulations.
campground
Camp in one of the 36 available campsites that includes bath houses and playground.
Big Talbot Island
8 am to sunset, year round | 904-251-2320
State Road A1A North, Jacksonville FL 32226 | $3 per vehicle , $2 fishing pier $4 boat launch
Big Talbot Island is primarily a natural preserve. A premier location for nature study, bird watching and photography, visitors can also hike to the shoreline, marsh, or through a maritime forest for a day of unspoiled nature experiences.
Hiking
Take Big Pine Trail to the marsh or Blackrock Trail to the shoreline.
Geo-Seeking
Check Operation Recreation GeoTour to look for caches.
Bike Trails
Rent a bike or bring your own to explore miles and miles of paved and unpaved trails, many that run parallel to AIA with breathtaking overlooks of Spoonbill Pond at the northern boardwalk.
Bird Watching
Head to Spoonbill Pond for a covered pavilion and elevated boardwalk.
Picnic
Visit the Bluffs and enjoy your lunch at one of the pavilions overlooking the water or take a stroll to Boneyard Beach.
Boat Ramp
Launch larger vessels from the north end of the island. Smaller boats, kayaks and canoes launch at the southern end.
Paddling
Rent a canoe or kayak or take a guided tour from Kayak Amelia. Call 904.251.0016 for information or to schedule a tour. KayakAmelia.com
Fishing
Fish from shore at the beach. License required and individuals must follow state regulations.
Beaches
Visit Boneyard Beach, famous for the salt-washed skeletons of live oak and cedar trees that once grew near the shore.
Amelia Island
8 am to sunset, year round | 904-251-2320
State Road A1A North, Jacksonville FL 32226 | $2 per person
To the north of The Ribault Club and Big Talbot Island on AIA is Amelia Island. This park protects over 200 acres of unspoiled wilderness along the southern tip of Amelia Island. The only Florida state park that offers horseback riding on its beaches, the island provides visitors a glimpse of “real” Florida. Beautiful beaches, salt marshes and coastal forests are just part of the natural surroundings on Amelia Island.
Horseback Riding
Ride through a shady maritime hammock forest, the breathtaking seaside, and arrive at the southern point of the island to take in the 360-degree views of Nassau Sound. Visit Kelly Seahorse Ranch to book your guided ride.
Paddling
Rent a canoe or kayak or take a guided tour from Kayak Amelia. Call 904.251.0016 for information or to schedule a tour. KayakAmelia.com
Fishing
Cast your line from shore or the mile-long, pedestrian-only George Crady Fishing Pier spanning Nassau Sound, open twenty-four hours a day.
Bird Watching
Capture sights of terns, piping plovers, osprey, and willets at the premier site for viewing shorebirds on the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail.
Beaches
Stroll the shore to collect shells, shark’s teeth and memories of wildlife all around you.
Picnic
Cast your line from shore or the mile-long, pedestrian-only George Crady Fishing Pier spanning Nassau Sound, open twenty-four hours a day.
Biking Trails
Hop on your bike and cruise the paved, six-mile Timucuan Trail to Peters Point Park.
Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve
8 am to sunset, year round | 904-696-5980
13802 Pumpkin Hill Road, Jacksonville FL 32226 | No Fee
One of the largest contiguous areas of coastal uplands remaining in Jacksonville, Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve is part of a larger area known as the 7 Creeks Recreation Area. It is nestled between the beaches and the city of Jacksonville, featuring pine flatwoods that protect the water quality of the Nassau and St. Johns Rivers and support abundant wildlife. The Preserve offers more than 30 miles of natural-surface trails for hiking and biking and can be accessed by canoe and kayak.
Hiking
Take Big Pine Trail to the marsh or Blackrock Trail to the shoreline.
Geo-Seeking
Check Operation Recreation GeoTour to look for caches.
Bike Trails
Cycle intermediate and advanced terrain through flatwoods and sandhill communities for a challenging bike adventure.
Bird Watching
Take Big Pine Trail to the marsh or Blackrock Trail to the shoreline.
Picnic
Choose from five different picnic areas in the park; overlook the salt marsh, lunch trailside, or under the pines at the main picnic area.
Paddling
Paddle your own canoe, kayak or paddle board between Black Hammock Island and Pumpkin Hill Creek.
Fishing
Cast your line at one of three access points to unspoiled tidal creeks adjacent to the park. License required and individuals must follow state regulations.
Horseback Riding
Bring your own horses and ride Pumpkin Hill trails or connect to adjacent Jacksonville Park trails.
Yellow Bluff Fort
8 am to sunset, year round | 904-251-2320
New Berlin Road, Jacksonville, FL 32226 | No Fee
One of the largest contiguous areas of coastal uplands remaining in Jacksonville, Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve is part of a larger area known as the 7 Creeks Recreation Area. It is nestled between the beaches and the city of Jacksonville, featuring pine flatwoods that protect the water quality of the Nassau and St. Johns Rivers and support abundant wildlife. The Preserve offers more than 30 miles of natural-surface trails for hiking and biking and can be accessed by canoe and kayak.
Yellow Bluff
Learn the history of this Civil War site, explore the park, picnic and enjoy unspoiled nature.
Picnic
Enjoy a picnic lunch surrounded by the sights and sounds of a peaceful culturally historic setting.
