Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve


Visit one of the last unspoiled coastal wetlands on the Atlantic Coast. Discover 6,000 years of human history and experience the beauty of salt marshes, coastal dunes, and hardwood hammocks. The Timucuan Preserve includes Fort Caroline and Kingsley Plantation.

The beautiful expanse of the Timucuan Preserve is located within the city limits of Jacksonville, Florida. The Preserve can be accessed from major roads and highways in and around Jacksonville. Directions to individual park sites such as Kingsley Plantation, American Beach and the Ribault Column can be found on our website. Our main visitor center is located at Fort Caroline, about 14 miles northeast of downtown.

  • Auto and ATV
  • Scenic Driving
  • Biking
  • Boating
  • Motorized Boating
  • Fishing
  • Food
  • Picnicking
  • Guided Tours
  • Self-Guided Tours - Walking
  • Self-Guided Tours - Auto
  • Hiking
  • Living History
  • Historic Weapons Demonstration
  • Paddling
  • Canoeing
  • Kayaking
  • Stand Up Paddleboarding
  • Junior Ranger Program
  • Swimming
  • Saltwater Swimming
  • Wildlife Watching
  • Birdwatching
  • Museum Exhibits
  • Shopping
  • Bookstore and Park Store

  • Architecture and Building
  • African American Heritage
  • Archeology
  • Burial, Cemetery and Gravesite
  • Colonization and Settlement
  • Enslavement
  • Explorers and Expeditions
  • Forts
  • Incarceration
  • Monuments and Memorials
  • Native American Heritage
  • Social Movements
  • Civil Rights
  • Wars and Conflicts
  • Colonial/European Contact Conflicts
  • Civil War
  • Women's History
  • Dunes
  • Trails
  • Wetlands

Kingsley Plantation Slave Quarters

slave cabins made of tabby with wooden roofs

The tabby cabins at Kingsley Plantation were the homes of many enslaved people.

Nana dune at American Beach

sand dune and blue sky

The sand dune at American Beach is a protected part of the Timucuan Preserve.

Fort Caroline

fort gate

The fort exhibit at Fort Caroline teaches visitors of the failed French colony in Florida.

Theodore Roosevelt Area

park bench alongside a trail

The Theodore Roosevelt Area trails provide a getaway from the urban hustle within the city of Jacksonville.

Baby Fox

A baby fox pops it's head from a burrow

The Timucuan Preserve hosts wondrous biodiversity.