14 Reasons to Explore Jacksonville's Black Heritage Trail

Brave, innovative African Americans paved the history of Jacksonville, leaving the city with the richest Black heritage in the state of Florida.

The self-guided Black Heritage Trail honors and celebrates this legacy at 25 remarkable stops.

Ready for a tour?

Download the Visit Jax app to get started! Once inside the app, search for "Black Heritage Trail". From there, you can begin the self-guided audio tour. There are 25 total stops and this blog highlights 14 of them. While there are a few neighborhoods like LaVilla, Downtown and Eastside that are walkable, you will need a car to complete the entire tour.

#1 Learn about the composers of America's Black National Anthem.

Written by Jacksonville native sons James Weldon and J. Rosamond Johnson right here in Jacksonville. The Johnson brothers were two luminaries in early African-American history and culture, hear the story behind "Lift Ev'ry Voice" and so much more at the Ritz Theatre and Museum in the historic LaVilla neighborhood of Downtown. You can also visit the birth site of the famous brother. Where their house once stood, Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing Park now stands.

#2 See where Hank Aaron got his first big break.

One of three players to break the color barrier in the regional minor leagues, the famed right-fielder made a splash with the then-Jacksonville Braves at historic Durkee Field, now known as J.P. Small Park, before being called up to the majors in 1954.

#3 Learn about Jacksonville's importance to the early African American film industry.

Once known as the winter film capital of the nation, Jacksonville was home to more than 20 movie studios at the turn of the last century. The still-standing Norman Film Studios made movies for black audiences starring Black actors that eschewed the usual silent-era fare, creating less stereotypical, more well-rounded characters.

#4 Go to a Saturday market in Moncrief Springs.

A 10.5-acre urban farm in historic Moncrief Springs, Eartha's Farm and Market is open each Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm. The house Eartha M.M. White lived in is part of the space and will soon be turned into a museum.

#5 Learn about Jacksonville's original renaissance woman at the Eartha M.M. White Museum.

The city's Clara White Mission is a monument on its own, but this small exhibit located on the second floor of the foundation gives a greater glimpse of the legacy of Eartha White, a woman of many talents—from opera singer to real estate broker—who became best known in later years as a tireless humanitarian, dedicated to improving the lives of local residents in any way she could.

#6 See Jacksonville's oldest home at Kingsley Plantation.

First built in 1798, this is one of the last remaining plantation homes left standing in the state of Florida, providing a vital link to the region's colonial heritage and the fascinating story of the family who lived there —a white landowner and his African wife, a freedwoman from Senegal. Daily guided tours and audio tours are available of the plantation and the enslaved peoples' quarters.

#7 Visit Jacksonville's first black suburbs.

Laid out in the 1930s, Durkeeville was one of the original streetcar suburbs, just northwest of Downtown. It was the center of commerce and culture for the local black community during the first decades of the 20^th century. Today, the Durkeeville Historical Society maintains a museum (by appointment only) that walks visitors through the area's unique history. Another significant neighborhood to explore is the LaVilla neighborhood, a suburb of Downtown, this area was once known as the “Harlem of the South” with a vibrant music and entertainment scene that attracted many nationally renowned jazz artists to play at local black clubs.

#8 Explore a restored historic Black Theatre in the heart of LaVilla.

The Ritz Theatre and Museum is located in the LaVilla neighborhood of Downtown, considered "the mecca for African American culture and heritage" in Florida. The Theater was once a movie house for black families. It now houses a museum for Jacksonville’s African American History.

#9 Pay tribute to the Buffalo Soldiers at the city's oldest cemetery.

Along with many of Jacksonville's most prominent early African American families, Old City Cemetery, established back in 1852, is, notably, also home to the graves of dozens of black servicemen, going all the way back to the Civil War.

#10 See the last remaining Black School House in Jacksonville.

Located at the grounds of the Mandarin Museum & Historical Society, the St. Joseph’s Mission Schoolhouse for African American Children dates back to 1898. It was built for the education of black Mandarin residents, some even had to walk 4 miles to get there and back every day.

#11 Visit Edward Waters University.

Edward Waters University is Florida’s oldest independent institution of higher learning as well as the state’s first institution established for the education of African Americans. It began as an institution founded by Blacks, for Blacks.

#12 Learn about the Gullah Geechee descendants.

Jacksonville is home to one of the largest concentrated populations of Gullah Geechee descendants. Learn about Jacksonville’s Gullah Geechee community and history at Freedom Park in the Arlington neighborhood.

#13 Explore the shops and restaurants along A Philip Randolph Boulevard in the Eastside neighborhood.

In Jacksonville's Eastside neighborhood, A. Philip Randolph Blvd. is lined with many colorful murals and regularly serves as the host of the Melanin Market as well as other community events. A Philip Randolph was a labor unionist and civil rights activist who grew up in Jacksonville. While you're there, stop by A Philip Randolph Heritage Park.

#14 Admire the mosaics at the Jessie Ball DuPont Center.

Honoring prominent Black figures in Jacksonville's past and present, these 6 mosaics feature author Zora Neal Hurston, poet and performer Ebony Payne-English, civil rights leader Rutledge Pearson, historian and author Rodney L. Hurst, humanitarian Eartha M.M. White, and educator Johnetta Cole. The mosaics were created by artist Celso Gonzalez.

There are many more reasons to check out Jacksonville’s extensive Black Heritage, to get started on the self-guided Black Heritage Trail, visit www.jaxheritagetrail.com.