JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The finalists for best hidden gem in the JAXBest 2025 contest ranged from a local museum to a juice bar to a charter sailing company.
In the end, our News4JAX Insiders voted the Mandarin Museum and Historical Society as the area’s best hidden gem, topping:
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Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island
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Easy Açaí (Brazilian Juice Bar)
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St. Augustine Sailing
Tucked away off busy Mandarin Road near the main entrance to Walter Jones Historical Park, the museum property gives you a glimpse of Old Florida that many long-time Jacksonville residents don’t even know exists.
The Mandarin Museum is on the banks of the St. Johns River. The surrounding grounds give you a chance to explore the natural beauty of a time gone by, with beautifully preserved buildings and willowy trees along the path you wander.
The museum captures the days when citrus workers worked the land, and when steamboats plied area waters.
It’s a place that gives you a way to connect with history. The goal is to preserve Mandarin’s history and make sure people don’t forget.
“The river plays an important role in the history of the museum and the land here,” said Brittany Cohill, the Mandarin Museum’s executive director. “When you walk into the museum, the opening theme you’ll encounter is ‘It’s Always the River,’ and the spirit of that is that no matter who came here or when, it was always the river that brought them here.”
A map at the Mandarin Museum shows where a Confederate mine sank the Maple Leaf steamship 156 years ago. (WJXT)
The land was owned, back then, by William Webb.
“You also have the history of the citrus industry here, where Maj. William Webb grew about 600 orange trees,” she said. “And he transported them by steamboat to northern markets, right here off his wharf.”
Enter one of the main exhibits and you’ll see how steamships played an important role in the area.
There’s an old steamship rail, darkened by age, that’s a centerpiece. It’s from an historic Civil War-era Union steamship: the Maple Leaf. A map shows where a Confederate mine sank the Maple Leaf steamship 156 years ago.
There’s also the St. Joseph’s Mission Schoolhouse. Built in 1898 specifically for the education of Black Mandarin residents, it’s now the last remaining one-room schoolhouse in Duval County.
The St. Joseph’s Mission Schoolhouse was built in 1898 specifically for the education of Black Mandarin residents. (WJXT)
The museum strives to tell an inclusive story and remind people about Mandarin’s roots and make sure residents don’t forget what for many years was the untold history of Black Mandarin, dating back to the days of slavery.
“It was used by the Sisters of St. Josephs to teach Black children following emancipation in the Mandarin area,” said Cohill. “ And so, Mandarin was really on the forefront of education for all following the U.S. Civil War. And this schoolhouse is a big part of that.”
And there’s more history showcased at the museum in the late 1800s Losco Winery building, where wine was produced until Prohibition.
There’s more history showcased at the Mandarin Museum in the late 1800s Losco Winery building, where wine was produced until Prohibition. (WJXT)
Walk down another path, and there’s an old sawmill surrounded by tools and equipment that were used to work the land in “Old Florida.”
Also, along the riverside walkway, a barn built in 1876 exudes character.
The Mandarin Museum is designed to help its visitors connect with the past and remember the area’s history and Florida’s roots.
Visit this hidden gem in Mandarin at 11964 Mandarin Road. It offers free admission and is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday.
Tours of the historic buildings are also available during the museum’s opening hours with a suggested donation of $7 per person.
For more information, visit www.mandarinmuseum.org.
A special thanks to our JAXBest sponsor, Farah & Farah!
Click here to read the official campaign rules.
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