Jacksonville, FloridaDec 1, 2006
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Huguenot Memorial Park, Jacksonville, Florida
USS Kennedy, Huguenot Memorial Park, Jacksonville, Florida
Main house and kitchen at Kingsley Plantation, Florida
12/1 - 12/7
It was a 87 mile drive from Waycross, Georgia to Jacksonville, Florida along US1. The campground at Huguenot Memorial Park was recommended by Roy and Jean Drummond and we are grateful for their advice. Although the park is about 20 miles from the city of Jacksonville, it still has a Jacksonville address. The park is just across the St John River from Mayport. What a wonderful park! Our house was parked right along the banks of the St. John River. This gave us a beautiful view of the river and the USS Kennedy aircraft carrier which is docked on the Mayport side of the river. At low tide we could walk along the banks of the river to its mouth and then north along the Atlantic Ocean to the mouth of the Fort George River and back to our campsite. And to make it even nicer, just down the street was the 4 star Sandollar Restaurant and Marina (9716 Hecksher DR, Jacksonville 904-251-2449). We can recommend their seafood gumbo, crab bisque soup, fried shrimp (small but fresh and very delicately floured) and blackened scallops.
While in the Jacksonville area we:
>met Pat and Joe who are friends of Roy and Jean Drummond. We got together to do a little sightseeing and eating.
>visited the Kingsley Plantation which was only about four miles from our campsite. The main building of this plantation was built in 1798 at a beautiful location along the Fort George River. Unfortunately we could not go in the house or the kitchen because they were in the process of refurbishing both. On the property is the ruins of the many buildings used to house the slaves. Both the barn and the slave quarters were built of tabby. This is a cement-like material using oyster shells instead of stone. The shells were gathered by the builders from old middens (trash piles produced by Indians).
>drove to Amelia Island and the small fishing town of Fernandina Beach. This is a quaint town (surrounded by suburban sprawl) where the 1878 Palace Saloon is still in business. The tavern's 40 foot mahogany bar, maritime murals and pressed-tin ceiling are still being enjoyed by it's customers.
>took the ferry to Mayport where we checked out another city campground and an ok restaurant.
