Wheels-up, day-trippers
The First Coast is a launchpad — the oldest city in America, wild horses, Victorian seaports and championship golf, all an easy drive. Point the car north for the dunes or south for the cobblestones, and you can be somewhere unforgettable before lunch. Here are the six trips we send our own friends on.
Founded in 1565, this is the oldest continuously inhabited European-established city in the U.S. — and it's only about 40 miles south on I-95. Walk the gun decks of the Castillo de San Marcos, get lost on cobblestone St. George Street, peek inside Flagler College and the Lightner Museum, then climb the lighthouse. It's an easy full day, and honestly worth coming back for a second.
~45–60 min Book a trolley tour →
Drive north and trade the city for 13-plus miles of shoreline and a postcard-perfect Victorian downtown. Tour the brick ramparts at Fort Clinch State Park, ride horseback right on the beach, then get your hands dirty on the Shrimping Eco Tour with Amelia River Cruises — they'll pull a net and explain what's wriggling in it.
~45 min Book a cruise →
Home of THE PLAYERS Championship and its nerve-rattling island-green 17th. Both the Stadium and Valley courses are open to the public, so you can actually tee it up where the pros do — then cool off on the quiet stretch of Atlantic beach just minutes away. A golfer's day trip with a built-in beach day attached.
~30 min Find a stay-and-play →
Take A1A through the Timucuan Preserve to a pair of barrier islands that feel a world away. Big Talbot's Boneyard Beach is a graveyard of bleached, sun-silvered driftwood — a stunning photo spot, though not one for swimming. Little Talbot picks up the slack with calm water for swimming, great shelling and a friendly little surf.
~30–40 min Book a kayak tour →
Georgia's largest barrier island, just over the state line and reachable only by ferry from St. Marys — figure about a 45-minute drive plus a 45-minute boat ride. The payoff is wild: free-roaming horses, the haunting Dungeness ruins, miles of undeveloped beach and not a single car. Heads-up — the ferry sells out, so reserve well ahead.
Reserve the ferry Reserve the ferry →
Let's be honest — this isn't a true day trip. At roughly 2.5 to 3 hours each way, you'll want to make it an overnight (or two). But once you're there it's the heavyweight: Walt Disney World, Universal (now including Epic Universe), SeaWorld and ICON Park. Book a park-adjacent hotel and skip the highway burnout.
Stay overnight Compare park hotels →
Make it a base camp
Every one of these trips is an easy out-and-back from Jacksonville, which makes the city the smartest place to plant your flag. Pick a neighborhood, drop your bags, and treat the First Coast as your playground.
It's only about 40 miles south on I-95, which works out to roughly a 45 to 60 minute drive from downtown. That makes the oldest city in America an easy full-day trip.
Our friends love St. Augustine (about 45 minutes south) and Amelia Island with Fernandina Beach (about 45 minutes north). For something wilder, Cumberland Island's free-roaming horses are worth the ferry.
Yes. Cumberland Island is reachable only by ferry from St. Marys, so figure about a 45-minute drive plus a 45-minute boat ride. The ferry sells out, so reserve well ahead of your visit.
It's roughly 2.5 to 3 hours each way, so it isn't really a true day trip. We'd plan an overnight (or two) and book a park-adjacent hotel to skip the highway burnout.
Little Talbot is your spot for swimming, with calm water, great shelling and a friendly little surf. Big Talbot's Boneyard Beach is a stunning driftwood photo spot, but it's not one for swimming.