4 Best Sights in Northeast Coast, Florida

The Wark Collection of early-18th-century Meissen porcelain is just one reason to visit this former St. Johns River estate, which includes 13 permanent galleries with more than 5,500 items spanning more than 4,000 years, as well as 3 acres of riverfront gardens that showcase northeast Florida's seasonal blooms and indigenous fauna. The Thomas H. Jacobsen Gallery of American Art focuses on works by artists such as Max Weber, N. C. Wyeth, and Paul Manship. Free brochures at the front desk help you navigate the galleries, as do podcasts. The on-site Cummer Cafe offers food and beverages to enjoy on the museum's patio and in its gardens.

This loftlike, five-story, Downtown building, the former headquarters of the Western Union Telegraph Company, packs a big art-wallop into just 14,000 square feet. Owned and managed by the University of North Florida, this museum has five galleries, where a permanent collection of 20th-century art shares space with traveling exhibitions, a theater, and a funky gift shop. Film series, theater performances, and workshops are conducted throughout the year, and the Art Walk, typically held on the first Wednesday evening of each month, is free to all. Guided tours are available on Saturday afternoon for an additional fee of $10.

This 112,800-square-foot museum has five main collections: Asian, with works dating back to the Neolithic era; African, encompassing costumes, domestic wares, and personal adornments; Modern, featuring the works of Georgia O'Keeffe, William Morris Hunt, Claude Monet, and George Bellows; Contemporary, with original pieces by Yayoi Kusama and El Anatsui; and Photography, including the work of Jerry N. Uelsmann, a retired University of Florida professor.

Bordering the Stetson University campus, the museum's main hub houses five galleries that display rotating exhibits and a permanent collection that includes ceramics, watercolor, mixed media, and photography, including a haunting portrait by photographer Jack Mitchell of John Lennon and Yoko Ono taken just weeks before Lennon's death. Another satellite downtown location, just a mile away, has three more galleries and the museum store.