Kingsley Plantation: what to know before visiting

Kingsley Plantation is on Fort George Island, within Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve. The address is 11676 Palmetto Ave., Jacksonville, FL 32226.

If you are driving from I-95 north of Jacksonville, take I-295 East Beltway exit 362A, then exit at Heckscher Drive and turn left. Continue on Heckscher Drive for 9 miles. After passing the St.

Johns River Ferry landing on your right, turn left 1/2 mile later at the brown National Park Service sign for Fort George Island, then follow signs to the Kingsley Plantation parking lot. The site can also be reached by boat.

Fort Caroline National Memorial offers another look at Jacksonville-area history on the river, with a different setting from the island plantation site: visiting Fort Caroline National Memorial.

Kingsley Plantation was a historic Sea Island cotton plantation, and its interpretation addresses the lives and work of enslaved people there. The plantation house was built in 1798 and is the oldest standing plantation house in Florida.

Anna and Zephaniah Kingsley lived at the plantation from 1814 to 1837. The site’s history is also presented through exhibits across the grounds, including at the slave quarters, inside the barn and in the north room of the kitchen house.

The self-guided grounds include the slave quarters, barn, waterfront, planter’s house, kitchen house and interpretive garden. A semicircular row of tabby slave cabins is a distinctive feature of the site. The visitor contact station and bookstore are in a 1920s building beside the plantation buildings.

Weekend tours of the planter’s house are offered at 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, except on days with special events. Tours are limited to groups of 12 because of structural restrictions. You can make a reservation in person or by phone at 904-251-3537.

An audio tour is available daily through the National Park Service website. You can check out an audio-described version and a full transcript at the visitor center.

Kingsley Plantation sits within Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, so you can pair its historic grounds with time outdoors on Fort George Island. The interpretive garden includes sample crops such as Sea Island cotton and indigo, and the site has a dock for access from the water.

If you want to extend a Jacksonville-area outing to a coastal landscape, Big Talbot Island State Park’s Boneyard Beach and trails offer a different kind of outdoor setting.

The grounds are closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. The visitor contact station has the same closure days.

Opening hours

• Wednesday to Sunday: 9 AM–5 PM
• Monday and Tuesday: closed

Last checked November 2026. Hours can change on holidays and for special events.

Historic structures close at 4:45 p.m.; the grounds close at 5:00 p.m., when the entrance gates are locked. The visitor contact station, bathrooms and ranger office are in the historic Fort George Club.

A ramp on the north side of the visitor-center building leads to the visitor center and bathrooms. Pets are allowed outdoors if kept on a six-foot leash.

Before you go: Hours, tours and access details can change, so check the National Park Service official site before you go. There are no fees for parking or park access.