Fort Caroline National Memorial

FORT CAROLINE NATIONAL MEMORIAL is the place to start for anyone interested in Florida history. The Spanish had been in La Florida many years, but they failed to establish a permanent settlement before the French. In 1564, under the leadership of Jean Ribault and René Laudonnière, the French arrived at what is now known as the Saint John's River. They set up camp, built a fort on the bluff, and named it after King Charles IX. It wasn’t long before they ran into problems: starvation, unhappy relations with the natives, and the arrival of Pedro Menéndez.

Fort Caroline is located east of downtown Jacksonville. From I-95 or I-295 take 9A to Monument Road then follow the signs to Fort Caroline. The park opens at 9:00 a.m.

We visited the fort on a Sunday morning in September. September is usually a hot month so we went early in the morning. It was a good time to visit because the traffic was very light compared to the usual bumper to bumper traffic on the interstates and major highways in Jacksonville during the other six days. It was a gorgeous day, sunny with low humidity. We began our tour at the Visitor's Center where friendly staff answered our questions and where we received information about the park and the Timucuan culture. We saw only four other people while we were there so it was quiet, and we had a leisurely stroll through the park.

Afterward, we drove to the Ribault Monument. When we left the park, we turned left. There were signs pointing the way. There was plenty of parking. Stairs and a ramp lead up to the bluff. As always we were surprised when we got to the top and saw the panorama of the St. John’s River as it meets the Atlantic—awesome sight. Ribault set up a stone monument on the bluff when he first spotted La Florida. The original monument is long gone, but don’t miss this view!