With artwork dating from 2100 B.C.E. to current day, the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens is a wonderful walk through the world's art timeline. The museum features ancient Greek, Roman, Etruscan, and Egyptian art, American and European paintings (including works by Andy Warhol and Norman Rockwell), pieces from the Harlem Renaissance, a Meissen porcelain collection, and special exhibits. Lush, historic gardens overlooking the St. Johns River are also part of the museum tour. The gardens are original to the Cummer family property and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Parking at the Cummer Museum
Park for free at the main lot across the street from the museum or at the corner lot on Riverside Ave. and Post St. There is also free parking on streets near the museum.
Admission to the Cummer Museum
Students and senior citizens get a discount, children 5 and younger are free, and adults pay $10. Admission is free for everyone on Tuesdays, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., and on the first Saturday of each month, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Military families receive free admission Memorial Day through Labor Day, then $6 admission the rest of the year. College students with ID are admitted free Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Best/Worst Time to visit the Cummer Museum
Wednesdays are a great day to visit the museum because there are usually fewer people. March and April are excellent months to tour the gardens. They are in full bloom and look their best. Late summer can be a difficult time to tour them because of the Florida heat, but the museum itself is air conditioned inside. Weekends tend to be busy. During the school year, there are often school tours going on at the museum, but they generally end before 12. The museum is still open to the public during that time. Don't come on a Monday when the museum is closed.
Must see/do at the Cummer Museum
Make the gardens a priority. They are over a hundred years old and are adorned with fountains, sculptures, arbors, and rare plants. Designed by some of the famous names in landscape architecture history, among them Ellen Biddle Shipman, each one has its own style and gives the sense of visiting different garden rooms. If coming with the kids, don't leave without visiting the interactive exhibit. Take time to see "Return from the Harvest," a 19th century photorealism oil painting by William-Adolphe Bouguereau and "The Diving Boy," a bronze sculpture by Jacksonville native Augusta Savage, who played an important role in the Harlem Renaissance.
Other places to visit near the Cummer Museum
Keep up your art tour by visiting the nearby Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), which has works by Alexander Calder, Helen Frankenthaler, among others. From there, head to the Ritz Theatre and Museum to see the Ellie Lee Weems photography collection and take in the latest special art exhibit.
Insider tip for visitors to the Cummer Museum
Notice the bright red, steel kinetic sculpture on the museum's front lawn. Called "The Sea of the Ear Rings" and created by artist Takashi Soga, it is an open vertical ring adjoined near the top of an open horizontal ring. Watch carefully. The top ring will move up and down in response to the wind.
Author's bio: Freelance writer Barbara Merchant roams Jacksonville and St. Augustine with the experienced eye of a native and the open eagerness of a tourist.
Intro: Shark Valley Visitor Center and Tram Tours, or simply Shark Valley as locals refer to it, is one of the most popular sections for those who want to explore Everglades National Park. A paved, fifteen-mile path loops through this northern region of the "River of Grass," offering close encounters with native wildlife ranging from alligators, snakes and turtles to more varieties of birds than you ever suspected existed.
Must see and do at Shark Valley Visitor Center and Tram Tours
Bring your own or rent bicycles at the Visitor Center to cycle the path. It takes a good 2-3 hours to do the whole path, depending on how many times you stop. One of those stops should be the Observation Tower, at the midway point, from which you can observe the largest alligators swimming in the deepest pools of water. You can also hike two short trails near the entrance or take a guided, two-hour tram tour. The tram tour is perhaps the best way for newbies to the Everglades to understand both the complicated ecosystem and the wildlife that lives so abundantly here, and unlike some guided tours, these are hugely entertaining and interesting, led by naturalists and rangers who really know their stuff.
Best and worst time to go to Shark Valley Visitor Center and Tram Tours
Winter is the best season to visit this part of the park, especially if you plan to cycle. The weather is temperate and dry, the sun is mild and the bugs are at their most minimal. The worst time to visit is in the peak of the summer, especially during the afternoons, when thunderclouds gather. The lightning these storms bring is extremely dangerous in the flat, open land of the park. And while the summer rains are terrific for filling alligator holes, the standing water also breeds mosquitos and other biting bugs.
Admission to Shark Valley Visitor Center and Tram Tours
Entrance to the park is $10 per vehicle. For tram tours, adults are $23; senior citizens (62+) are $19; and children (3-12) are $12.75. Bicycle rentals are $9 per hour.
Wildlife at Shark Valley Visitor Center and Tram Tours
Species available for sightings will change with the seasons. For instance, you may be able to spot, if you're really lucky, a bald eagle wintering over in January. But he certainly won't be around in June. Still, you can almost always count on viewing – and perhaps even having to step over one lazing on the path in the sun – an alligator. The park is rife with 'gators, ranging from tiny to tremendous, and other reptiles and amphibians including turtles, frogs and snakes. (Other parts of the Everglades are more prone to crocodiles, manatees, dolphin and pilot whales, but it's rare to see those here.) You'll also never get tired of looking for the big wading birds such as the great blue heron, great egret, anhinga or white ibis, or birds of prey such as the majestic osprey and the red-shouldered hawk. Mammals that live in the Everglades include deer, raccoon, bobcat, the Florida black bear and the elusive Florida panther, although it's unlikely to see any mammals but deer during daylight hours.
Insider tip for Shark Valley Visitor Center and Tram Tours
It's much more expensive to buy sunscreen, bug repellent and drinks at the gift shop on site, so come prepared. Don't forget a hat, because even in the coldest winter, the sun can burn you. And if you're not planning on taking the tram tour, bring a birding book to help you identify the various breeds. Some, like the purple gallinule, are so colorful and unique you'll want to read about them. If you're planning on renting bicycles, arrive early – rentals begin at 8:30 a.m. and it's first come, first serve until they end at 4 p.m. A limited number of children's bicycles and bicycles with baby seats are available. Also, you'll need a driver's license or official ID to hold for deposit. Finally, don't worry about meeting an alligator on the path. They're too busy sunning themselves and warming up their blood to worry about you. If you don't provoke a 'gator, on land it'll leave you alone (In the water is a different story. Always assume any body of water in Florida has an alligator in it, and keep small children and pets away from the edges.) Just take a picture - they do like to pose - and step around.
Author's bio: Jen Karetnick has been living in and writing about Miami since 1992. Her most recent books are Mango (University Press of Florida, 2014) and Brie Season (White Violet Press, 2014).
