A weekend in Palatka, Florida

Palatka is the county seat of Putnam County, a river town on a wide bend of the St. Johns in northeast Florida. It is about 29 miles from St. Augustine, roughly an hour from Gainesville, and a little over an hour from Jacksonville, which makes it an easy weekend from most of north and central Florida. This is how we would spend two days here, starting from the front gate of Hummingbird House.

What is Palatka known for?

Three things: the river, the azaleas, and its nineteenth-century streets. The city received its charter in 1853, and in the decades after the Civil War it became a major river port and winter resort, a period local historians call its Golden Age. The town was known then as the Gem City of the St. Johns. A fire in November 1884 leveled five downtown blocks and the four largest hotels, and the tourist trade never fully returned, which is one reason so much of the old residential town survived.

Two neighborhoods, the Palatka North and Palatka South Historic Districts, were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. Hummingbird House stands in the South district, on a street the National Register nomination singles out for its Golden Age homes. See the house as a historic rental.

Saturday morning: the riverfront

Walk east toward the water. Riverfront Park has a walking path along the St. Johns, fishing and boat piers, a covered stage, the city’s clock tower, and a memorial to the World War II submarine USS Tang. If you are traveling with children, the Puc Puggy Playground has slides, swings, a zip line, and a splash pad. It is named for William Bartram, the naturalist who traveled up the St. Johns in 1774; “Puc Puggy” was the name the Seminole gave him.

Just north of the park, the Memorial Bridge carries U.S. 17 across the river to East Palatka. It is 4,020 feet long, which gives you a sense of how broad the St. Johns is here. The river is 310 miles long, flows north, and was named one of fourteen American Heritage Rivers in 1998.

Saturday midday: murals and a very old diner

Downtown Palatka is an outdoor gallery. The Conlee-Snyder Mural Committee has sponsored more than 30 murals on downtown walls, each showing a piece of local history. A slow loop along St. Johns Avenue and the side streets takes about an hour.

For lunch, Angel’s Dining Car on Reid Street has been serving since 1932, and Visit Florida calls it the state’s oldest diner. It still offers curb service. On St. Johns Avenue, Steamboat Willie’s Gastro Pub and Magnolia Cafe are both a short walk from the river. Hours change, so check before you go.

Saturday afternoon: Ravine Gardens

Ravine Gardens State Park is about five minutes from the house by car. Two steep ravines were planted as a formal garden in 1933, and you can see them from a 1.8-mile loop drive, from two suspension bridges, or from the footpaths along the ravine floor. Azaleas peak between late January and April.

Sunday: houses, art, and a slow start

• Bronson-Mulholland House. Built in 1854 by Judge Isaac Bronson and now a museum run by the Putnam County Historical Society. Tours have been offered on Saturday afternoons and the first Sunday of the month; confirm with the city before you plan around it.
• Larimer Arts Center. A 1929 library building on Reid Street designed by Henry John Klutho, home to the Arts Council of Greater Palatka since 1992.
• Union Depot. The 1908 Atlantic Coast Line station is still an Amtrak stop and houses the David Browning Railroad Museum. Museum hours vary, so check with the Palatka Railroad Preservation Society.
• The South Historic District on foot. Twenty-three blocks of Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, and frame vernacular homes under live oaks. It is the best free thing to do in town.

Where is all of this?

Everything above is on our own map, along with the places we send guests for dinner.

When should you come?

Late February and early March for the azaleas and the Florida Azalea Festival. Memorial Day weekend for the Blue Crab Festival. The first Saturday in December for Porchfest, when bands play on the front porches of our own neighborhood. Our festival calendar has the details. And if you want a bigger day out, St. Augustine is about 40 to 45 minutes east.