Walter Jones Historical Park in Jacksonville, FL

The Walter Jones Historical Park in Jacksonville, FL serves up a little post- Civil War atmosphere in this location off Mandarin Road.  The house on the premises was bought over 100 years ago by Walter Jones right after emigrating from England. Since Mr. Jones served as Postmaster of Mandarin (which the area was called at the time), the house served as a post office and general store for a little over 50 years, with descendants of Mr. Jones operating it until 1964.

The city of Jacksonville purchased this home and turned it into a museum which also serves as the visitor center for the Walter Jones Historical Park. They offer plenty of educational programming for both young and old alike and they have some terrific displays of artifacts and memorabilia of the area.

Located on ten acres of park land, the Walter Jones Historical Park is also noted for its cypress and oak trees that date back hundreds of years, long before the house itself was even built. The area is gorgeous and offers picnic tables, charcoal grills, restrooms and more. It's the perfect place to relax with a picnic and toss the Frisbee around.

The park does accommodate larger groups but requires a reservation to view the home if you want a formal tour of the place. The park itself is open from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. for those enthusiastic early or late birds who enjoy strolling the grounds as the sun rises or sun sets. To find out about tours of the museum home in Walter Jones Historical Park, you can call the Parks and Recreation office or take your chances and just show up.  All in all, it is a pleasant way to spend a few hours while in the Jacksonville area.